John Betancourt (Democratic), Kevin Sparks (Republican) are on the November 3 ballot for Texas Senate District 31; Kevin Sparks 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.
John Betancourt · Democratic▾
John Betancourt is the Democratic candidate for Texas Senate District 31 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Texas Secretary of State's certified 2026 General Election candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 11, 2026.
Kevin Sparks is the Republican incumbent for Texas Senate District 31, which covers 36 counties across the Panhandle and Permian Basin. He is an oil and gas operator with a business degree from the University of Texas at Austin who spent nearly four decades in the industry before entering politics, according to his official Senate biography, and he has held the seat since 2023. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 11, 2026.
Holly Jeffreys (Republican), Cullin Knutson (Democratic) are on the November 3 ballot for Texas House District 86. Not on the November ballot: John T. Smithee, the sitting member per the 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.
Holly Jeffreys · Republican▾
Holly Jeffreys is the Republican nominee for the open Texas House District 86 seat, succeeding longtime Representative John Smithee, who is not seeking reelection after nearly four decades in office, according to The Texan. Jeffreys is Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at West Texas A&M University and a nurse practitioner who has helped open rural clinics in Panhandle, Boys Ranch, Bushland, and Claude, per her campaign site. She served nine years as president of the Bushland ISD School Board.
Priorities: Keeping Panhandle water resources in the Panhandle · Parental authority over children's education · Eliminating school property taxes and lowering the property tax freeze age (per the campaign site)
Cullin Knutson is the Democratic nominee for the open Texas House District 86 seat, succeeding longtime Representative John Smithee, who is not seeking reelection. Born and raised in Amarillo, Knutson graduated cum laude from Texas State University with a political science degree in 2014, per his campaign site, and has worked in roadway construction, sales, and asphalt/paving management, most recently at the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission.
Priorities: Public education funding · Expanding Medicare and Medicaid · Representation for rural communities (per the campaign site)
These race previews show candidates we’re tracking now. A ZIP code shows your statewide and congressional races; a street address adds county and city contests. Local races are address-specific. This guide previews tracked contests, while the lookup tool narrows the list to a voter’s exact address. Tap any name to see the race, full candidate profiles, and everything else on your exact ballot. 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.
Sample ballot by ZIP code in Oldham County
Each ZIP page previews the statewide and congressional races for that ZIP; add a street address in the lookup for county and city contests.
Note: Use address lookup for your exact ballot; local pages preview tracked races.Profiles: Hand-verified profiles are added race by race; always confirm with the official election office linked above.
Kevin Sparks is the Republican incumbent for Texas Senate District 31, which covers 36 counties across the Panhandle and Permian Basin. He is an oil and gas operator with a business degree from the University of Texas at Austin who spent nearly four decades in the industry before entering politics, according to his official Senate biography, and he has held the seat since 2023. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 11, 2026.