Politics This Week: Polls in Texas, Early Voting in Georgia, and Ballots in California

The 2026 elections have entered their final stretch: with less than three weeks to go before Tuesday, November 3, 2026, this week brought new polls in Texas, the start of early voting in Georgia, and California voters began receiving their mail-in ballots. This is a summary for Saturday, October 17, 2026. It is partial coverage: it only includes elections and only those three states, because they are the facts we could confirm with a source and date between Saturday, October 10, and Friday, October 16.

Why it matters

What is being voted on November 3 affects the daily life of Latino families, economically, spiritually, and legally. The past two years with the current administration brought more harm to hispanic families than in recent years. We’re being persecuted and harassed for being hispanic, whether we’re legally in the U.S. or not. Cost of living continues to increase driven now mostly by tariffs and the price of oil, driven by the war with Iran. And, morally, the administration seems to have broken with all common and legal sense of self dealing, possible corruption, and deterioration of all social protections.

In the University of Texas and Texas Politics Project poll, the cost of living was the most important issue for 21% of respondents, followed by the state of the economy with 15%, according to KSAT. In California, according to the PPIC, Latinos are 38% of adults, but 29% of likely voters (seven polls from October 2025 to July 2026). The figure for adults includes non-citizen residents who cannot vote. In Texas, the Secretary of State’s website, cited by Spectrum News, indicates that there were over 18 million registered voters as of March 2026, compared to over 17 million in 2022.

Texas: Talarico and Paxton, two opposing visions in a divided state

Texas has become another scene of strong political tensions, even within the Republican Party itself. President Donald Trump is backing Attorney General Ken Paxton in his bid for a Senate seat against Democrat James Talarico, despite the controversies surrounding Paxton and the opposition he has faced from important figures in his own party.

But in Texas, where Republicans have been winning all state elections for over three decades, party loyalty still carries significant weight. The big question is whether Republicans who distrust Paxton will be willing to vote for a Democrat, abstain, or ultimately support their party’s candidate. Polls show a very tight contest, making this election a test of both Trump’s influence and the importance of party loyalty among Texas voters.

A Marist poll, with interviews from October 8 to 11, 2026, and a margin of error of ±4.9 points, gives Democrat James Talarico 47% and Republican Ken Paxton 45% among likely voters in the U.S. Senate race. The 2-point difference is within the margin of error. Among registered voters, Talarico leads by 4 points, compared to 6 points the previous month.

In the gubernatorial race, the same Marist poll shows Republican Governor Greg Abbott with a 4-point lead over Democrat Gina Hinojosa among likely voters. Among registered voters, the difference is just 1 point. In the generic congressional ballot, Republicans lead by 5 points among likely voters (51% to 46%) and by 3 among registered voters.

In Texas, supporting a candidate and trusting them do not always seem to be the same thing. For many voters, party loyalty may weigh more than their personal opinion of who represents them.

Georgia: A political (and personal) battleground

Georgia has become a political and personal battleground for President Donald Trump. In 2020, he lost the state to Joe Biden by just 11,779 votes and repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the results. However, two recounts confirmed his defeat, and judicial challenges to overturn it were unsuccessful.

Six years later, Trump is again focusing on Georgia, this time with a clear electoral goal: helping Republican Mike Collins defeat Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff. The president even headed a rally in Dalton on October 16, where he backed Collins and again questioned, without evidence, the 2020 results. The dispute over Georgia could not only influence the balance of power in the Senate but also reopen a chapter in electoral history that Trump has never left behind.

According to Ballotpedia, in-person early voting for the November 3 elections began in Georgia on Tuesday, October 13, and will run until Friday, October 30, 2026. The U.S. Senate and governor’s seats are on the ballot.

As context from the previous week, WABE reported that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican candidate Rick Jackson faced off in a town hall-style debate on Tuesday, October 6, which will likely be the only one before November 3. On Thursday, October 8, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and Republican Mike Collins had their first debate, with tense moments, according to the same outlet.

California: Two visions of government facing the same crisis

California is facing a gubernatorial election that goes far beyond the differences between Democrats and Republicans. Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Secretary of Health and former California Attorney General, proposes expanding access to healthcare, promoting affordable housing, and maintaining state protections for immigrants. His opponent, Steve Hilton, backed by Donald Trump, plans to reduce taxes, eliminate regulations, and shrink the size of government to alleviate costs for families and businesses.

But for millions of Californians, especially Hispanics, the debate has much more immediate consequences: who can offer concrete solutions to the cost of housing, gas, food, and medical care? A September survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 52% of Latinos consider housing costs a financial burden for their family.

Immigration also marks a significant difference between the candidates: while Becerra defends state protections and medical coverage for undocumented immigrants, Hilton proposes eliminating that coverage and expanding police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. In a state where Latinos make up approximately 40% of the population, the election raises a fundamental question: what’s the point of living in one of the world’s largest economies if working, paying rent, and saving to buy a house becomes increasingly difficult?

According to Yahoo News, registered voters started receiving their mail-in ballots in early October 2026. The general election is on November 3. The gubernatorial candidates are Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton. This week, we did not include California polls because we could not confirm the pollster or the interview dates.

What you can do

• Texas, early voting: starts on Monday, October 19, and ends on Friday, October 30, 2026. On the CBS News Texas page (link at the end), you can check voting dates, times, and locations.
• Texas, mail-in voting: if you meet the requirements to vote by mail, the county must receive your ballot application by Friday, October 23, at the latest.
• Texas, registration: the deadline to register was October 5, so it has already passed.
• Georgia: in-person early voting is open from Tuesday, October 13, to Friday, October 30.
• California: if you’re registered, check your mail: ballots started arriving in early October.
• For everyone: Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Note: Polls are measurements of a moment and have a margin of error. They do not predict the outcome of November 3.

Sources: Marist Poll; KSAT; Pollsmax; CBS News Texas; Spectrum News; Ballotpedia; WABE; Yahoo News; PPIC