Elections office preps for spring polls

Colorado County will hold two separate elections in May. Both elections are equally important for different reasons. It is also imperative that voters pay attention to voting locations and times because each election is different.

On Saturday, May 4, the Columbus Independent School District, Weimar Independent School District, and City of Weimar will hold joint elections. CISD will have a Trustee and Bond election. WISD will hold a Trustee election and the City of Weimar have a race for Mayor and councilmen. Early Voting will be on weekdays from April 22 to April 30. This early voting period is seven days as opposed to the two weeks for early voting in the March election. The hours of early voting are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Two locations will be open for voting during this period. The main location is at the Colorado County Election Center located at 1117 Travis St. in Columbus and at Weimar City Hall, 106 E. Main, in Weimar.

Two deadlines to note for this election are the voter registration and application for ballot by mail. Voter registration must be completed 30 days in advance, meaning the deadline was April4. Allapplications for ballot by mail must be received in the election office by April 23.

Tuesday, May 28 is the joint Primary Run-off.

Election Day is the day immediately following Memorial Day. There are several races on the Republican ballot including two local county positions.

The Democratic ballot will be one district race. Early Voting will be held on the weekdays of May 20 through May 24 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The voter registration deadline is April 29, and the Ballot by Mail deadline is May 17.

Sample ballots for both elections will be published and available as soon as practical. Sample ballots are in the hallway at the Colorado County Annex, at the Colorado County Election Center, on-line, https://www.co.colorado. tx.us/page/colorado, the school administration offices, and Weimar City Hall.

For those unsure of their voter registration status, call the Election Office, 979-732-6860 to verify the information. Those with a missing or expired voter registration card can contact the Elections Office for a replacement, or just bring a photo ID such as Driver’s License to vote on election day.

Remember that absentee ballots by mail must go through the postal system at least three times, which can cause various delays and in the worst-case scenario a rejection of the ballot. To prevent this, send the applications in as soon as possible.