Have you ever considered running for office? Do you have the commitment to turn your convictions into action by running, and carrying the Democratic banner? If you have any questions about the offices available, whether or not you should run, and how to get started, please contact County Chair Mike Rawlins at 972-783-9573 or get in touch via our contact form.

Filing for the Democratic Primary

The Democratic Primary is scheduled for March 1, 2022, although court challenges to the discriminatory district maps drawn by the Republican legislature as part of the 2021 redistricting may result in changes to the Primary Election dates.

The Collin County Democratic Party’s mission is to elect Democrats, and that starts with people being the public faces of our values and policies by running for office. If you’ve ever thought about running, now is the time. Filing for a place on the ballot for the Democratic Primary started Saturday, November 13, 2021.

FILING

Filing Authority: Who you need to file with depends on the office you are seeking. You will either file with the CCDP or with the Texas Democratic Party.

Candidates filing with the Collin County Democratic Party:

  • Texas House District 61
  • Texas House District 66
  • Texas House District 67
  • Texas House District 70
  • Texas House District 89
  • County Judge – Chief Executive for the County, not a judicial position. The County Judge chairs the County Commissioners Court. Description here.
  • County Commissioner Places 2 and 4 – Legislative body for the county. Description here.
  • County Clerk – Responsible for property records, vehicle registration, and similar items. Description here.
  • District Clerk – Supports the district courts in the county. Description here.
  • District Attorney
  • District Judges located in Collin County
  • County Court at Law Judges for Collin County
  • Justices of the Peace for Collin County – Handles small claims, Class C misdemeanors, and similar matters not handled by District or County courts. Does not require a law license. Description here.

All other candidates, including those for Texas House District 33 and Texas Senate, must file with the Texas Democratic Party.

Period: The filing period starts Saturday, November 13, and ends promptly at 6:00 pm on Monday, December 13. Under state law all applications for a place on the primary ballot must be received by the filing authority (the CCDP or the TDP) by that time.

Application: The “Application for a Place on the General Primary Ballot” has been updated due to recent legislative changes. Please make sure you are using the form that was last revised 09/2021. This is in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. You may find the correct form here. Please be sure to fill in ALL of the boxes that are not marked “Optional”. The application must be notarized, and you must sign it only when presenting it to the Notary Public.

Filing Fee or Petition: All applications must be accompanied by either the correct filing fee or a petition. The amount of the filing fee and the number of petition signatures varies according to the office being sought. The requirements are here.

The filing fee must be paid by check, cashier’s check, or money order. Credit Cards are not accepted. If filing by check with the CCDP, make the check out to “Democratic Party of Collin County – Primary Fund” (preferred), or “Democratic Party of Collin County”. If filing by check please file in time for your check to clear before the end of the filing period. If your check is returned after the end of the filing period your application will be rejected and you will not have an opportunity to correct the situation.

If filing by petition, we advise having well more than the required number of signatures in case any are disqualified. Also, please check the requirements for the required information on petitions and notarizing the pages, and make sure you comply. Failure to meet the requirements may be grounds for rejecting your application.  Petition forms with instructions are here.

Submitting your Application: The party office will be open to receive applications (by either the Primary Administrator or the County Chair) the following days and times:

  • Tuesday December 7 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
  • Thursday December 9 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
  • Friday December 10 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
  • Monday December 13 10:00 am to 6:00 pm – the last day of the filing period

Other times may be arranged by appointment.

If you submit an application in person at our office we will make a photocopy of it for you, as well as your petition pages. You are also welcome to take a photograph with the party banner as a backdrop.

Applications may also be submitted by postal mail or courier service. Please allow sufficient time for the application to get to us by the deadline. Send them to:

Collin County Democratic Party – Attn Primary Administration
1915 N Central Expressway #150
Plano, TX 75075

If filing with us by petition, you may file by scanning your notarized application and petition pages and emailing them to us. Please call to let us know you wish to do this, and we’ll give you the email address. This method is not recommended for public offices but is available to you under a new provision of state law.

For those filing with the Texas Democratic Party, please contact them directly for office hours, address for courier service, and related information.

Accepting your Application: After your application has been received by us or the TDP, additional steps are required to determine completeness and eligibility. Applications are evaluated only on the basis of information supplied on the form and verification of voter registration (if required for the office). For filing by petition, we must also count the number of signatures. We do not validate individual petition signatures, verify your place of residence, or otherwise qualify your candidacy. (Those are things that another candidate may do.) Once these steps have been completed your application will be deemed accepted. You will be notified within five days of the status of your application after we have received it.

Eligibility and Redistricting: There has been confusion regarding residency requirements in relation to changes in district and precinct boundaries. Even the Secretary of State’s website is not very clear regarding some situations and we have questions in to them. If you have questions about eligibility please contact us.

Additional Resources: The Secretary of State’s Election Division has a wealth of information available on the candidate’s section of their web site here.

Local Contacts:

Mike Rawlins, County Chair, 972-783-9573
Martha Alikacem, Primary Administrator, 972-578-5174

BALLOT ORDER DRAWING – Saturday December 18, 4:00 pm, CCDP Office

The order in which candidate names appear on the ballot has been shown to have a small effect on voter behavior. For that reason, state law requires that the order of names be determined by a random drawing, and this is done by each county party. Candidates are invited to attend or send a representative. The general public is invited subject to capacity with social distancing.

Last updated December 2, 2021