Early voting, by personal appearance, will begin on Monday, June 29, and will go through the fourth day before election day with a special election on Tuesday, July 14.
The runoff election will select the candidate in the Stephens County Commissioner of Precinct 1, Republican nominees for the Texas House District 60, and the Democratic candidate facing John Cornyn for the U.S. Senator seat. The Democratic position for the Texas Railroad Commission will also be on the ballot.
“Normally early voting for a run-off election is only one week, however, due to COVID-19, and in an effort to try to avoid a lot of social congestion with lines to vote, they have extended the Early Voting period to two weeks,” Christie Latham, Stephens County Tax Assessor-Collector/Election administrator said. “Voting will begin on Monday, June 29, and continue through Thursday, July 2. On Friday, July 3 is considered a federal holiday and early voting will not be conducted, the courthouse will be closed.”
As of right now, the rules for “Ballots By Mail” remains the same: Over 65, disabled, or temporarily out of the county are eligible.
The last day to apply for a “Ballot By Mail” is Thursday, July 2, 2020. Ballots received by mail must be returned by mail. The information shall not be hand-delivered to the Early Voting Clerk (Tax Office).
The only exception to this rule is Election Day. The ballot may be returned in-person to the early voting clerk only by the actual voter. No one can deliver it for them. An affidavit must be signed and a Government-issued photo ID must be presented.
The election will mark the first statewide election since the COVID-19 pandemic began after Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation ordering The runoff election was initially slated for Tuesday, May 26, 2020, but was postponed by Gov. Abbott through the emergency powers of his statewide disaster declaration.
According to the proclamation, “election officials must implement health protocols to conduct elections safely and to protect election workers and voters.”
The proclamation announces “to ensure that elections proceed efficiently and safely when Texans go to the polls to cast a vote in person, an increase in the number of days in which polling locations will be open” is accessible. State officials provided details to their plan of action, stating that “election officials can implement appropriate social distancing and safe hygiene practices.”
Stephens County is set to feature a battle for the County Commissioner seat for Precinct 1, between David Fambro and Chad Ezell. Due to David Fambro receiving 30.11 percent of the Precinct 1 votes and Chad Ezell receiving 19.52 percent of the votes, these two will head into the runoff election.
John Francis and Glenn Rogers are seeking the District 60 Republican nominee selection. Statewide John Francis received 46 percent of state votes and Rogers received nearly 44 percent.
The Democratic nominee facing U.S. Senator John Cornyn in the November election will also be on the ballot.
Mary “MJ” Hegar will face incumbent Royce West in July to determine the Democratic candidate. Hegar finished first in the March Primaries with 22 percent of the statewide votes, and West finished in second place with nearly 15 percent.
Also on the ballot will be a Democratic position for the Texas Railroad Commission. A battle between Robert Alonzo and Chrysta Castaneda will determine who will represent the Democratic party against Republican nominee James Wright. Wright defeated the incumbent Ryan Sitton in the March primaries.
