Elections 2024: Voting in North Texas

• Though many North Texas seats were essentially decided during the primaries, some races are competitive.
• Plus, Dallas voters will weigh in on City Charter amendments, including one that would decriminalize marijuana.

Here's what you need to know about voting and what's on the ballot in North Texas.

Voting in Texas

You can register to vote through Oct. 7.

• Update your information with the secretary of state's office if needed.

Other key dates: In-person early voting is Oct. 21–Nov. 1.

• Oct. 25 is the last day to apply to vote by mail. Voters eligible for a ballot by mail include those 65 or older on Election Day and those who are sick or disabled.

U.S. Senate: Colin Allred (D) vs. Ted Cruz (R)

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the Republican former Texas solicitor general first elected to the Senate in 2012, faces U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Dallas).

Allred, a fundraising juggernaut and civil rights attorney, has tried to make the election a referendum on Cruz's anti-abortion rights positions, and he's criticized Cruz's visit to Cancún, Mexico, in 2021 during the deadly Texas winter storm.

• Allred recently picked up the endorsement of Republican former Rep. Liz Cheney.

Cruz, meanwhile, has tried to energize Texas Republican voters, warning them against complacency amid a newly invigorated Democratic Party.

• Despite a record of voting against major pieces of bipartisan legislation — the CHIPS Act and the Ukraine-Israel aid package — Cruz has presented himself on the campaign trail as a dealmaker. It's part of an effort to augment his conservative, rural base with suburban swing voters, per the Wall Street Journal.

The latest: Cruz and Allred have agreed to a televised debate on Oct. 15 in Dallas.

The intrigue: Texas hasn't elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994, but Cruz narrowly won re-election against Beto O'Rourke in 2018.

Locked-down districts

Three North Texas congressional seats will see new faces this election.

State of play: Longtime U.S. Reps. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) and Michael Burgess (R-Lewisville) opted not to seek re-election, despite their likely shots at winning another term.

• Allred will also be replaced due to his Senate bid.

The big picture: Local U.S. House and legislative races are expected to be lopsided, with districts drawn to favor one party.

32nd Congressional District: Democrat Julie Johnson faces Republican Darrell Day in the bid to replace Allred.

• The district is considered safe for Democrats, making it likely that Johnson, a state legislator from Farmers Branch, could be the first openly LGBTQ+ member of Congress from a Southern state.
• Day, a business owner and former Arlington City Council member, won the Republican primary runoff against former Dallas City Council member David Blewett.

26th Congressional District: Republican Brandon Gill easily won the March primary for the seat that is predicted to stay in the GOP after Burgess' retirement.

• Gill is the son-in-law of Dinesh D'Souza, a 2020 election denier who produced the movie, "2,000 Mules."
• Navy veteran Ernest Lineberger III was unopposed in the Democratic primary for the seat.

12th Congressional District: Republican state Rep. Craig Goldman won the May runoff against business owner John O'Shea, backed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

• Goldman was supported by Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan.
• Democrat Trey Hunt is an underdog in the race for the historically Republican seat. Hunt describes himself as a progressive Texan.

Dallas City Charter additions

Dallas voters will have the chance to effectively decriminalize low-level marijuana possession, increase salaries for the City Council and mayor, and move city elections to November.

The big picture: They will need to get through a lengthy ballot before even arriving at the 18 charter amendments.

State of play: The City Charter defines the power and structure of the municipal government, and is typically reviewed every decade. Changes require voter approval.

• A city committee spent months drafting potential amendments, and some Dallas resident groups pushed to add several of the propositions.

The intrigue: Dallas HERO, a bipartisan group, collected more than 169,000 signatures to add three proposed amendments to the ballot. In response, council members added three others that would essentially nullify the community-supported additions.

• The group filed a complaint asking the Texas Supreme Court to remove the council-added propositions. Paxton filed a brief in support of Dallas HERO.
• The state Supreme Court ruled in the group's favor, saying the City Council additions would "confuse and mislead voters" if they remained on the ballot.

Dallas HERO propositions are:

• Proposition S would allow residents the power to sue government officials who don't follow the City Charter, city ordinances or state law.
• Proposition T would require the city to commission an annual survey of at least 1,400 residents to determine their satisfaction with the quality of life in Dallas. The city manager's compensation would be tied to the results. (Note: The city manager runs municipal operations and is hired by the City Council.)
• Proposition U would require the Dallas Police Department to employ at least 4,000 officers. Plus, the amendment would require that no less than 50% of annual city revenue exceeding the previous year's revenue be put toward the Dallas Police and Fire Pension.

Proposition R — Decriminalizing marijuana: Ground Game Texas got enough signatures in Dallas to add the amendment that would make Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession the lowest police enforcement priority.

• The proposition also prohibits police officers from using the smell of weed as probable cause for search and seizure, except when part of a violent felony investigation or a narcotics felony investigation.

Other key propositions:

• Proposition C would increase the mayor's salary to $110,000 and council member salaries to $90,000. The mayor currently makes $80,000 and council members $60,000.
• Proposition D would delete the requirement to hold City Council elections in May, potentially moving the elections to November when voter turnout is higher.
• Proposition E would prohibit council members from being able to run again after serving four two-year terms, the limit already established in the charter.
• Proposition L would codify the Office of the Inspector General in the City Charter.