TRI-COUNTY — There is still time to register to vote in the upcoming November 8 General Election with a number of voter registration events taking place around the Big Bend region. 

The last day to register to vote is October 11. Vote-by-mail applications must also be postmarked by October 11. Early voting takes place from October 24 to November 4 ahead of Election Day, November 8. The Tri-County Voter Promoters, a local nonpartisan group which encourages voter participation, will host a number of voter registration events this coming Friday, September 16, and will announce more dates soon. 

Voter registration will take place this Friday at the Fort Davis Post Office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at the Marfa and Terlingua post offices from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those wishing to register are asked to bring a current Texas driver’s license, the last four digits of their Social Security number or another form of valid identification. Citizens interested in volunteering at Tri-County Voter Promoter registration events may contact Roy Morey at (432) 426-0122 or remorey@bigbend.net. 

To be eligible to vote, individuals must be 18 years of age or older on election day, be a U.S. citizen, be a Texas resident registered in the county in which they reside, and not be convicted of a felony or declared mentally incapacitated. 

Eligible voters may also register to vote through their county’s voter registrar. Presidio County residents may contact Natalia Williams at 432-729-4081 or visit her office located at the county courthouse on 301 Highland St., Marfa. Brewster County residents may contact Lora Nussbaum at 432-837-6230 or visit her office at 203 N. 7th St., Alpine. Jeff Davis County Residents may contact Jennifer Wright at 432-426-3251 or visit her office located at the county courthouse on 111 North Front St., Fort Davis.

To check your voter registration status, visit the secretary of state’s website. In this fall’s upcoming General Election voters will decide on a number of critical local and statewide positions. Texans will vote on the next governor, attorney general, land and railroad commissioners, and more. 

Some candidates, including gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke and U.S. House of Representatives District 23 candidate John Lira, have visited the tri-county area on their campaign trails this summer and fall. In the tri-county area, the race for U.S. representative for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District will see Democrat Lira face off against Republican incumbent Tony Gonzales. The race for Texas House District 74 will see Democrat incumbent Eddie Morales running against Republican Katherine Parker. 

In the race for Texas Senate District 29, which emcompasees Presidio and Jeff Davis counties, Democrat incumbent César Blanco is running against Republican Derek Zubeldia. In Brewster County, which is a part of Texas Senate District 19, Democrat incumbent Roland Gutierrez is running against Republican Robert Garza. 

Local positions up for a vote in Presidio County include county judge, county commissioners, county treasurer and more. The Big Bend Sentinel will post candidate questionnaires for Presidio County candidates ahead of the General Election. 

For more information, visit sos.state.tx.us/elections/.