Rains County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026
Who is running for Texas House, with bios, priorities and campaign sites.
Local races not included. We have not yet gathered Rains County's county, city and school board races, so they are not shown here. Your ballot may carry them. See the Texas Secretary of State elections page.
By address
These seats are elected by district; only the district covering your address is on your ballot.
Find your districts by addressTexas House District 5Cole Hefner (R) · Hector Garza (D)
Cole Hefner
Cole Hefner is a small business owner in the insurance industry who previously ran a construction business for 16 years, according to his official House biography. He formerly served as an Upshur County Commissioner and has represented House District 5 since 2017, chairing the House Homeland Security, Public Safety and Veterans' Affairs Committee. He is the incumbent seeking reelection. No campaign website was found as of September 11, 2026.
Hector Garza
Top priorities
From other published sources
- Education, mental health and immigration policy, per KLTV
About Hector Garza
Hector Garza resigned as chairman of the Smith County Democratic Party to run for Texas House District 5, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph. He has said he would prioritize education, mental health and immigration policy if elected, per KLTV. No verified campaign website was found for him as of 2026-09-11. No campaign website was found as of September 11, 2026.
Cole Hefner (Republican), Hector Garza (Democratic) are on the November 3 ballot for Texas House District 5; Cole Hefner 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
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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 Rains County, Texas on November 3, 2026?
Rains County sample ballot 2026: who is running for texas house, with bios, priorities and campaign sites. 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 Rains 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.