Lines are expected to be excruciatingly long at the Flawn Academic Center, the only polling site on campus, as voters in Texas head to the polls to cast votes for not only the presidential election but also several other contested races lower down the ballot.
What is Super Tuesday?
Super Tuesday has the largest number of delegates (595 for Republicans, 1,004 for Democrats) up for grabs in the primaries, offering minor candidates a lifeline or solidifying one candidate over the others as the frontrunner.
Who will be up to vote?
In both parties:
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas,
Vermont, Virginia
Republicans only:
Alaska, Wyoming
Democrats only:
American Samoa (U.S. territory), Expatriates living abroad
When results are finalized, here’s what you should look for:
House District 49
Who’s on the ballot:
Attorney Aspen Dunaway, Former legislative aide and 2014, UT graduate Huey Rey Fischer, Austin ISD school board member Gina Hinojosa, Attorney Kenton D. Johnson, Former NARAL Pro-Choice Texas legislative counsel Blake Rocap, Attorney Matt Shrum, UT law professor Heather Way
How does this affect me?
A field of seven Democrats are competing to replace longtime State Rep. Elliott Naishtat (D-Austin), who has served West Campus and UT in HD 49 for 25 years.
“Who we choose in this election for state [representative] could be there for several decades,” said Ashley Alcantara, a Plan II and government junior and member of University Democrats.
Because the eventual nominee will face no opposition in the November general election, the Democratic primary is the race for who will represent UT students when the legislature reconvenes
in January.
With a high number of contenders, it’s quite possible one of the candidates will not get above 50 percent, resulting in a runoff between the top two candidates on May 24.
Presidential primary
Polls currently show Sanders with a clear advantage only in Vermont, his home state, while Clinton leads almost everywhere else. The races remain competitive (within 10 points) in Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota and Massachusetts, so keep a look out for margins in those states.
“It would be a huge blow for the Bernie campaign if [Sanders] doesn’t hold on to a few other states,” said Maliha Mazhar, international business and government senior and University Democrats communications director.
For the Republican primary, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has only won state of Iowa, while Donald Trump has won in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. The remaining Republicans, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, have yet to win any states.
Polls show a tight race between the top three candidates, with Cruz leading in Texas and Trump leading in most other states.
“[After Tuesday], does [Cruz] have enough delegates conceivably to secure the nomination?” said Robert Guerra, a finance junior and College Republicans communications director. “If not, it will be interesting to see how his
campaign responds.”
