Wood County voters showed up at the polls in large numbers Monday, Oct. 19, for the first day of early voting in the Nov. 3 election.

According to Elections Administrator Laura Wise, lines were out to the street well before the polls opened at 8 a.m. In total, 1,659 people voted the first day of early voting and 565 had already voted by press time on Tuesday.

The Nov. 3 general election, includes federal, state and county races along with local propositions and school board elections.

Early voting will continue through Friday, Oct. 30, at the Carroll Green Civic Center, 602 McAllister St. in Quitman.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 19-23, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25.

Voting hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 26-30. Election Day voting will take place Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters must cast their ballots at their assigned precinct location.

LOCAL PROPOSITIONS

Quitman voters will decide whether to adopt the city manager form of government.

City of Quitman Proposition A asks voters to authorize the city to operate under Chapter 25 of the Texas Local Government Code. If approved, the City Council would appoint a city manager to serve as the city’s chief administrative officer and establish the manager’s compensation by ordinance.

Hawkins Independent School District voters will consider Proposition A, a school district property tax ratification measure.

The proposition asks voters to ratify a maintenance and operations tax rate of 98.35 cents per $100 of taxable property value.

The ballot describes the measure as a tax increase, although its accompanying financial statement reports a 3.21% decrease in maintenance and operations tax revenue compared with the preceding year.

Voters within Wood County Emergency Services District No. 2 will consider a proposition confirming the district’s creation and authorizing a property tax not to exceed 10 cents per $100 of taxable value to support the district.

The propositions appear only on ballots for voters within the affected jurisdictions.

SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS

Voters in portions of Harmony and Union Hill independent school districts will also select school board trustees.

Harmony ISD has five candidates listed for three positions. They are Dusty Naranjo, Melinda Murphy, Michael Pool, Eric Carter and Chad D. Wade.

Union Hill ISD voters will select three trustees from four candidates. They are William (Bill) Johnston, Thomas Cooley, Janet Albright and Corey Albright.

WOOD COUNTY RACES

Several county offices are on the November ballot, including county judge, criminal district attorney, district clerk, county clerk and county treasurer.

Republican Kevin White is unopposed for county judge. Other unopposed Republican candidates include Angela Albers for criminal district attorney, Suzy Richards Wright for district clerk, Kelley Robinson Price for county clerk and Matthew Prather for county treasurer.

Two Wood County commissioner races are contested. In Precinct 2, Republican Jerry Gaskill faces Democrat Carlist R. Brinkley. In Precinct 4, Republican Russell Acker faces Democrat P. Taylor.

Other precinct offices on the ballot include justice of the peace and constable positions. The candidates vary by precinct, and several are unopposed.

FEDERAL AND STATE RACES

The U.S. Senate race features Republican Ken Paxton, Democrat James Talarico and Libertarian Ted Brown.

In the U.S. House District 32 race, Republican Jace Yarbrough faces Democrat Dan Barrios. The governor’s race includes Republican Greg Abbott, Democrat Gina Hinojosa and Libertarian Pat Dixon.

Other statewide contests include lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller of public accounts, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner and railroad commissioner.

Wood County voters will also choose candidates for the State Board of Education, Texas Senate District 1 and Texas House District 5.

In Senate District 1, Republican Bryan Hughes faces Democrat Laticia Ambroz. In House District 5, Republican Cole Hefner faces Democrat Hector Garza.

JUDICIAL RACES

Wood County voters will also select candidates for the Texas Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals and several courts of appeals. Four seats on the Texas Supreme Court are on the ballot.

Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock, a Republican, faces Democrat Maggie Ellis. In Place 2, an unexpired term, Republican James P. Sullivan faces Democrat Chari Kelly. In Place 7, Republican Kyle Hawkins faces Democrat Kristen Hawkins. In Place 8, Republican Brett Busby faces Democrat Gisela D. Triana.

Three seats on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals are contested. In Place 3, Republican Thomas Smith faces Democrat Okey Anyiam and Libertarian Mark Ash. In Place 4, Republican Kevin Patrick Yeary faces Democrat Audra Riley. In Place 9, Republican John Messinger faces Democrat Holly Taylor.

The 15th Court of Appeals has three contested races. Republican Scott Brister faces Democrat Jerry Zimmerer for chief justice. In Place 2, Republican Scott K. Field faces Democrat Tom Baker. In Place 3, Republican April Farris faces Democrat Marc M. Meyer.

Three appellate court candidates are unopposed. Republican Brian Hoyle is running for chief justice of the 12th Court of Appeals. Republican Charles Van Cleef is running for Place 3 on the 6th Court of Appeals, and Republican Michael Davis is running for an unexpired term in Place 3 on the 12th Court of Appeals.

ELECTION DAY POLLING LOCATIONS

Wood County Elections Administration lists the following Election Day polling locations.

Precinct 1-1: Carroll Green Civic Center, 602 McAllister St., Quitman.

Precinct 1-2: Yantis Community Center, 101 City Circle, Yantis.

Precincts 1-3 and 1-4: Harold Simmons Community Center, 5921 FM 779, Golden.

Precincts 2-1, 2-2 and 2-3: Mineola Civic Center, 1150 N. Newsom St., Mineola.

Precinct 3-1: Quitman Public Library, 202 E. Goode St., Quitman.

Precinct 3-2: Holly Lake Volunteer Fire Department, 126 PR 7869, Holly Lake.

Precinct 3-3: Hawkins Community Center, 301 Lynch St., Hawkins.

Precincts 4-1 and 4-4: Quitman Volunteer Fire Department, 401 E. Goode St., Quitman.

Precincts 4-2 and 4-3: Winnsboro City Auditorium, Highway 515 at Wheeler Drive, Winnsboro.

Voters should verify their assigned polling place before Election Day.

VOTER INFORMATION

Wood County Elections Administration has posted 26 sample ballots reflecting differences in precincts, school districts, municipal boundaries and special districts.

Voters can check their registration, identify their precinct and view the appropriate sample ballot at elections.mywoodcounty.com. The deadline for the early voting clerk to receive applications for ballots by mail is Friday, Oct. 23.

Voters should review their sample ballot before going to the polls, particularly if they live within city limits, a school district or a special taxing district.