INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE IN GENERAL ELECTION FOR STATE AND COUNTY OFFICERS

Tex. ELEC Code ch. 142

in effect

Tex. ELEC Code § 142.001. APPLICABILITY OF CHAPTER.

This chapter applies to an independent candidate for an office that is to be voted on at the general election for state and county officers except the offices of president and vice-president of the United States.

Tex. ELEC Code § 142.002. DECLARATION OF INTENT REQUIRED.

(a) To be entitled to a place on the general election ballot, a candidate must make a declaration of intent to run as an independent candidate. (b) A declaration of intent to run as an independent candidate must: (1) be in writing and be signed and acknowledged by the candidate; (2) be filed with the authority with whom the candidate's application for a place on the ballot is required to be filed within the regular filing period for an application for a place on a general primary election ballot; and (3) contain: (A) the candidate's name and residence address; (B) the office sought, including any place number or other distinguishing number; and (C) an indication of whether the office sought is to be filled for a full or unexpired term, if the office sought and another office to be voted on have the same title but do not have place numbers or other distinguishing numbers. (c) This section does not apply to: (1) a candidate for an unexpired term if the vacancy occurs after the 10th day before the regular filing deadline for an application for a place on a general primary election ballot; or (2) a candidate for an office for which the regular application filing deadline for candidates in a primary election is extended.

Tex. ELEC Code § 142.003. PRESERVATION OF DECLARATION.

The authority with whom a declaration of intent is required to be filed shall preserve each declaration filed with the authority until the day after general election day.

Tex. ELEC Code § 142.004. APPLICATION REQUIRED.

(a) To be entitled to a place on the general election ballot, a candidate must make an application for a place on the ballot. (b) An application must, in addition to complying with Section 141.031 , be accompanied by a petition that satisfies the requirements prescribed by Section 141.062 .

Tex. ELEC Code § 142.005. AUTHORITY WITH WHOM APPLICATION FILED.

An application for a place on the ballot must be filed with: (1) the secretary of state, for a statewide or district office; or (2) the county judge, for a county or precinct office.

Tex. ELEC Code § 142.006. REGULAR FILING DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION.

(a) An application for a place on the ballot must be filed not later than 5 p.m. of the 30th day after runoff primary election day, except as provided by Section 202.007 . (b) An application filed by mail is considered to be filed at the time of its receipt by the appropriate authority.

Tex. ELEC Code § 142.007. NUMBER OF PETITION SIGNATURES REQUIRED.

The minimum number of signatures that must appear on a candidate's petition is: (1) for a statewide office, one percent of the total vote received by all candidates for governor in the most recent gubernatorial general election; or (2) for a district, county, or precinct office, the lesser of: (A) 500; or (B) five percent of the total vote received in the district, county, or precinct, as applicable, by all candidates for governor in the most recent gubernatorial general election, unless that number is under 25, in which case the required number of signatures is the lesser of: (i) 25; or (ii) 10 percent of that total vote.

Tex. ELEC Code § 142.008. STATEMENT ON PETITION.

The following statement must appear at the top of each page of a candidate's petition: "I know the purpose of this petition. I have not voted in the general primary election or runoff primary election of any political party that has nominated, at either election, a candidate for the office of (insert office title) for which (insert candidate's name) is a candidate."

Tex. ELEC Code § 142.009. PETITION TO BE CIRCULATED AFTER PRIMARY.

A signature on a candidate's petition is invalid if the signer: (1) signed the petition on or before general primary election day or, if a runoff primary is held for the office sought by the candidate, on or before runoff primary election day; or (2) voted in the general or runoff primary election of a political party that made a nomination, at either primary, for the office sought by the candidate.

Tex. ELEC Code § 142.010. CERTIFICATION OF CANDIDATES' NAMES FOR PLACEMENT ON GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT.

(a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), the authority with whom applications for a place on the ballot are required to be filed shall certify in writing for placement on the general election ballot the name of each candidate who files with the authority a declaration of intent that complies with Section 142.002 (b), if required, and an application that complies with Section 142.004 (b). (b) Not later than the 68th day before general election day, the certifying authority shall deliver the certification to the authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared in each county in which the candidate's name is to appear on the ballot. (c) A candidate's name may not be certified: (1) if, before delivering the certification, the certifying authority learns that the name is to be omitted from the ballot under Section 145.064 ; or (2) for an office for which the candidate's declaration or application is invalid under Section 142.0021 or 141.033 , as applicable. (d) In conjunction with the certification required under Subsection (a), the secretary of state shall include appropriate ballot translation language, as applicable, for each language certified statewide or in a specific county by the director of the census under 42 U.S.C. Section 1973aa-1a. Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1014 (H.B. 2477 ), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2011. Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1318 (S.B. 100 ), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2011.

Tex. ELEC Code § 142.0021. FILING DECLARATIONS OF INTENT FOR MORE THAN ONE OFFICE PROHIBITED.

(a) A candidate may not file declarations of intent for two or more offices that: (1) are not permitted by law to be held by the same person; and (2) are to be voted on at one or more elections held on the same day. (b) If a person files more than one declaration of intent in violation of this section, each declaration filed subsequent to the first one filed is invalid. Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1349, Sec. 54, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Source: TX Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Fetched: 6/29/2026