Early voting for the McAllen runoff elections concluded Tuesday with a higher number of in-person voters than were seen during the early voting period for the general election in May.
A total of 7,141 McAllen citizens cast a ballot, in person, during the early voting period for the runoff elections which ran from May 24 through June 1. With a total of 73,725 registered voters in the city, that turnout amounts to 9.68% of all registered voters.
Turnout during the early voting period for the general election, which ran from April 19 through April 27, was 9.54% of the 73,468 McAllen citizens who were registered to vote in the general election.
Adding in the absentee ballots and the votes cast on election day, which was on May 1, overall turnout for the general election was 13.79% of all registered voters.
On election day for the runoffs, which falls on June 5, voters will have a final opportunity to vote for their next mayor between two current city commissioners.
Javier Villalobos, city commissioner for District 1, and Veronica Vela Whitacre, city commissioner for District 6, were the two among a field of five mayoral candidates who received the highest number of votes in the general election.
Though Villalobos received the most votes at the time, he did not receive more than 50% of the votes which sent the race into a runoff.
None of the candidates running for city commission Districts 1, 3 or 6 received more than 50% of the votes either, mandating a runoff election for those races as well.
Running to replace Villalobos as the next city commissioner for District 1 are Lucia “Lucy” Thompson, an attorney, and Tony Aguirre Jr., a business owner and former member of the McAllen Public Utility Board.
For the District 3 race, incumbent Commissioner Omar Quintanilla, senior vice president of Frost Bank, is running for reelection against Thelma Tamez, an entrepreneur and president of La Encantada Diversity, Equality, & Inclusion.
In the special elections for District 6, Larry Esparza, a former board trustee for the McAllen Independent School District, is running against Pepe Cabeza de Vaca, assistant chief of staff for Hidalgo County Precinct 1 Commissioner David Fuentes.
Polls for the runoff election will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 5:
>> District 1) Gonzalez Elementary, 201 E. Martin Ave.
>> District 2) Lark Community Center, 2601 Lark Ave.
>> District 3) Achieve Early College High School at Lincoln, 1601 N. 27th St.
>> District 4) Palm View Community Center, 3401 Jordan Ave.
>> District 5) McAllen High School, 2021 La Vista Ave.
>> District 6) Fields Elementary School, 500 Dallas Ave.
