Four candidates seeking office during South Padre Island special election

The city of South Padre Island holds a special election Feb. 3 to fill Place 5 on the City Council following the death on Dec. 1 of Eva Jean Dalton, first elected to the seat in November 2018.

The four candidates in the special election are, in the order they’ll appear on the ballot, Brad Robinson, Jennifer Stout, Tally Ragsdale and Lisa Graves. Ragsdale ran unsuccessfully for Place 4 on the City Council in the Nov. 7 general election.

Jan. 4 was the last day to register to vote in the election, according to the Cameron County Elections Department. The first day of early voting is Jan. 17, while the last day to apply for a ballot by mail (received, not postmarked) is Jan. 23.

The last day of early voting is Jan. 30. The last day to receive a ballot by mail is Election Day, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. if carrier envelope is not postmarked, or Feb. 5 (next business day after Election Day) at 5 p.m., if carrier envelope is postmarked by 7 p.m. at the location of the election on Election Day, unless overseas or military voter deadlines apply, according to the Elections Department.

For the timing of the special election, the city of South Padre Island and its legal firm sought recommendations from the state and county election divisions to ensure constitutional and statutory compliance. It was determined the election could not be held on the March primary or May uniform election dates., therefore, the election is not able to be held during the March primary or the May Uniformed election dates.