Caldwell County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026
Who is running for Texas Court of Appeals, 3rd District, Chief Justice, Texas Senate and Texas House, and where they stand on taxes, schools and water.
Judges
Texas Court of Appeals, 3rd District, Chief JusticeCory Liu (R) · Darlene Byrne (D)
Cory Liu (R) and Darlene Byrne (D) are on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Texas Court of Appeals, 3rd District, Chief Justice.
Cory Liu
Cory Liu is the Republican candidate for Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals. He currently serves as a district judge in Travis County and previously worked in legal roles for Texas state leaders, per his campaign site. He holds degrees from the University of Chicago and Harvard Law School.
Darlene Byrne
Darlene Byrne is Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals of Texas, elected to the court in 2020, per the campaign site. Per the campaign site, she served 20 years as presiding judge of the 126th District Court of Travis County, graduated from the University of Houston Law Center, and has served as President of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
Elected by the voters of the 3rd Court of Appeals District, which covers 24 counties, so this race is on every November 3, 2026 ballot there. District lines are set by Texas Government Code section 22.201.
Full race pageBy address
These seats are elected by district; only the district covering your address is on your ballot.
Find your districts by addressTexas Senate District 21Julie Dahlberg (R) · Judith Zaffirini (D)
Julie Dahlberg
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Eliminate property taxes and reduce government waste
- Water security and election integrity
- Increase teacher compensation while reducing administrative spending
About Julie Dahlberg
Julie Dahlberg is a U.S. Army veteran who owns MYCO Glass & Mirror, a glass company in La Vernia, according to her campaign website. She previously served as executive director of a San Antonio sober-living nonprofit and is the Republican nominee for Texas Senate District 21, challenging Democratic incumbent Judith Zaffirini.

Judith Zaffirini
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Healthcare access, including Medicaid and pre-existing condition coverage
- Education and educator compensation
- Property tax reduction
About Judith Zaffirini
Judith Zaffirini is the Democratic incumbent for Texas Senate District 21, which stretches from the Rio Grande to the Colorado River and the Valley. A former communications specialist and 13-year teacher with BS, MA, and PhD degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, she became the first woman Dean of the Senate on December 31, 2023, and has passed 1,524 bills since 1987, the most in Texas legislative history, according to her official Senate biography.
Julie Dahlberg (Republican), Judith Zaffirini (Democratic) are on the November 3 ballot for Texas Senate District 21; Judith Zaffirini is the sitting member, per the Texas Senate' official roster. Nominees were chosen at the March 3 primary (or a May 26 runoff) or advanced unopposed; the field is the Texas Secretary of State's certified 2026 General Election candidate list. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Full race pageTexas House District 17Stan Gerdes (R) · Mary Elizabeth Klenz (D)

Stan Gerdes
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Reduce property taxes
- Increase border security funding and rural law enforcement funding
- Protect Second Amendment rights
About Stan Gerdes
Stan Gerdes represents Texas House District 17 and is a fifth-generation Central Texan from Smithville, per his campaign site. He worked with former Governor Rick Perry for more than a decade, including as senior advisor to Perry at the U.S. Department of Energy, per his campaign site, and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.
Mary Elizabeth Klenz
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Protect aquifers and manage water resources
- Expand rural healthcare access
- A smart, constitutional border and immigration system
About Mary Elizabeth Klenz
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Klenz is an Ob/Gyn physician who practiced for 25 years in the Rio Grande Valley before moving to a ranch near Giddings, per the campaign site. She served in the Peace Corps in Southern Africa and attended medical school at Duke University, per the campaign site.
Stan Gerdes (Republican), Mary Elizabeth Klenz (Democratic) are on the November 3 ballot for Texas House District 17; Stan Gerdes is the sitting member, per the Texas House of Representatives' official roster. Nominees were chosen at the March 3 primary (or a May 26 runoff) or advanced unopposed; the field is the Texas Secretary of State's certified 2026 General Election candidate list. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Full race pageVoting info and more
Voting info and more
Verify your ballot with the official election office.
Cross-check every race and candidate with the official election office. Official sources are the final word.
Texas nominees were set by the March 3 primary and May 26 runoffs; unopposed nominees still print on the November 3 ballot, a plurality wins, and declared write-in votes count but write-in names do not print, per the Secretary of State.
Who is on the ballot in Caldwell County, Texas on November 3, 2026?
Caldwell County sample ballot 2026: see where the texas court of appeals, texas senate and texas house candidates stand on taxes, schools and water. Every candidate profile on this page names the official filing or campaign source it came from.
When is the 2026 general election in Texas?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Texas are listed on the Texas election hub. Texas election hub →
How do I see my exact Caldwell County ballot?
Enter your ZIP code in the lookup for the statewide and congressional races on every ballot in the county, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location. Look up your ballot →
Texas statewide racesEvery Texas race on this county's ballot.