HARLINGEN — Across Harlingen and San Benito, voter apathy is running high in the lead up to Saturday’s elections.
In Harlingen, where polls were closing at 8 p.m. yesterday, 803 residents had cast ballots in Districts 3, 4 and 5 as of the close of polls at 8 p.m. Monday.
So far in the early voting period beginning April 23, that is 3.8 percent of the three districts’ 21,131 registered voters.
“It’s been kind of steady,” City Secretary Amanda Elizondo said yesterday of the turnout.
In the average election, the early vote makes up about 45 percent of the vote while Election Day ballots account for about 65 percent, Elizondo said.
In Harlingen, two-term incumbent Michael Mezmar, a financial analyst, is facing businessman Richard Garza for the commission’s Place 3 seat.
In the race for Place 4, former Commissioner Basilio “Chino” Sanchez, a retired newspaper production technician, is squaring off against one-term incumbent Ruben de la Rosa, an instructor at Texas Southmost College.
The race is a match up of the May 2015 contest which de la Rosa won by three votes.
Meanwhile, in the race for Place 5, two-term incumbent Victor Leal, who runs a computer sales and service business, is facing Jim Young, an attorney who serves on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
At the schools
In Harlingen’s school board election, 1,150 residents cast votes while about 250 mailed in ballots out of 43,611 registered voters as of the close of polls at 8 p.m. Monday.
“It’s pretty comparable to prior years,” Julio Cavazos, the district’s chief financial officer, said.
In the school board’s only contested race, Belinda Reininger, a university professor, Santiago Villanueva, a retired school district administrator, and Debbie Flores, a legal assistant, are running for the Place 6 seat being vacated by George McShan after 30 years.
San Benito
In San Benito’s city election, 891 residents out of 12,572 registered voters had cast ballots as of the close of polls at 8 p.m. Monday.
In the race for the city commission’s Place 3 seat, one-term incumbent Esteban Rodriguez, owner of a freight company, is facing Ricardo Guerra, a Harlingen firefighter.
Meanwhile, in the race for Place 4, incumbent Carol Lynn Sanchez, an attorney who won her seat last year in a special election to fulfill Commissioner Joe D. Gonzalez’s term, faces a challenge from retired businessman and former parks board President Mike Frazier.
At the schools
In San Benito’s school district election, 1,047 residents out of 20,029 registered voters had cast ballots as of the close of polls at 8 p.m. Monday.
Two positions are contested in the race for school board seats.
Former school board member Fatima Huerta, a student, is squaring off against retired teacher Sonia Weaver for the Place 2 seat.
Meanwhile, in the race for Place 3, incumbent Joe G. Gonzalez is facing retired teacher Janie Silva.
Early vote as of close of polls Monday
803 — Harlingen city
1,150 — with 250 mail in ballots Harlingen school
891 — San Benito city
1,047 — San Benito school
