Voters in Texas head to the polls on Election Day to cast their votes in the presidential race as well as several significant down-ballot races, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and a congressional special election.

The winner of the presidential race will take the state’s 40 electoral votes, making the state a significant prize for the winner.Polls close at 7 p.m. local time.

State significance

Texas has voted for the Republican candidate for president since 1980, although former President Donald Trump won the state in 2020 by just about a 6-point margin.

In the Senate race, Rep. Collin Allred, a Democrat, is trying to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

Democrats are trying to flip the Senate seat, tapping Allred as a high-profile candidate to take on Cruz, although political analysts have said they believe the seat still leans Republican.

Voters will also choose who will take the 18th Congressional District seat previously held by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat, who passed away in July. Her daughter Erica Lee Carter is running in a separate special election to finish out the final weeks of Jackson Lee’s term.

Counties are colored red or blue when the % expected vote reporting reaches a set threshold. This threshold varies by state and is based on patterns of past vote reporting and expectations about how the vote will report this year.