Time to vote: Early voting starts Monday for primary runoffs

May 14—Voters return to the polls Monday, May 16 as early voting begins in the Primary Runoff Elections. Early voting ends Friday, May 20, with election day set for Tuesday, May 24.

The Democratic and Republican parties will hold runoff elections for races in which no single candidate earned more than 50% of the vote in the March 1 Primary Elections. The winner of each party's runoff election will appear as that party's nominee on the Nov. 8 General Election ballot.

On the Republican ballot, Texas Attorney General is the highest ranking state office that will appear on the runoff ballot, with George P. Bush challenging incumbent Ken Paxton. There are also runoffs between Tim Westley and Dawn Buckingham for Commissioner of the General Land Office; Sarah Stogner and Wayne Christian for Railroad Commissioner; Dan Scarbrough and Amy Thomas Ward for District Judge, 87th Judicial District; and Robert Johnston and Carey Mckinney for Anderson County Judge.

In the County Judges' race, incumbent Robert Johnston said the top question that he has been asked is about high appraisals on homes and higher taxes that everyone is going to have to pay.

"I pledge to support the no new revenue rate to help keep Anderson County taxes as low as possible," Johnston said. "As the chief budget officer, I believe that we will be able to lower the tax rate this year."

Another question Johnston said he's asked often about is law enforcement.

"With Biden's Open Border policy, we are seeing an increase in cartel activity, including drugs and human trafficking, throughout Texas," Johnston said. "We must support law enforcement to keep citizens safe. For the County, that means making sure our Sheriff's Department, Constables, and District Attorney office have the resources they need to do the dangerous job of protecting our families. I'm proud to have the endorsement of Sheriff Rudy Flores and Chief Mark Harcrow."

High speed internet throughout the county has been another hot topic for Johnston.

"The Commissioner's Court is working with several providers to speed up access to every part of Anderson County," Johnston said. "Our goal is to make high speed internet available to as many people as possible. We have a firm working on a new line to Elkhart and beyond and will be addressing very soon a new line to Frankston."

His opponent, Carey G. McKinney has been getting a different set of questions from voters in the county.

"I've had more comments from all over the county about the lack of communication between the Commissioners Court and the public than any other item," McKinney said. "People in the community are upset about all the money being spent on projects without any information or lack of planning. I have noted during the campaign one of my priorities is to work on communication and technology to live stream meetings, so the public is aware of what is being done by the county, and how their money is being spent. I plan to get public input on large projects and set some long term goals."

McKinney said he has also heard concerns from voters about election integrity.

"The number one concern in this community, should be the same as the number one concern in the country; election integrity," McKinney said. "If elected County Judge, I believe we need to give the citizens peace of mind, that no-one will interfere in their election. Every vote will count. People need to be supplied with information on how their election is conducted from start to finish. From the time ballots are delivered, until the last ballot is counted. I plan to implement a bipartisan election integrity committee to help develop policies to address these concerns."

McKinney said people in the community are also concerned about Constitutional Rights being violated.

"I will stand up for the Constitution," he said. "I will not shut down businesses, or require mask or vaccine mandates, that should be individual choice. I will not prohibit citizens from attending their respective church protected by the First Amendment. I will stand up for individual citizens, working to make this a safe and secure community. I support the law enforcement community and have been one for 22 years. Public servants stand up for those they represent; they stand up for the children and future generations; they stand up for those that can't stand up for themselves. I will stand up for you."

Those that live in Anderson County Precinct 4, will also vote on the runoff between Joey Hill and Barry Bedre for County Commissioner Pct. 4.

Hill said the biggest concern for many cast votes in Precinct 4 is road repair and the condition of the roads.

Hill said he works very hard to keep all the roads in his precinct in good condition however, its hard to spend $100,000 to resurface or a repair a road that has only 10 cars traveling it each day.

Property evaluations are another hot topic Hill's been having to address recently.

"The Commissioners Court has nothing to do with that," Hill said. "My goal is to stay with the no new revenue rate and lower taxes this year."

Hill said he's also getting a lot of calls about when Precinct 4 will begin to mow.

"We try to wait until all the wildflowers have seeded each year, which is typically around May 1," Hill said. We are not in full swing of mowing and will be every day unless it's raining."

Bedre is also hearing residents concerns about the increasing property values and how they increase the tax burden during an already stressful economic situation.

"Obviously, many home and land purchases here today are by people retiring, relocating or simply investing from other areas," Bedre said. "Most of them come from a substantially stronger economy than what we have her in Anderson County. They tend to pay more than market value, as we are accustomed to here, and this obviously raises the average "value" as calculated by comparisons by the appraisal district. I believe we can address this in several ways. First, as a Commissioner I will look to the budget and determine what is necessary. I believe the court has a responsibility to lower the tax rate in response to these increasing values to maintain only the amount of collected tax dollars needed to cover budgeted expenses. Secondly, we should, begin to explore alternative ways to tax more broadly, not just based on property owners, but all who visit, work or pass through. An example of this is the 2% the county now collects through the hotel occupancy tax. This will take some time and depends largely on state legislation. Thirdly, as a commissioner I believe I can work more efficiently and get the most out of what resources we do have. This, along with careful management of the budget and county expenses will go a long way towards lowering taxes."

