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Cameron County voters on Saturday will elect three at-large members to the newly created Cameron County Appraisal District Board of Directors.
Early voting for the three seats continues through Tuesday. Four candidates each are contesting two of the seats, while two candidates are running for the third.
The election will be among several state and local contests decided Saturday.
The Texas Legislature created new appraisal district boards of directors in counties across the state with the passage of Senate Bill 2. Previously, the Cameron County board had eight members appointed by the taxing entities, with the county tax assessor-collector serving as the ninth member.
The new board has five appointed members, in addition to the three elected members and the county tax assessor-collector.
Senate Bill 2 created changes to property tax administration that in some cases effectively doubled property valuations, observers have noted.
“The work that the appraisal district does affects everybody in the county and it merits the attention that the voters are giving it,” Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza said Monday, noting that 8,976 voters had cast early ballots in the election as of Saturday.
The candidates for Place 1 are: Bill Hudson, Jose Raul Davila, Alejandro Garcia-Moreno and Erasmo Castro.
Place 2 candidates are: Ruben Martinez, Fernando Lazo, Minerva Simpson and Ricardo “Ricky” de la Garza.
Place 3 candidates are: Philip T. Cowen and Norlene C. Chamberlain.
Early voting polls are open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Election Day, the hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
