TRI-COUNTY — Early voting for the May 3 General Election begins next week on Tuesday, April 22, and runs through Tuesday, April 29.
The Marfa election was canceled due to only incumbents filing to keep their seats on the Marfa City Council and Marfa ISD School Board. In Alpine, the only eligible voters will be Ward 1 residents who will elect a new city council representative — the only contested race in the city election. The Alpine ISD School Board election was canceled due to no contested races. Both city council and school board elections, as well as a $9 million school bond proposal, will take place in Presidio.
The U.S. House recently passed a bill — the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, commonly referred to as the SAVE Act — requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections, which now heads to the Senate for consideration. On April 1 the Texas Senate voted to approve a similar proposal for local, state and presidential elections. That bill, if approved by the House, would not take effect until September.
To view current voter ID requirements and check your voter eligibility, visit the Texas Secretary of State’s website. The last day to register to vote was April 3.
City of Alpine
Early voting will take place on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 22 through April 29 in the city council chambers, 803 W. Holland Avenue, Alpine, Texas, 79830. To view a sample ballot, visit the city’s website.
City council seats for Wards 1 and 3 were up for election, but only the Ward 1 race saw enough candidates file to appear on the ballot. Vying for the Ward 1 city council seat are candidates Austin Smith, Andy Ramos and Richard Portillo. Voters will be instructed to vote for none or one of the candidates.
The Ward 3 city council seat saw only one candidate file — previous building official Robert Rückes. Because he is running unopposed for the position, he was officially declared elected and the election was canceled.
Alpine ISD School Board
The Alpine ISD School Board trustee election was canceled due to a lack of opposed races. Haley Babb, representing District 5, filed for reelection, and Josh Cross, representing District 7, filed unopposed to fill in the seat of Mary McCallister, who decided not to seek reelection.
Presidio Joint Election
Early voting for the joint City Council and School Board election will take place on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 22 through April 29 at the City of Presidio Activities Center, 1200 E. O’Reilly Street, Presidio, Texas. Extended voting hours will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29. To view sample ballots, visit the city’s website and the school board’s website.
City of Presidio
Current Mayor John Ferguson is running unopposed but will appear on the ballot. Voters will be instructed to vote for no more than two candidates for full term council seats. Those running for full term council seats include Bianca Martinez-Bailon, Arian Velazquez-Ornelas, Silverio Escontrias, Abel “Billy” Hernandez and Jose “Pepe” Acosta.
For the unexpired term council seat, voters will be instructed to vote for no more than one person. Alondra Flores and Juan Saenz are running for the unexpired term.
Presidio ISD School Board + bond election
Three seats are up for election for the Presidio ISD School Board. The top three vote getters for the at-large board will be elected. The candidates include incumbents Iris S. Galindo and Tino Martinez as well as four new candidates: Josefina Burrola, Maria Loyola Montoya, Jose A. Padilla and Jeremy Velasquez. Voters will be instructed to choose up to three candidates.
Voters will also choose whether they are for or against a $9,900,000 bond proposal for “school facilities, and the purchase of new school buses, and the levy of taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds.” The bond will result in a property tax increase.