Another concern voters have questioned Bedre over is why anyone would want to run for office and how to get qualified people to do so.

"People ask me all the time why I'm running for office," he said. "I have many reasons is my answer, but one major reason is our local youth. I and many others are tired of watching the kids of Anderson County have to leave to find opportunities elsewhere. How many people do you know around here that are growing old alone while their kids are somewhere else making a living? Why do we work so hard educating our youth only to force them to leave to use that education? If our community leaders don't make an effort to change the business culture and help create better paying job opportunities for educated young adults, our County will continue to be a place our kids have to leave behind."

Another common question Bedre is asked is what he plans to do with Turbyfill's Machine Shop if elected as Commissioner.

"I've put everything I could into the family business since I signed the note in 1997, and I am extremely proud to have provided a service into our 121st year," Bedre said. "Lately, I have felt that I should be doing something more beneficial for my neighbors and community. Maybe it's becoming a parent or the overall political gloom plaguing the country, but I've concluded that I must focus on what is nearest to home. I've always managed to get more done with less and I think this is exactly what is expected of a County Commissioner. There is never enough time, money or materials to fix every issue that comes up but what's important is that you maximize whatever is available and be as efficient as possible. Organization and planning are critical to make the best use of time and labor and that's exactly what a small business must do to survive. Quality is equally important because you can't solve problems of today if you're constantly going back to problems from the past. I have very little tolerance of half-hearted work or effort and I don't mind saying so. Now to answer the question, once elected I will have until January to reconfigure my business to allow me to make adjustments. I have no intention of putting my business ahead of the county business once I am sworn in and will be setting up my current and new employees to take on more responsibility. I do plan to continue to manage the financial and organizational side as owner, and work as much as possible, but will always prioritize county business at the level expected of me. I will be available to handle county issues 24-7 and I will be accessible in any situation. I will be a transparent representative for my neighbors when it comes to county business. I will be fully involved with the Court to help manage county finances. I do expect to retain every current Pct. 4 employee until given a reason to make changes. I also plan to be more than a "full-time" Commissioner. I'm a full-time Christian, husband, parent, and American and it's time to get Anderson County moving forward full-time also."

On the Democratic ballot there are runoffs between Mike Collier and Michelle Beckley for Lieutenant Governor; Rochelle Mercedes Garze and Joe Jaworski for Attorney General; Angel Luis Vega and Janet Dudding for Comptroller of Public Accounts; and Sandragrace Martinez and Jay Kleberg for Commissioner of the General Land Office.

Early voting in Anderson County will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, May 16 through Friday, May 20 at the Courthouse Annex, 703 Mallard St. in Palestine.

Election Day is set for Tuesday, May 24. Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Brown asks that all voters bring a valid ID and have it available.

Voter participation in a runoff

According to Anderson County Election Administrator Casey Brown, if you did not vote in the 2022 March Primary, you may choose to vote in the party of your choice, Democratic or Republican for the runoff. If you voted in the 2022 Democratic Primary, you must vote in the Democratic runoff. And if you voted in the 2022 Republican Primary, you must vote in the Republican runoff. By law, you cannot switch parties within the same year.

All eligible voters who vote by mail

In the March Primary you may have noticed some differences in your ballot materials. Please remember, there are several pieces of information that you are now required to provide on your Ballot Carrier envelope before you seal the flap. A Texas DL/ID or last four digits of your social security number or both. New laws now require these numbers in order for your vote to count. Also, a phone number or email is very helpful if problems exist with your carrier envelope. Also, the same rule applies to an application for a ballot by mail.

Mail-in voters, please make sure you add the required ID number, seal the envelope then sign it. You have the ability six days after Election Day to cure a mistake, if any. We have attached a memo to your carrier envelope with the purple strip, to help you remember to add your ID.

The Anderson County Elections Office and The Anderson County Early Ballot Board will continue reaching out to those voters with contact numbers on file to provide missing ID numbers, but it is very important you add the ID numbers before mailing. There is limited time frame between receiving an incomplete carrier and correcting the carrier.

You can also vote in person instead of by mail, if you are aware of a problem by Election Day.

Ballots must be received by 5 p.m. the day after Election Day and postmarked no later than 7 p.m. Election Day to be counted.

Brown said all voters voting by mail need to remember to be sure to sign the carrier envelope after you put the ID under the flap. If an assistant or witness helped you with the ballot and carrier envelope, they must fill out the section of the envelope with their information completely.

"Please be patient and take into consideration you may not be in-and-out as quickly as other elections, as voters continue adjusting to our new marking device," Brown said. "If the line is too long, you may return later in the week."

Brown ask everyone that has not used the new election equipment to log on to the link below for an instructional video. If you have additional questions prior to using the marking device, you are asked to go to the elections office. To watch the video, log onto www.essvote.com/blog/video/video-expressvote-how-to-vote/?wvideo

For Anderson County election information, contact Casey Brown at 903-723-7438.