Voter turnout results are in from the first day of early voting in the July 14 primary runoff elections. According to totals compiled by the Cameron County Elections Department, nearly 1,600 residents took to the polls on Monday.
Early voting will continue through Thursday, June 2. It will continue July 5 through 10.
Polling locations are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and staff is taking extra precautions to control the spread of coronavirus in the community as cases continue to rise.
There are three seats up for grab on the Democratic Party ticket which include a runoff for county sheriff between incumbent Omar Lucio and former district clerk Eric Garza, a runoff for the 138 state District Court seat between Gabriela “Gabby” Garcia and Helen Delgadillo, and a runoff for state senator District 27 between incumbent Eddie Lucio Jr. and Sara Stapleton Barrera.
On the Republican ticket there is a runoff between incumbent Pedro Delgadillo and Norman Esquivel Jr. for Cameron County Constable Precinct 1.
Voters are asked to wear a mask and follow proper hand washing and social distancing guidelines. Employees at polling locations are outfitted with face masks, in some cases face shields, and gloves.
There is hand sanitizer readily available, but guidelines from the Texas Secretary of State recommend that voters bring their own.
On Sunday, July 5, early voting locations will be open for service from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. From Monday, July 6 through Friday, July 10, polling stations will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to conclude early voting.
Officials are hoping all of Cameron County’s 212,000 registered voters will exercise their right to cast a vote in the runoff. More information about the primary runoff, upcoming elections, and voter registration can be found at www.cameronvotes.com
Tuesday’s report from the county election authority showed that 1,536 voters turned out to vote on the Democratic ticket. Fifty Republican voters took to the polling stations, though the Republican primary runoff is specific to the Laguna Madre/Port Isabel area.
In Brownsville, the location with the most traffic was the Brownsville Public Library, which saw just fewer than 500 voters. In Harlingen, both the Cultural Arts Center and the County Annex Building locations saw around 150 early voters.
Elsewhere in the county, the San Benito Community Building and La Feria City Hall saw roughly 100 voters each. In Brownsville, other locations that saw traffic were the Cameron Park Community Center (El Centro Cultural) and the Southmost public library.
On the Republican ticket, votes were cast in Brownsville, but the majority of voting took place at Port Isabel City Hall.
