Austin County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

Veronica Rivas-Molloy is a Justice on the Texas First Court of Appeals seeking reelection, per her campaign site. She has served on the court for five years, authoring more than 250 majority opinions in civil, criminal, probate and family law matters, per her campaign site. Before joining the bench she practiced law for 20 years, including at Baker Botts LLP and Jones Walker LLP, and clerked for U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr., per her campaign site. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Houston Law Center.

David M. Gunn joined the First Court of Appeals in October 2024, per the court's official biography, after more than two decades as an appellate partner at a Houston law firm. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

Julie Countiss previously served as a justice on the First Court of Appeals, per Houston Chronicle reporting. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

Amy Guerra, who serves on the bench as Justice Amparo 'Amy' Guerra, is the Democratic candidate for the First Court of Appeals, where she has served since 2021, per her campaign site. She practiced as a private attorney for nearly 20 years, served as a Houston municipal court judge from 2005 to 2010, and was the first Hispanic partner at her law firm.

Jessica Caird is the Republican candidate for the First Court of Appeals. She has served 26 years as an Assistant District Attorney in Harris County, including as Appellate Division Chief since 2021, and is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, per her campaign site. She holds a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

Kevin Jewell is the Republican candidate for Chief Justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals, where he has served as a justice since being elected on November 8, 2016, per his campaign site. Before joining the bench he spent 23 years in private practice as an appellate litigation shareholder and is board certified in civil appellate law. He holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston Law Center.

Ken Wise is the incumbent Place 7 justice on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals, appointed in October 2013, per the court's official biography. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

William Demond is the Democratic candidate for the Fourteenth Court of Appeals, Place 7. He currently serves as a staff attorney for the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas and previously practiced as a partner in his own law firms, focusing on constitutional rights litigation for more than a decade, per his campaign site.

Lawrence Brandyburg is the Democratic candidate for Texas House District 85 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Texas Secretary of State's certified 2026 General Election candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 11, 2026.

Dennis "Goose" Geesaman is the Republican candidate for Texas House District 85 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Texas Secretary of State's certified 2026 General Election candidate list. Is a former mayor of Flatonia, per The Texan. Is a military veteran endorsed by Grassroots America We the People and Texas Gun Rights PAC, per The Texan. No campaign website was found as of September 11, 2026.