Get ready to vote: Early voting begins Tuesday for Texas primary

HARLINGEN — The eyes of the contenders for president will soon be turning to Texas.

But residents here have a lot more races to vote on than just their choice for president.

Texas voters get their first opportunity to make their voices heard in the 2016 campaigns beginning Tuesday. That’s when early voting begins for the March 1 state primary.

In Cameron County, voters will find contested races for the U.S. and state Houses, state Senate, county judge, district attorney, sheriff and many other races.

Enthusiasm for the candidates and a sense of frustration among voters are expected to drive up voter turnout in both the Democratic and Republican primaries.

“We’re very excited about it. We believe we’re going to have a higher turnout than usual for early voting as well as the overall election,” said Remi Garza, county elections administrator.

“When we look at who’s on the ballot and the races that are there, we really feel like we’re looking at possibly a very high turn-out.”

He said turnout this election year could match that of the 2008 primary, which he described as “a whopper.”

In the Democratic primary that year, about 50,000 Cameron County voters turned out — about 28 percent. Garza called that quite large for a primary election. Numbers were not immediately available for the Republican primary.

PRIMARY CANDIDATES

LOCAL CONTESTED RACES

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE

DISTRICT 34

DEMOCRATIC

Filemon Vela — No Opponent

REPUBLICAN

Rey Gonzalez Jr., San Benito

William “Willie” Vaden, Ingleside

STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 27 DEMOCRATIC

Eddie Lucio Jr., Brownsville

O. Rodriguez Haro III, Brownsville

STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 37

DEMOCRATIC

Don De Leon, Brownsville

Rene O. Oliveira, Brownsville

DISTRICT JUDGE 138th

DEMOCRATIC

Arturo Cisneros Nelson, Rio Hondo

Sonia Herrera, Harlingen

COUNTY JUDGE

DEMOCRATIC

Eddie Trevino Jr., Brownsville

Elizabeth “Liz” Garza, Brownsville

Dan Sanchez, Harlingen

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

DEMOCRATIC

Luis V. Saenz, Brownsville

Carlos R. Masso, Brownsville

REPUBLICAN

Jeremy SoRelle, Rancho Viejo — No Opponent

SHERIFF

DEMOCRATIC

Gregorio Puente III, Olmito

Omar Lucio, San Benito

REPUBLICAN

John Chambers, Indian Lake

Michael Watkins, San Benito

Robert Rodriguez, Laguna Vista

Victor Cortez, Bayview

COUNTY COMMISSIONER PCT. 1

DEMOCRATIC

Beatrice G. Rosenbaum, Brownsville

Sofia C. Benavidez, Brownsville

Fausto (Pato) Martinez, Brownsville

Joseph Cantu, South Padre Island

COUNTY COMMISSIONER PCT. 4

DEMOCRATIC

Gus Ruiz, Harlingen

Chino Sanchez, Harlingen

JUDGE COURT-AT-LAW No. 4

DEMOCRATIC

Sheila Garcia Bence, Harlingen

Rene Gomez, Brownsville

Daniel T. Robles, San Benito

Carlos Monarrez, Brownsville

JUDGE COURT-AT-LAW No. 5

DEMOCRATIC

Noe Robles, Harlingen

Estela Chavez Vasquez, Brownsville

Jesus T. “Chuy” Garcia Jr., Brownsville

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE, PCT. 5, PLACE 3

DEMOCRATIC

Mike Trejo, Harlingen

Juan Vargas, Santa Maria

CONSTABLE PCT. 1

DEMOCRATIC

Manuel “Manny” Hinojosa III, Port Isabel — No Opponent

REPUBLICAN

Armando Mora, Laguna Vista

Ovidio “Woody” Cisneros Jr., Brownsville

Pedro “Pete” Delgadillo, Port Isabel

CONSTABLE PCT. 2

DEMOCRATIC

Juan S. Torres, Brownsville

Pete Avila Jr., Brownsville

Abelardo “Abel” Gomez Jr., Brownsville

Silverio “Silver” Cisneros Jr., Brownsville

CONSTABLE PCT. 5

DEMOCRATIC

Eddie Solis, La Feria

Cesar Rene Dias, La Feria

REPUBLICAN

Don Duncan, Harlingen —

No Opponent

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