San Juan residents will have until Thursday to register to vote in the upcoming runoff elections.
All three races from the May 1 city election will be going to runoffs since none of the candidates received more than 50% of the vote.
Mayor Mario Garza will be facing former Place 3 Commissioner Jesus “Jesse” Ramirez. Garza received a total of 1,152 votes while his challenger Jesus “Jesse” Ramirez received 782 votes. Former Commissioner Pete Garcia received a total of 646 votes.
Following the Election Day results, Garza said that he anticipates a good showing from the voters ahead of the second round of elections.
“They’re ready for the second round, and they’re willing to support us again and get the vote out,” Garza said. “History shows that the numbers will not be the same this first round to the runoff election. At this point, we’ve just got to reach out to all our supporters and friends and family to get the vote out here in the upcoming runoff election.”
At the end of the night on Election Day, R.C. Flores held a slim lead over Place 2 incumbent Ernesto “Neto” Guajardo. Flores had a total of 994 votes while the commissioner had a total of 968 votes. Laura Martinez received 617 votes.
Ramirez’s former seat on the city commission saw Nickie Ybarra, Adina “Dina” Santillan and Eddie Alaniz vying for the Place 3 spot. Ybarra led the race with 992 votes to Santillan’s 858 votes and Alaniz’s 712 votes.
Early voting is set to begin on Tuesday, June 1, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Polls will be open from June 2 to June 5 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voting will continue on Monday, June 7, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the last day of early voting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 8, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voters will be able to cast their ballots early and in person at the San Juan Memorial Library, located at 1010 S. Standard St.
Election Day is scheduled for Saturday, June 12, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters will be able to vote at two locations on Election Day — San Juan Fire Station No. 2, located at 2301 N. Raul Longoria Road, and the San Juan Memorial Library.
