By james art Early voting for the Nov. 5 federal, state and local elections begins Monday in Texas.
In Lubbock County, election officials are gearing up for what could be one of the busiest elections in recent history, with potentially record-breaking turnout during early voting and on Election Day, when voters choose their next American president. senator etc.
In-person early voting in Texas runs from October 21st through November 1st.
What’s in the ballot?
Voters will choose between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to become the nation’s commander-in-chief. Texans will also decide whether U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz will keep his seat or U.S. Rep. Colin Allred will take his place.
There are a number of important state and local races on the ticket and in Lubbock County. A complete sample ballot is available at votelubbock.org.
more: Ted Cruz and Colin Allred campaign in Lubbock ahead of early voting
Lubbock County Commissioner’s Precinct 3
Longtime District 3 Commissioner Gilbert Flores, a Democrat, will face Republican challenger Carrie Shaw.
Shaw won the Republican nomination for the position in the March primary, winning 59 percent of the vote over Mary Hernandez.
Flores has served on the commissioners court at various times since he was first elected in 1992. Since then, he has run in every election for the seat, losing only in 2004 to a Democratic primary opponent and in 2012 to the candidate of the Republican Party.
Shaw is also a repeat candidate. The Idaloo resident challenged Flores for northeast Lubbock County in 2020, when Flores was re-elected to his sixth term with 56 percent of the vote.
Lubbock Prop A: City of Lubbock Road Connection
In a ballot measure known as Proposition A, Lubbock voters will decide whether the city can issue $103.4 million in bonds to address seven road construction projects throughout the city:
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Broadway from Avenue Q to Avenue E
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University Avenue from 50th Street to South Loop 289
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Upland Avenue from 98th Street to 114th Street
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34th Street from Upland Avenue to Alcove Avenue
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146th Street from University Avenue to Avenue P
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146th Street from Slide Road to Quaker Avenue
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Avenue P from 130th Street to 146th Street
Each of these projects, with the exception of Broadway, is within close proximity to a school.
The package, if passed, would cost the average homeowner about $30 a year.
more: The Lubbock City Council is calling a $103 million street bond election for Nov. 5
Voters overwhelmingly passed a $200 million road bond for 22 miles of street projects in 2022, with more than two-thirds of voters approving the package at the time and no formal opposition.
But the 2024 proposal was met with more resistance. Critics of the proposal characterized the proposal as hasty and unfair, arguing that the projects would be disproportionately located in the south and southwest of the city without sufficient consideration of resource allocation. Others are against raising taxes.
Supporters like the Keep Lubbock Moving PAC say the city is catching up after years of neglecting street maintenance needs. They claim the projects will reduce road congestion and increase traffic safety as the city continues to grow.
Frenship ISD VATRE, bonds
Frenship Independent School District voters will consider three propositions: a tax ratification election and two bond packages worth millions each.
The Frenship School Board earlier called a voter approval tax rate election, or VATRE, proposing a property tax rate of $1.1567 per $100 of property valuation, which is lower than last year’s tax rate but would result in a tax increase of about 11% for most property owners. That would generate about $5.3 million more in revenue for the district to support a $127.69 million budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which includes a 5 percent increase in the average salary for teachers and staff, district officials said.
more: Frenship ISD voters to consider property tax increase, $200 million in bonds
The school board is seeking approval for a $189.5 million bond package to build two new elementary schools and provide security upgrades and renovations to existing campuses. A separate $10 million package will be used to purchase new classroom technology.
The technology bond will be paid off in five years, the district said, because of the short lifespan of electronic devices.
Roosevelt ISD Bonds
Roosevelt ISD also called a bond election for Nov. 5, seeking $58.5 million for a new elementary school campus, renovation of the existing middle school campus, a new auditorium, cafeteria renovations, new athletic locker rooms and weight room and new maintenance and adjacent facility.
If approved by voters, the bonds would equate to a property increase of about $200 a year for a home assessed at $100,000, according to the district.
