Get comfortable, Dallas County Democrat voters — completing a primary ballot will take a minute or two.
Literally.
Voting in the primary election is likely to take longer than usual. For the first time in county history, the longest ballot available — 19 inches — will be used for the primary election because the Democratic ballot has almost 400 candidates and 13 propositions.
In comparison, the Republican primary ballot has 165 candidates and 10 propositions.
County elections administrator Paul Adams said 17-inch stock is commonly used.
“There are about seven pages that you will go through on the touch screen unit if you're a Democrat voting,” he said. “When you get to the end, confirm your selections and hit print. It may take up to 60 seconds to 90 seconds. The screen is going to go black and it will say, ‘Please wait.’ And it will continue to say, ‘Please wait.’ Don't think that the unit has timed out or there's some kind of problem.
"It is going to take a while because of the number of races that it is having to place on your ballot card,” he said.
Of the 139 Democratic races, nearly half have at least two candidates running.
On the Republican ballot, 21 of the 56 races are contested.
Dallas County’s criminal district attorney and county judge spots are up for grabs.
Amber Givens, former district judge of the 282nd court, is challenging DA John Creuzot, who was elected 8 years ago, in the Democratic primary.
No Republican candidate is running for district attorney.
Democrats Alison Grinter Allen and Jeneba Barrie are vying for the court bench that Givens vacated. No Republicans are running for that seat.
County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins, however, will have a Republican opponent later.
Jenkins is running unopposed in the Democratic primary, but likely will face Mike Immler, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
County judge is the top elected official, presiding over commissioners court, which is responsible for disbursing county money to its departments and agencies.
Neither sitting commissioners Andy Sommerman nor Elba Garcia have Democratic challengers, but later Sommerman will go up against Republicans Blake W. Clemens or Barry Wernick for Precinct 2 in the general election.
District Clerk Felicia Pitre is the only Democratic candidate on the primary ballot. Republican Dave Muehlhaeusler is running for that office, but is also unopposed in the primary election.
Longtime County Clerk John Warren withdrew from that race to pursue consulting and endorsed Damarcus Offord, a DART senior manager. Ann Marie Cruz and Tony Grimes make three Democratic candidates for that office.
One will face likely Republican opponent Skye Garcia, who has no primary challenger.
Republican Corsandra Brigham Phelps is running for county treasurer. She and Democratic current county treasurer Pauline Medrano also have no opponents in their respective primary races.
Vonda Bailey, 255th court district judge, is unopposed on the Democratic ballot and no Republican is seeking that office.
Democrats Danielle Clark and Twana Allen are looking to win the 301st family district court Judge court seatabruptly abandoned when Mary Brown suddenly resigned mid-term last month.
Republican Ashley Wysocki currently presides over that court after Governor Greg Abbott appointed her temporary 301st judge.
Wysocki could eventually run against Dallas County’s Democratic Administrative Judge Andrea Plumlee. Both are candidates for 5th Court of Appeals Justice for Place 8, which serves Collin, Dallas, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties.
Plumlee and Nicholas Palmer are Democratic primary candidates for that state office. Democrats Ashlei Gradney and Tamika Jones are vying for the court bench that Plumlee held.
Several state offices top Republican ballot choices, including a crowded comptroller race. Those candidates are Michael Berlanga, Don Huffines, Christi Craddick and Kelly Hancock.
Democrats Savant Moore, Sarah Eckhardt and Michael Lange are also vying for that spot.
Fort Worth’s Hancock currently is acting comptroller, appointed by Abbott after Glenn Hegar left to become Texas A&M University System chancellor.
Early voting begins Tuesday and ends Feb. 27. Primary Election Day is March 3.
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