Breckenridge Texan

Election Day for the 2024 General Election will be Tuesday, Nov. 5, and almost half of Stephens County registered voters have already cast their ballots.

The last day of Early Voting was Friday, Nov. 1, and at the end of the day, a total of 2,746 voters had been to the polls and 117 had voted by mail-in ballot, for a total of 2,863 early votes. That’s 48.68% of the 5,881 registered voters in the county.

That’s just slightly less than the number of local early voters during the last presidential election. In 2020, there were 3,002 early/mail-in votes cast, 52.93% of the number of registered voters that year. That election took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and voters were allowed 14 days for early voting, as opposed to this year’s 12 days of early voting.

Polling locations and times

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters will cast their ballots at their respective precinct location, depending on where they live.

• Precinct 1 Location: First National Bank-Tower Room, 101 E. Walker St.
• Precinct 2 Location: Presbyterian Church-Fellowship Hall, 1601 W. Elliott St.
• Precinct 3 Location: Stephens County Annex Building, 222 N. Baylor
• Precinct 4 Location: BISD Support Center-Bus Barn, 907 U.S. Highway 183 North
• Precinct 5 Location: Wayland Volunteer Fire Department, 10276 FM 1852

If you’re not sure where to vote, check your voter registration card or go to the Texas Secretary of State’s webpage “My Voter Portal” and use the “Am I Registered” section to check your poll location. To check your status, you’ll need some basic information, such as your voter ID number or your Texas driver license number or simply your name, county and date of birth. Additionally, you can call the Stephens County Elections Office at 254-522-9498.

On the Ballot

The ballot includes Federal offices, such as the president of the United States, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative for District 25, and other offices; State offices, such as state senator, state representative and more; and several local offices.

None of the local candidates have opponents listed on the ballot. However, there are two official write-in candidates for the County Commissioner positions that are up for election this year — Precinct 1 and Precinct 3.

For Precinct 1, incumbent David Fambro filed for re-election, and Chad Jones filed to run as a write-in. Click here to see their candidate profiles.

For Precinct 3, incumbent Will Warren filed for re-election, and Houston Satterwhite filed to run as a write-in. Click here to see their candidate profiles.

According to County Judge Michael Roach, voters who want to vote for a write-in candidate must write the name exactly as it is on the candidate’s application. There will be a list of all of the write-in candidates’ names in the voting booth, he said.

Additionally, voters who live in Stephens County, but outside the Breckenridge city limits, will have a chance to vote on a new sales tax for the county. In order to charge the sales tax, Stephens County will have to create a “County Assistance District” that encompasses only the unincorporated area of Stephens County. (Click here for more details on the proposed sales tax.)

Click here to see sample ballots.

Ballot by Mail

Voting by mail is available to elderly voters and voters with physical disabilities. The deadline to request a ballot by mail has past; however, those who requested a ballot by the deadline can still send in their vote. For more details about voting by mail, visit the VoteTexas website or call the Stephens County Elections office at 254-522-9498.

Voter ID

Registered voters must take an acceptable photo ID with them in order to vote. Acceptable IDs include:

• 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 do not have one of those types of identification, check with Jared McLane, the Stephens County elections administrator, at 254-522-9498 for more information.

Check out these related articles on the Breckenridge Texan:

Stephens County sets local record for in-person first-day voting; early voting continues this week (Oct. 28, 2024)

Candidate Profiles: Stephens County Commissioner, Precinct 1

Candidate Profiles: Stephens County Commissioner, Precinct 3

Rural Stephens County voters to consider county sales tax in November election

Satterwhite files to run as write-in candidate against Precinct 3 County Commissioner incumbent Warren

Jones challenges Fambro as write-in candidate for Precinct 1 County Commissioner position

March 2024 Primary Results

First day of early voting in Stephens County sets record (Oct. 15, 2020)