Brownsville voters and Los Fresnos voters will head to the polls today with Brownsville residents selecting members to fill three city commission seats and voting on 10 amendments, and Los Fresnos residents voting in a $63 million school bond election.
In the Brownsville municipal election three seats are up for grabs. The Commissioner At-Large B candidates are incumbent Rose M. Gowen, Yuri Peña and Erasmo Castro. Candidates for District 3 are Jessica Puente Bradshaw, Roy de los Santos and Carlos A. Elizondo. For District 4 the candidates are incumbent Ben Neece, Pedro Cardenas, Joe Valdez and Alberto “Beto” Velez.
A couple of amendments Brownsville voters will be deciding are whether there should be term limits for the mayor and commissioners.
According to the Cameron County Elections and Voter Registration Department, 3,198 early votes were cast in the Brownsville election. Seventeen polling places will be open in the city from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The $63 million school bond proposal in Los Fresnos is for building one new middle school and making upgrades, renovations and improvements at several other schools in the district.
Early voting results show 419 ballots were cast in the Los Fresnos election. Three polling places in Los Fresnos will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If you are heading to the polls today you might want to take that umbrella or raincoat. The National Weather Service in Brownsville reports there’s a 70 percent chance of heavy rain today.
People planning to vote will need to provide a form of photo identification.
Here is a list of the acceptable forms of photo ID provided by the Texas Secretary of State’s Office:
>> Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
>> 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)
According to the secretary of state, if a voter does not have a photo identification, the following information may be provided:
>> copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate;
>> copy of or original current utility bill;
>> copy of or original bank statement;
>> copy of or original government check;
>> copy of or original paycheck; or
>> copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document).
After presenting one of the forms of supporting ID listed above, the voter must execute a Reasonable Impediment Declaration.
For more information, call the Cameron County Voter Registration and Elections Office at (956) 544-0809.
