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Pic: Five cities and school districts in east and south Orange County are holding May 4 elections. Early voting for all except West Orange is being held at the Orange Public Library and two other locations. RECORD Photo: Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers

For The Record

A $46.1 million school bond election for Bridge City school district stakeholders and eight city council and school board seats will be decided in east and south Orange County Saturday.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 4.

If recent elections are an indicator, fewer than 4,500 people will vote in the elections that wrap up May 4 for cities of Orange and West Orange and the school districts of Bridge City, Little Cypress-Mauriceville and West Orange-Cove.

In recent years, about 75 percent of people voting in Orange County have voted early.

According to Tina Barrow, elections administrator for Orange County, 2,419 people had voted early through Monday, April 29, the next-to-last day for early voting.

Those county-wide totals included city of Vidor and Vidor ISD elections but not city of West Orange.

Theresa Van Meter, West Orange city secretary, said 100 citizens had early voted as of Tuesday afternoon.

Barrow said the county’s conversion from paper ballots to the new Express Vote touch screen machines has gone well.

“The machines have been working out really great,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of positive feedback.”

The county used three early voting locations, the Orange Public Library, the Bridge City ISD Administration Building and Raymond Gould Community Center in Vidor.

It will operate eight Saturday.

“Each location will have a couple of extra people so they can help voters on these new machines,” Barrow said.

Eight polling places will be used for Saturday voting.

Bridge City ISD will vote at its Administration Building, 1031 W. Roundbunch Road.

Voters in the Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD election boxes 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9 vote at Little Cypress Intermediate, 2300 Allie Payne Road; and those in boxes 15, 16, 31 and 32 vote at Mauriceville Middle School, 19952 FM 1130.

West Orange-Cove CISD has voting at the Administration Building, 902 W. Park Ave., for boxes 1 and 2; at North Early Learning, 801 Cordrey, for boxes 3, 4 and 5; at the Salvation Army, 1950 N. MLK Dr. for boxes 8, 13, 14, 15; and at West Orange City Hall, 2700 Western Ave. for boxes 11, 12 and 24.

The City of Orange council races will vote at the Salvation Army, 1950 N. MLK Drive for District 1; Little Cypress Intermediate, 2300 Allie Payne for District 2; North Early Learning Center, 801 Cordrey for District 3; and at WOCCISD Administration Building, 902 W. Park Ave, for District 4.

Voters in the West Orange council election vote at the City of West Orange City Hall, 2700 Western Ave.

The cities of Pinehurst and Bridge City canceled their elections because no more than one person registered for available seats.

Both West Orange Mayor Roy McDonald and Pinehurst Mayor Pete Runnels were unopposed in winning new terms.

Overall, nine east and south county city and school seats were won without opposition while nine other spots due for elections drew a total of 19 candidates.

The candidates who drew opposition for city council races are in Orange, where three people – incumbent Annette Pernell and Mary McKenna and Alan E. Mesecher -- seek the District 2 single-member seat, while incumbent Bill Mello drew three opponents for the At-Large Place 5 seat:

David C. Bailey, Caroline Mazzola Hennigan and Charles Thomas.

In West Orange, three are running for two at-large places: incumbents Randy Branch and Patty Cook and Brent Dearing. The top two vote-getters are seated.

An even more crowded race is for the West Orange-Cove school district, where all seats are at-large. Incumbents

Demetrius Hunter and Linda Platt-Robinson are challenged by Gina Simar, Kianna Edwards-Brooks and Russell Holt.

Incumbent Jerry McInnis faces Cory L. Mitchell for Bridge City ISD Place 5; and Josh Fisher and Chris Riedel face off for Position 6 on the LCMCISD board.

Bridge City ISD voters can say aye or nay to a $46.1 million bond issue that would go mostly toward building a new middle school.

Here are the opposed candidates/issues in Saturday’s election:

Cities

Orange – Single member District 4 (Mary McKenna, Alan E. Mesecher, Annette Pernell, I); At-Large Place 5 (David C. Bailey; Caroline Mazzolla Hennigan; Bill Mello, I; Charles Ray Thomas).

West Orange – 2 At-Large places, top two vote-getters seated (Randy Branch, I; Patty Cook; Brent Dearing).

Schools

Bridge City ISD – $46.1 million bond issue; Place 5 (Jerry McInnis, I; Cory L. Mitchell).

LCMCISD – Position 6 (Josh Fisher, Chris Riedel).

WOCCISD – 3 at-large positions, top three vote-getters seated (Demetrius Hunter, I; Linda Platt-Bryant, I; Gina Simar; Kianna Edwards-Brooks; Russell Holt).

I -- incumbent