Breckenridge Texan

Early voting kicked off at 8 a.m. today, Monday, Oct. 22, and continues through Friday, Nov. 2, in the General Election for several U.S., Texas and Stephens County offices. Voters who live in the City of Breckenridge will also have an opportunity to decide if wine and beer with a 17 percent alcohol content will be allowed to be sold here.

By 9:45 a.m., 45 people had voted, and others were arriving to cast their ballots.

Early voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday – Oct. 22-26 and Oct. 29-Nov. 2 – at the Stephens County Tax Office in the Courthouse at 200 W. Walker St. in Breckenridge. Election Day will be Tuesday, Nov. 6.

The last day to request a Ballot by Mail is Friday, Oct. 26. Not everyone is eligible to vote by mail. According to the Texas Secretary of State’s website, to be eligible to vote early by mail in Texas, you must:

• be 65 years or older;
• be disabled;
• be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance; or
• be confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.

In order to vote in person, citizens who are registered to vote must show an acceptable photo ID. According to the Texas Secretary of State’s VoteTexas website, here is a list of the acceptable forms of photo ID:

• Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
• Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
• Texas Handgun License issued by DPS
• United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph
• United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
• United States Passport (book or card)

With the exception of the U.S. Citizenship Certificate, which does not expire, for voters aged 18-69, the acceptable form of photo identification may be expired no more than four years before being presented for voter qualification at the polling place. For voters aged 70 or older, the acceptable form of photo identification may be expired for any length of time if the identification is otherwise valid.

If you are registered to vote but do not have one of those forms of ID, talk to the election official at the polling place to figure out how you may cast your ballot.

The following candidates are on the ballot in Stephens County. Stephens County is divided into two different U.S. Representative districts, so each ballot will have only the appropriate district’s candidates on it. Additionally, voters who live in the City of Breckenridge will have an opportunity to vote on whether or not to allow the sale of wine and beer with a 17 percent alcohol content. For more information on the wine and beer election, click here to see previous articles by the Breckenridge Texan.

On the ballot:

U.S. Senator
REP   Ted Cruz
DEM Beto O’Rourke
LIB   Neal M. Dikeman

U.S. Representative District 11
REP   Mike Conaway
DEM Jennie Lou Leeder
LIB   Rhett Rosenquest Smith

U.S. Representative District 19
REP   Jodey Arrington
DEM Miguel Levario

Governor
REP   Greg Abbott
DEM Lupe Valdez
LIB   Mark Jay Tippetts

Lieutenant Governor
REP   Dan Patrick
DEM Mike Collier
LIB   Kerry Douglas McKennon

Attorney General
REP   Ken Paxton
DEM Justin Nelson
LIB   Michael Ray Harris

Comptroller of Public Accounts
REP   Glenn Hegar
DEM Joi Chevalier
LIB   Ben Sanders

Commissioner of the General Land Office
REP   George P. Bush
DEM Miguel Suazo
LIB   Matt Pina

Commissioner of Agriculture
REP   Sid Miller
DEM Kim Olson
LIB   Richard Carpenter

Railroad Commissioner
REP   Christi Craddick
DEM Roman McAllen
LIB   Mike Wright

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 2
REP   Jimmy Blacklock
DEM Steven Kirkland

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 4
REP   John Devine
DEM R.K. Sandill

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 6
REP   Jeff Brown
DEM Kathy Cheng

Presiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals
REP   Sharon Keller
DEM Maria T. (Terri) Jackson
LIB   William Bryan Strange III

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7
REP   Barbara Parker Hervey
DEM Ramona Franklin

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8
REP   Michelle Slaughter
LIB   Mark Ash

State Representative District 60
REP   Mike Lang

Chief Justice, 11th Court of Appeals District
REP   John Bailey

County Judge
REP   Michael Roach

District Clerk
REP   Christie Coapland

County Clerk
REP   Jackie Ensey

County Treasurer
REP   Sharon Trigg

County Commissioner Pct. 2
REP   Mark McCullough

County Commissioner Pct. 4
REP   Eric O’Dell

Justice of the Peace
REP   Steve Spoon

Cutline, top photo: Early voting started today at the Stephens County Courthouse for the General Election. By 9:45 a.m., 45 people had voted and several others were arriving to cast their ballots. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)