November 3, 2026 · Partisan election
Precinct 1 chooses its justice of the peace.
Texas elects justices of the peace. This is not a low-stakes local footnote. It is the court most people in Precinct 1 will actually walk into.
Sample ballot language
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1
Bastrop County, Texas · General Election
Cindy Allen
Republican · Incumbent Justice of the Peace
Tamera Peterson McIntyre
Democrat · Nominee
Illustrative only. Official ballot order and styling are set by Bastrop County Elections.
The contrast
A sitting judge versus a first campaign for this bench.
| On the work | Cindy Allen (R) | Tamera Peterson McIntyre (D) |
|---|---|---|
| Office today | Incumbent Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, since January 2019 | Democratic nominee; not the sitting JP |
| Judicial experience | Former municipal judge; seven-plus years on this county bench | Seeking her first term as justice of the peace |
| Public record in this race | Won in 2018 and 2022; Republican nominee after the March 2026 primary | Democratic nominee after the March 2026 primary |
| The ask | Keep a trained, known judge on Precinct 1’s people’s court | Replace the incumbent with a Democratic first-term candidate |
Tamera Peterson McIntyre is a Bastrop resident and, according to her public professional profile, a Bastrop County law enforcement officer. Law enforcement and judging are related — and they are not the same job. This campaign’s case is straightforward: Precinct 1 should keep the person who has already been the judge.
Why this office matters
A Texas justice of the peace is often the first — and only — judge a family meets. Traffic. Small claims. Eviction. A warrant. An inquest. A wedding. Article V of the Texas Constitution and the Local Government Code put that work in a precinct court on purpose: close to home, elected, and accountable.
Judge Allen is asking for another four-year term because she has already done that work in Precinct 1. The November ballot is the voters’ chance to say whether that experience still belongs on the bench.