Other races to watch
U.S. Rep. Jody Arrington, who represents Lubbock and Abilene in the 19th U.S. Congressional District, will face Libertarian Bernard Johnson and independent Nathan Lewis for re-election.
For Texas State Board of Education District 15, incumbent Aaron Kinsey, R-Midland, will face retired Lubbock teacher Morgan Kirkpatrick as the Democratic challenger and Amarillo Libertarian Jack B. Westbrook.
In Texas House District 84, incumbent Republican state Rep. Carl Tepper of Lubbock will face a challenge from Lubbock Democratic barista Noah Lopez for the seat.
In Lubbock County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1, also known as Lake Buffalo Springs, two incumbent district directors will face challengers. In Precinct 2, Joel Prock will face a challenge from Ashley Ramirez, and in Precinct 3 Kade Garner is up against Stephen Hughes, Jeff Bartholomew and Rachel Givens.
Finally, residents of Lubbock County’s Highland Oaks subdivision will decide in a rare annexation election whether the city of Lubbock will absorb the neighborhood as its groundwater runs out.
Where to vote early in Lubbock County
Early voting sections are open from 8am to 8pm every day during early voting from 21 October to 1 November, except Sunday 27 October when they are open from 12pm to 6pm:
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Lubbock County Elections Office — 1308 Crickets Ave., Lubbock
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United — 2630 Parkway Drive, Lubbock
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United — 401 Slide Road, Lubbock
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United — 6313 Fourth St., Lubbock
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United — 1701 50th St., Lubbock
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United — 2703 82nd St., Lubbock
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United — 8010 Frankford Ave., Lubbock
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United — 12815 Indiana Ave., Lubbock
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United — 11310 Slide Rd., Lubbock
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Amigos — 112 N. University Ave., Lubbock
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Market street — 4425 19th St., Lubbock
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Market street — 3405 50th St., Lubbock
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Market street — 4203 98th St., Lubbock
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The Civic Tower — 1314 Ave. K, Lubbock
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Texas Tech University Student Recreation Center — Hartford Avenue and Main Street, Lubbock
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Abernathy City Hall — 811 Ave. D, Abernathy
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Casey Administration Building — 501 Seventh St., Wolfforth
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Idaloo Community Centre — 202 W. Seventh St., Idalou
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New Deal Community Clubhouse — 309 S. Monroe Ave., New Deal
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Roosevelt ISD Gymnasium — 1301 County Road 3300, Lubbock
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Shallowater Community Centre — 900 Ave. H, Shallowater
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Slaton Community Clubhouse — 750 W. Garza St., Slaton
What to bring to the election
Voters will need ID to vote. Acceptable forms of photo ID include a Texas driver’s license, Texas election ID, Texas ID card, Texas handgun permit, US citizenship photo ID, US military photo ID, or passport USA.
If the voter does not have an ID and cannot reasonably obtain one, there are other options. They are listed at votelubbock.org or by calling 806-775-1339.
A high turnout is expected in Lubbock County
Lubbock County Elections Administrator Roxine Stinson previously told the Avalanche-Journal that she predicts a potentially record turnout this November, largely driven by the county’s growth during a presidential election year.
Stinson said more than 196,000 voters are registered in Lubbock County, and she expects 72-73 percent to go to the polls before or on Election Day.
“So I’m looking at 140,000 to 145,000 showing up, maybe more,” Stinson said.
more: Lubbock County expects record turnout, increased efficiency for early voting, Election Day
With increased voter turnout, Stinson said, voters can expect to wait in line to vote.
“I think it doesn’t matter if you vote early or on Election Day, you’re going to be waiting in line. And I don’t think it’s going to matter which polling place you go to,” Stinson said. “I’m asking people to be nice and kind to each other and have a little patience.” Just understand that there will be lines because of the turnout we expect for this election.”
Lubbock County is implementing new registration equipment at the polls this year in an effort to increase efficiency and keep lines shorter. Voters should not notice any major changes to the voting process.
This article originally appeared in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Early voting in Lubbock County begins Monday: What you need to know