VERIFY: Can Texans switch parties for a runoff election?

TEXAS, USA — Voters headed to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes in the 2022 Texas primary election.

Many races across the state will be headed for runoffs. To avoid a runoff under Texas election law, a candidate must get more than 50% of the vote. Technically speaking, this means 50% plus an additional vote; it can't be exactly 50%.

Election day for the 2022 Texas primary runoff is May 24. Early voting is set to take place from May 16-20.

Under Texas election law, if you didn't vote in the primary, you can still vote in the 2022 Texas elections in November.

However, if you didn't vote in the primary and you want to vote in the runoff, here's how that process works.

THE QUESTION

Can Texans switch parties for a runoff election?

THE SOURCE

• Texas Election Code
• Election Advisory questionnaire from the Secretary of State
• Ballotpedia (Primary elections in Texas)

THE ANSWER

No, if a Texas voter previously voted in a primary election under a certain party, that person can only legally vote for the party he or she was originally affiliated with.

WHAT WE FOUND

A primary election helps narrow down the number of candidates for an elected position that is a part of a general election happening later in the year.

During primary elections, Texas law requires there to be both a Democratic Party setup and a Republican Party setup, each opened up independently.

RELATED: Fact-checking President Biden’s first State of the Union address

Texas primaries are considered open. This means a voter doesn't have to be registered as a member of a party to vote in the primary. However, under Texas election law, once a voter picks one of the parties, he or she must "sign a pledge" to not vote in the other party's primary in that same calendar year.

This Texas law extends to primary runoff elections as well, meaning you can't vote for a different party than the one you voted under in the primary election.

There are two sections of the Texas Election Code that cover this topic.

Section 162.012 of the Texas Election Code is as follows:

"INELIGIBILITY TO AFFILIATE WITH ANOTHER PARTY.  A person who is affiliated with a political party is ineligible to become affiliated with another political party during the same voting year."

Section 162.013 of the Texas Election Code is as follows:

"VOID VOTE.  A vote in a primary election is void if the voter previously voted in a primary election of another party or participated in a convention of another party during the same voting year."

However, if someone doesn’t vote in the primary election, this means he or she hasn't selected a party yet and can legally vote in either party's runoff.