The Texas Secretary of State’s Office has announced that the final day to register to vote for the upcoming March 3 primary is February 2. Early voting will take place from February 17 to February 27, with the deadline for mail-in ballot applications set for February 20. Voters can check their registration status, find polling locations, and view ballot information by visiting the official site at votetexas.gov.
The March primary will see over 18 statewide elected officials on the ballot, including pivotal races for governor and a U.S. Senate seat. All Texas representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives, state lawmakers, district judges, and various local officials will also be up for election. Several voters will encounter new congressional districts following a legislative redistricting last summer.
A recent poll conducted by Emerson College highlights changes in the U.S. Senate primary landscape. State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Round Rock, currently holds a 9 percentage point lead over U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett from Dallas, with Talarico receiving 47% of likely Democratic voters compared to Crockett’s 38%. This represents a significant shift from a December poll by Texas Southern University, where Crockett had a comparable lead. Among demographic groups, Talarico leads among white and Latino voters, while Crockett maintains strong support from Black voters.
On the Republican side, U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton are currently in a tight race, with Paxton polling at 27% and Cornyn slightly behind at 26%. U.S. Representative Wesley Hunt trails at 16%. If these numbers hold, the race may proceed to a runoff. In the gubernatorial race, Governor Greg Abbott is leading his primary challenger, state Representative Gina Hinojosa, by a considerable margin of 50% to 42%.
Shifts in Texas Energy Landscape
In a notable development for Texas’s energy sector, solar power has surpassed coal as the primary source of electricity for the state’s main power grid, known as ERCOT. According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, solar energy contributed 67,800 gigawatt-hours of electricity in 2025, while coal-fired plants generated 63,000 gigawatt-hours. This milestone marks a significant change from 2019, when solar power was so minimal that it was not listed separately in ERCOT’s annual reports.
Daniel Cohan, an energy expert at Rice University, expressed surprise at the rapid growth of solar energy, stating, “It’s a remarkable milestone. I don’t think anyone 10 years ago would have thought that solar would have surpassed coal this quickly.” Solar energy is now the third-largest contributor to the ERCOT grid, following wind and natural gas, with coal dropping to the fourth position.
Proposed Regulations Impacting Cannabis in Texas
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has proposed new regulations that could eliminate smokable cannabis products from the market by January 25. These proposed rules include stricter packaging requirements, enhanced warning labels, and dramatic increases in licensing fees for manufacturers and retailers, with annual fees for hemp manufacturers potentially rising from $250 to $25,000.
Many small business owners and cannabis users have voiced their opposition to these regulations, emphasizing that the proposed fees would effectively drive them out of business. Estella Castro, owner of Austinite Cannabis Co., stated, “These proposed fees don’t regulate small businesses, they eliminate them.” Meanwhile, some community members have supported stricter regulations, citing personal experiences related to cannabis use and its impact on mental health.
Expansion of Rabies Vaccination Program
The DSHS is also expanding its 32nd annual Oral Rabies Vaccination Program into the El Paso area. This initiative includes distributing rabies vaccine baits by hand in targeted locations along the Texas-Mexico border. Kathy Parker, Director of the Oral Rabies Vaccination Program, explained, “Our mission is to vaccinate wildlife along the borders of Texas to maintain herd immunity against rabies and keep new or previously eliminated rabies variants from becoming established in any part of Texas.”
The program, which costs $2 million annually and is funded by state and federal agencies, covers 19 counties across Texas. Since the program’s inception, there have been no confirmed human cases of rabies linked to variants found along the border.
Texas Remains a Top Destination for Movers
According to the Austin American-Statesman, Texas has once again topped U-Haul’s list of “growth states.” The company’s rankings are based on net gains or losses of one-way moving truck rentals in 2025. Texas has now claimed the top spot for the fourth time in five years.
In contrast, South Carolina, which led the list in 2024, has dropped to fifth place. Following Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee are also among the most popular states for relocation, while California ranks last in U-Haul’s findings.
In summary, as Texas approaches the March primary, key registration dates and significant changes in various sectors are shaping the state’s political and social landscape.
