Early voting begins in races

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The 2010 campaign season has begun and early voting starts Tuesday for the primaries.

There's a lot of buzz about several races, especially the governor's race. The early vote is key for candidates who want to avoid last-minute pushes by competitors.

The actual primary is on March 2 and will set the stage for the November elections.

Students at the University of Texas wanted to remind others that early voting has started and to encourage everyone to vote.

They spent hours outside Monday night in the cold near an early voting location that opened Tuesday morning.

The one race everyone is watching closely is the governor's race.

The Republican race is attracting a great deal of attention with top runners Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Debra Medina.

A recent survey finds 45 percent of likely Republican voters support Perry.

Meanwhile, Hutchison has 29 percent, while Medina sits at 17 percent.

There are two names at the top of the Democrat list running for the top state job: Farouk Shami and Houston Mayor Bill White. There are seven people in the race.

During early voting, ballots can be cast until Feb. 26.

The actual primary is in two weeks on March 2. The primary winners in the governor, lieutenant governor and numerous other races will spar off on Election Day Nov. 2.