Running for County Court Judge - Probate-County Court Judge - Surrogate?
Get a free strategy consultation with our team to discuss your election and how GoodParty.org can help.
Get free demo
County Court Judge - Probate-County Court Judge - Surrogate in Harris County, TX
A nonpartisan guide to County Court Judge - Probate-County Court Judge - Surrogate in Harris County. Find candidates and elected officials who have turned down partisan and big-money influence.
- Election date
- November 3, 2026
27
Days until electionFiling opensFiling deadlineElection day
On the ballot
13 candidates filed so far
- Jerry SimoneauxDemocratic
- Loyd WrightRepublican
- Fransheneka WatsonDemocratic
- Ray BlackRepublican
Candidates for County Court Judge - Probate-County Court Judge - Surrogate
Learn about candidates who have filed to run for County Court Judge - Probate-County Court Judge - Surrogate.
What this symbol means
Candidates and elected officials with this symbol took the GoodParty.org Pledge, promising to serve people first, independent of both major parties and big-money interests.
Who's currently in office
Learn about who represents you in Harris County.
What this symbol means
Candidates and elected officials with this symbol took the GoodParty.org Pledge, promising to serve people first, independent of both major parties and big-money interests.
Are you ready for Harris County's next election?
Get registered and ready to vote, whether in person or by mail.
Check your voter registration
Verify your voter registration in under a minute.
Find your polling location
Learn where to go to vote in person.
Request a mail-in ballot
Apply for an absentee ballot to vote by mail.
About County Court Judge - Probate-County Court Judge - Surrogate
About this position
The legal jurisdiction of the special county-level trial courts varies considerably and is established by the statute which creates the particular court. The jurisdiction of statutorily-created county courts at law may be concurrent with the jurisdiction of the county and district courts in the county. The civil jurisdiction of most county courts at law varies but is usually more than that of the justice of the peace courts and less than that of the district courts. County courts at law usually have appellate jurisdiction in cases appealed from justice of the peace and municipal courts.
- Office level
- County
- Election frequency
- Every 4 years
- Affiliation
- Partisan
- Positions
- 1 open seat
Election type
- Partisan election (party labels appear on ballots)
- Run-off election
How to run for County Court Judge - Probate-County Court Judge - Surrogate
- Step 1
Meet eligibility requirements
Candidate must be a citizen of U.S., age 25 or older; a resident of county for at least 2 years; and a licensed attorney who has practiced law or served as a judge for 5 years.
- Step 2
File for office
- Filing requirements
- Major party-affiliated candidates should file an application for a place on the ballot to their respective county party chair. This should be accompanied by a filing fee of $1,500. The filing fee may be waived if the petition has been signed by at least 500 valid electors. Candidates in Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Tarrant Counties have a higher filing fee of $2,500 and must also receive 250 petition signatures (or 750 signatures in lieu of a filing fee). Minor party candidates should consult with their respective party chair to determine requirements. Independent candidates should file a Declaration of Intent to Run as an Independent Candidate during the primary filing period. In addition, independent candidates will need to collect a number of signatures equal to 5% of the number of votes cast within the district in the most recent gubernatorial election (or 500 signatures whichever is lower) in support of their application for a place on the general election ballot and submit these to the county judge. All forms can be found on the Texas Secretary of State website.
- Filing period
- March 4, 2026 - April 2, 2026
- Paperwork instructions
- Submit paperwork to the office of the county party chair; Independent candidates must submit paperwork to the county judge's office.
- Where to file
- 4619 Lyons Ave, Houston, TX 77020 (Democrats); 8588 Katy Freeway, Suite 445, Houston, TX 77024 (Republicans); 1001 Preston, Suite 911, Houston, TX 77002 (Independents)
- Filing phone
- 713-802-0085 (Democrats); 713-838-7900 (Republicans); 713-274-7000 (Independents)
- Step 3
Launch your campaign
A real campaign starts with a real plan. Get a custom campaign plan from GoodParty.org, personalized for your race and district.
Get started
Need help? You don't have to run alone. Join the GoodParty.org Community to get advice from real independents who have run and won.
FAQs
We've put together some commonly asked questions to help you find the answers you need. Still have questions? Contact us — we're happy to help!
Candidates
See who's running for County Court Judge - Probate-County Court Judge - Surrogate in Harris County, Texas
See who's been empowered by GoodParty.org to help you vote with confidence.
Free tools for Independent candidates!
Track voter outreach goals and stay organized
Instantly generate custom campaign content
Access grassroots support nationwide
Get free demo
How GoodParty.org can help you.
Access essential voter data and analytics
Get a custom strategy and plan to win
Powerful outreach tools to win votes
Get started