By Dori Glanz, proud Texan & Harvard graduate student.

The race between Hillary and Obama is too close to call in Texas. Who wins will depend on a lot of things—which voters are informed about the bizarre “Texas Two Step” which allows voters to vote in the primary and caucus this Tuesday, where the Hispanic vote goes (I still insist it will go to Hillary by a significant margin), how women respond to Hillary’s constant references to Barbara Jordan and Ann Richards, and how new youth voters influence the process with their hours of volunteering or with their votes. Polls are tricky in a state with so much demographic and geographical diversity and statistics show that despite polls, Hillary closes stronger, carrying more voters who make their candidate choice on the same day they vote.. Remember California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts? But, one thing I am sure of is that this election on Tuesday will change the face of the state for years to come.

Maybe in the past, Texas Democrats didn’t see much of a reason to go out and vote. It can seem pointless in a state where the Republican Party is so entrenched, and most Texas Democrats probably felt like they were a minority outside of Austin. For those who are not from Texas, “Texas Democrats” must seem like a bit of an oxymoron. Turnouts in the Democratic primary this year have been headlined nationwide. And sure, the youth turnout has bolstered the party, a party that is beginning to look quite different.

But, in Texas, this is doubly important. Turnouts in Texas are staggering. Last week during early voting, Harris County (Houston) more than doubled its 2004 presidential primary turnout. As of Thursday, 584,878 new voters cast their ballots…all this before primary day even happens! And unlike many other parts of the country that have seen turnout increases, in Texas these voters are not just Democrats who had been previously underwhelmed with their candidates, or Independents and Republicans who are voting Democrat this year. The exhilarating presidential primary race coupled with the first primary election that has actually mattered in years in Texas is bringing those Texas Democrats out of the woodwork.

This has critical implications for the face of our state. Rick Noriega is a Democrat running for Senate against incumbent John Cornyn. The turnout numbers for Democrats imply that he could actually win what everyone has considered an uphill race. The Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives are only 5 seats short of a majority. It seems likely that the Democrats could pick these seats up with a state full of inspired and motivated voters for the first time in decades. Non-Texans, bet you thought we were a red state (so did we)—but maybe we were just a state that lacked a voice in national politics (and in our own!) because of the timing of our primaries.

So what Texas shows us is that our country's nominating process, with all the different types and dates of primaries and caucuses (or both for good measure in Texas), matters on a larger scale than who we nominate for the presidential candidate. The face of our nation can see big changes with something so simple as a closer race, an earlier primary, or a disputed caucus.