- County commissioners vote on the budget and appropriations, which fund essential county services like road maintenance.
- They create and enforce civil and criminal laws that align with state regulations, including land use and construction codes.
- Commissioners implement state and federal mandates while overseeing county agencies and public buildings.
- They also set tax rates for the county and its subdivisions.
- Each Texas county has four commissioners and a county judge, forming the local governing body known as the Commissioners Court.

2026 Texas Primary Runoff

Texas

Taxes

Economy

Public Services

Housing & Urban Development

Public Safety

Transportation & Infrastructure

Energy & the Environment

County Commissioner

- Presides over commissioners court, county’s policy-making body. Helps adopt county budget, sets county tax rates, oversees building and maintaining county infrastructure, and other county government operations.
- Serves as judge of county court, taking on misdemeanor criminal and small civil cases, probate matters, and appeals from the justice of the peace court.
- Performs administration duties, ranging from hearings for beer and wine license applications to calling elections. Can serve as budget officer in counties with a smaller population.
- Serves as county’s emergency management director, with authority to designate an assistant to emergency management issues as emergency management coordinator.
- Represents county at ceremonial occasions and on various boards and committees, including Election Commission, Workforce Governing Board, and Bail Bond Board.
- County Judges are elected in a partisan, county-wide election to a four-year term. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, have been a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, a county resident for at least six consecutive months, and registered to vote in that county.
- The annual salary for county judges range from $47,425 to $198,921, set by the county’s commissioners court.

Leads your county’s policy-making board.

Ellis

Judicial Efficiency

Election Oversight

Education

Public Health

County Judge

Fannin

Fort Bend

- Receives and deposits all county revenues, and records receipts and expenditures while reconciling bank statements.
- Acts as chief liaison between the county and depository banks, disburses funds upon the order of the commissioners court, and might prepare payroll.
- Could be selected as county’s investment officer and submit regular reports on county finances to commissioners court.
- Can also be county’s human resources officer, employee benefits coordinator, risk manager, insurance coordinator, and assist with audit responsibilities.
- County treasurers are elected through partisan, county-wide elections to four-year terms. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, have been a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, a county resident for at least six consecutive months, and registered to vote in that county.
- The annual salary for county treasurer ranges from $23,230 to $161,047, depending on the county.

County’s chief finance officer responsible for safekeeping and investment of funds.

Corruption

Economic Growth

Financial Management

County Treasurer

- Serves as clerk of county’s commissioners court, attending and recording all sessions, as well as holding all records associated with the Court. Also assists county judge in court agenda preparation and posting notice for each meeting, along with other services requested by the Court.
- Works with judges, defendants, jurors, and attorneys of various courts, doing things like filing cases, issuing processes, maintaining minutes of court proceedings, collecting costs and fines, and arranging for commitments and appeals.
Administers all county and state elections as chief elections officer, except when the Commissioners Court has the tax assessor-collector or county elections administrator do that.
- Can serve as county recorder, where they determine whether a document is suitable for filing.They maintain documents like birth, death, and marriage certificates and real estate records, and act as a liaison to the Vital Statistics Section of the Texas Department of State Health Services.
- County clerks are elected through partisan, county-wide elections to four-year terms. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, have been a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, a county resident for at least six consecutive months, and registered to vote in that county.
- The annual salary for county clerks range from $42,000 to $183,999, set by the county’s commissioners court.

Serves as clerk of county court and commissioners court.

Administration

County Clerk

Harris

- Serves as clerk and custodian of all records for district courts. Supports attorney general and child protective services courts.
- Indexes and secures all court records and verdicts, collects filing fees, and handles funds held in litigation and money awarded to minors. Also manages court registry funds and may process passport applications.
- Fulfills requests from attorneys or via court order to issue documents, collecting fees and distributing them to state and local agencies monthly.
- Gathers data and reports to various agencies to assist county, state, and Texas Legislature in proper operation of courts, effectiveness of statues, and any need for changes.
- Often in courtroom, filing documents, administrating oaths to defendants, witnesses, and jurors, and assists judge in docket management. Coordinates jury panel selection process and acts as liaison between jurors, courts, and employers.
- District clerks are elected through partisan, county-wide elections to four-year terms. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, have been a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, a county resident for at least six consecutive months, and registered to vote in that county.
- The annual salary for district clerks range from $35,236 to $207,952, set by the county’s Commissioners Court.

Preserves records for and serves as clerk in district courts.

District Clerk

Dayton Lakes

Daisetta

Kenefick

Browndell

Old River-Winfree

Cove

Vidor

Rose City

Taylor Landing

Kountze

Pine Forest

Woodville

Chester

Kirbyville

Anahuac

Nome

Devers

Tiki Island

Brazoria

La Marque

Plum Grove

Arcola

Rose Hill Acres

West Orange

Lake Jackson

Iowa Colony

Jones Creek

Beasley

Sandy Point

Clute

Pearland

Holiday Lakes

Kemah

Thompsons

Freeport

West Columbia

Surfside Beach

Orchard

Danbury

Galveston

Hitchcock

China

Liverpool

Bonney

Bayou Vista

Shoreacres

Sweeny

Seabrook

Weston Lakes

Kendleton

Needville

Simonton

Fairchilds

Colmesneil

Newton

Brookside Village

Meadows Place

Fulshear

North Cleveland

Pinehurst

Bailey's Prairie

Manvel

Morgan's Point

Mont Belvieu

Cleveland

Ivanhoe

Dickinson

Texas City

Liberty

Lumberton

Quintana

Katy

Missouri City

Richwood

Port Arthur

Groves

Rosenberg

Clear Lake Shores

Angleton

Orange

Pleak

Santa Fe

Richmond

Bridge City

Beach City

Bevil Oaks

Nederland

Jamaica Beach

Alvin

Ames

Friendswood

Sugar Land

Stafford

Silsbee

Beaumont

Dayton

League City

Sour Lake

Jasper

Hardin

Full profiles for 15 counties, including Collin and Dallas

Full profiles for down to counties, including Bexar and Brazoria (measures use no coverage)

2026 Texas candidates

Ellis County Commissioner Runoff, District 2, Republican Primary

2 candidates

Ellis County Judge Runoff, Republican Primary

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Fannin County Judge Runoff, Republican Primary

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Fort Bend County Commissioner Runoff, District 4, Republican Primary

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Fort Bend County Commissioner Runoff, District 4, Democratic Primary

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Fort Bend County Judge Runoff, Democratic Primary

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Fort Bend County Treasurer Runoff, Democratic Primary

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Fort Bend County Clerk Runoff, Democratic Primary

2 candidates

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Harris County Judge Runoff, Republican Primary

2 candidates

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Harris District Clerk Runoff, Democratic Primary

2 candidates

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