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We've done a lot of reporting here at Burnt Orange Report over the past few days, especially on the Texas primary and Texas delegate process. To help you keep up, we've created this FAQ -- which you can find later as a permanent link in the "TX Primary Resources" box on the top-right hand corner of the site. If you have any more questions, please submit them below, and we'll answer them as best we can. How Do I Know Where to Vote? Early voting started today, February 19, and ends on February 29. Texas' primary day is March 4. If you need to find your polling place, the Texas Secretary of State will help you figure that out. Also, if you are out of the county, disabled, or over 65, you can vote by mail. Learn how here: Resource: Where Do I Vote?
Resource: Vote by Mail How Many Delegates Does Texas Have? Texas will send 228 delegates to the national convention. Of those, 193 are "pledged" delegates chosen through our hybrid primary/caucus "primacaucus" system, and 35 are "superdelegates." Resource: Everything You Need to Know About the Texas Delegate Process, Part 1 Can You Explain the Primary/Caucus System? It is being called the "Texas Two-Step" and it goes like this: - Voters vote early or go to the polls and cast their ballots as they would any normal election. This is the "primary" portion -- and this method will select 126 of the state's delegates.
- Fifteen minutes after the polls close, those who voted in the primary may also caucus -- much like you've read is done in Iowa. This is the "caucus" portion -- and this method will select 67 of the state's delegates.
Resource: Everything You Need to Know About the Texas Delegate Process, Part 1 What About Texas' Superdelegates? We have created -- with the terrific help of our friends at 2008 Democratic Convention Watch -- a page to track how each of Texas' 35 superdelegates intend to vote at the National Convention. We wil continue updating this page throughout and following the Texas primary season. Resource: TX Superdelegate Watch Will We Know Who Won Texas on Election Day? Sort of. We will know who won the "primary" portion of the Texas primary on election day. Delegates are awarded by Senate Districts (not Congressional Districts, like in other states). The Secretary of State will report voting totals by Senate District, so we will know who won that portion -- but we may not have a good idea of the "caucus" portion for some time. To learn more about the makeup of the Senate Districts, follow this link:
Resource: Everything You Need to Know About the Texas Delegate Process, Part 2
How Many Votes Does a Candidate Need to Win a Senate District? It depends on the size of the Senate District. In order to win a Senate District with 4 delegates, for example, a candidate must receive 62.51% of the vote in order to gain a 3-1 delegate "win." Otherwise, the delegates will be evenly split. An interesting note: 15 of Texas' 31 Senate Districts have 4 delegates, including most of the South and East Texas Senate Districts. Additionally, the Lone Star Project has created a delegate calculator, to help you make predictions for how the primary portion will shake out. To see a breakdown of the voting strength of all of Texas' Senate Districts, follow these links: Resource: A Spreadsheet of the TX Delegate Breakdown by Senate District
Resource: How to Split the Texas Delegates
Resource: Lone Star Project Delegate Calculator What do the Latest Poll Numbers Look Like in Texas? There are many different polls out there, with many more to come. The best advice we have is to check back with our site regularly for updates. BOR commissioned IVR polls to be done last year on the Presidential primary race, and they are the only "historical" numbers on the candiates. They will have another poll out soon; in the mean time, there is one website -- Pollster -- that aggregates most all of the polls done in TX, and we regularly check their site for the best reporting on poll numbers. Resource: IVR Polls
Resource: Pollster: An Overview of All TX Primary Poll Numbers
Resource: Breaking Down the Poll Numbers What Else is on the Ballot? We're so glad you asked! Numerous other important elections will be on the ballot on March 4. You'll need to visit your own county's website to view your ballot specifically, but the Secretary of State's page gives an overview of the races on the ballot. Additionally, if you want to bring a resolution to the state convention in June, then you should bring it to your precinct caucus. A list of some proposed resolutions can be found below: Resource: Democratic Primary Ballot (from the Secretary of State)
Resource: Precinct Resolutions What Do You Guys Think About Who Will Win? We at Burnt Orange Report are, first and foremost, thrilled to see so many Democrats get involved in the process. The more we learn about our democratic systems and the more active of an electorate, the stronger our democracy becomes. That being said, we endorsed Senator Barack Obama, and we believe -- given the way the Texas primary process works -- that he will be the winner of the Texas primary once everything is all said and done. Resource: BOR Endorsement of Barack Obama
Resource: How Obama Can Win Texas Where Can I Learn More About Senator Clinton and Senator Obama? If you absolutely must learn more than what we are reporting here on BOR (why would you?), then here are some potential places to learn more about their Texas campaigns: Resource: Senator Clinton Official Texas Page
Resource: Senator Obama Official Texas Page
Resource: Texans for Obama - A Well-Run Local Blog With Accurate Up-to-date information on his campaign
Resource: Texans for Hillary Is There Anything Else I Should Know? There's always more to learn and more to find out. We would be wrong to make you think that all the answers you can find are here on this page. To learn more about the process, the Texas Democratic Party has terrific resources that can help you out: Resource: TDP: Official Rules and Procedures
Resource: TDP Resources Page
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