City of San Angelo July 2 Runoff Will be on First Date Possible

The runoff election for police chief and for the City Council’s District 5 seat will be July 2, the first eligible day on which the election may be held.

Federal regulations and state election law require a 45-day window between the canvassing of votes and a runoff to allow the mailing of ballots to registered voters who are outside the United States. The City Council will canvass the votes May 18. The regulation, which mostly impacts voters serving in the military, was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 16, 2015. The last city election runoff was June 15, 2013.

No candidate won 50 percent plus one vote in the races for police chief and for District 5 Council member in Saturday’s city election.

In the race for police chief, Frank Carter garnered 33.64 percent of the ballots cast and Tim Vasquez 31.34 percent. Two other candidates accounted for 35.02 percent. In the District 5 contest, Lane Carter won 45.39 percent of the vote and Elizabeth Grindstaff 45.17 percent. Two other candidates accounted for the remaining 9.44 percent.

In other races, Bill Richardson was elected to the Council’s District 1 seat and Harry Thomas to the District 3 seat. They will serve three-year terms.

The deadline to register to vote in the runoff election is June 2. All registered voters will be eligible to vote in the runoff regardless of whether they participated in Saturday’s election.

Voter registration applications are available at VoteTomGreenCounty.org, in the Tom Green County Elections Office on the first floor of the Edd B. Keyes Building, 113 W. Beauregard Ave., and at all three Tom Green County library locations. Applications can also be obtained by mail or by calling 325-659-6541. Completed applications can be returned in person or by mail; mailed applications must be postmarked by June 2.

Citizens can also register to vote when renewing their driver’s license in person at a Texas Department of Public Safety office.

To determine if you’re eligible to vote or if you’re already registered, visit votetexas.gov/register-to-vote. Voter registration applications are also available at the link.

All registered city voters will be eligible to vote for police chief, which is a citywide office. Only voters in City Council District 5 will vote in that race. Voters can access a map of the City Council districts at cosatx.us/council. Determining which district one lives in can be determined by clicking the GIS map viewer on the same page.

Early voting will be from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. June 20-24 and from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. June 27-28 in the Tom Green County Elections Office. Voters will have a choice of voting by paper or electronic ballot during early voting.

On Election Day, only electronic ballots will be available. Polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. July 2 at the 20 locations that were used May 7.