HARLINGEN — For two Harlingen City Commission hopefuls, today is decision day.
Voters go to the polls today to decide the runoff election for the District 4 City Commission seat.
The race pits political newcomer Frank Morales against former City Commissioner Basilio “Chino” Sanchez, the top two finishers in the May 1 election out of a field of four candidates.
Early voting shows that 271 voters in District 4 have already gone to the polls, City Hall reported on Friday.
This is about par for the course for a Harlingen city runoff election, city officials say.
“The early voting turnout for this runoff election is pretty much what we’ve seen in past runoffs,” Harlingen City Secretary Amanda Elizondo said Friday.
“The turnout is usually less than a regular election and that’s true for every city. You have to consider that since Harlingen Commissioners are elected by district, only people that live in that district can vote.
“So obviously, you already have fewer voters that can participate. We expect that Saturday will be the same.”
Polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Here are the voting locations for District 4 residents:
Precincts 41, 103 and 104 — Bowie Elementary School, 309 W. Lincoln Ave.
Precincts 39 and 78 — Jefferson Elementary School, 601 J St.
The May 1 election saw four candidates in a contest for outgoing City Commissioner Ruben De la Rosa’s seat.
Morales pulled the strongest showing in the four-man race, winning 233 votes while Sanchez pulled 141 votes.
They were the top two vote-getters. And because neither candidate received 50 percent plus one vote, they were put into a runoff election.
Xavier Jaramillo, who works at his family-owned business Valley Wide Sprinkler Systems, drew 112 votes while Anselmo Aparicio Jr., a counter salesman, picked up 33 votes, each falling short of the runoff.
Since the May 1 election, Morales and Sanchez have been pounding the streets in neighborhoods in the Bowie and Jefferson elementary school areas.
De la Rosa, a Texas Southmost College instructor who first won office in 2015, said he chose not to seek re-election after deciding to move his family to a home in District 5 while running for the Cameron County Commission’s Precinct 4 seat in the March 2022 election.
