Local early voting begins Monday

Dave Rogers

For The Record

Early voting begins Monday and runs through May 1 for those cities and school districts conducting 2018 elections.

Most area officeholders are running unopposed but an Orange mayor’s race and two West Orange-Cove school board seats are up for grabs as are a school board seat and a city council seat in Bridge City and two spots on the Orange County Navigation and Port District board.

The city of West Orange canceled its regular election as did Pinehurst and Little Cypress Mauriceville CISD because no elected office drew more than one candidates.

But West Orange is having a special election to decide five issues.

The formal election day is May 5 but early voting has come to be equally, if not more, important because of its ease.

Larry Spears, Jr. and Charles Ray Thomas are facing off in Orange to fill the mayor’s chair. Spears won his second term as At Large Place 6 council member a year ago, but yielded that seat to run for the mayor’s job previously held by Jimmy Sims, who is retiring.

Early voting for the Orange city election is at the Orange Public Library, 220 N. 5^th St. Polls are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturdays. Tuesdays April 24 and May 1 are exceptions, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. those days.

On election day May 5, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at these locations:

District 1, Salvation Army Building, 1950 Martin Luther King Drive; District 2, Little Cypress Intermediate School, 2300 Allie Payne Road; District 3, North Early Learning Center, 801 Cordrey Ave .; District 4, West Orange-Cove CISD Education Service Center/Administration Building, 902 West Park Ave.

In the WOCCISD election, incumbent Roderick Robertson and Kianna Edwards-Brooks and Tricia Stroud are running for two at-large spots, with the top two vote-getters elected.

Early voting is at the Orange Public Library, 220 N. 5^th St. from Monday through May 1 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays April 24 and May 1.

Election day May 5 polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Precincts 1,2: WOCCISD Education Service Center/Administration Building; Precincts 3,4,5: North Early Learning Center, 801 Cordrey; Precincts 8,13,14,15: Salvation Army, 1950 N. MLK Drive; Precincts 11, 12, 24: West Orange City Hall, 2700 Western Ave.

In the city of Bridge City election, Joseph Hannon is taking on incumbent Lucy Fields for Place 6.

All voting will be at BCISD Administration Building, 1031 W. Roundbunch Road with early voting from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through April 27 and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 30 and May 1.

Day of election May 5, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The BCISD election will pit newcomers Patty Collins and Paul Zoch for the Place 2 spot.

Like the city election, BCISD voting will all be at BCISD Administration Building, 1031 W. Roundbunch Road with early voting from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through April 27 and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 30, May 1 and election day, May 5.

City of West Orange voters will vote on whether to reauthorize a one-quarter of one percent sales and use tax for street repairs. It will also address four suggested charter changes.

All voting in the City of West Orange election will be at West Orange City Hall, 2700 Western Ave. Early voting is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through May 1 with the exception of April 23 and April 30, when polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Those 7 to 7 hours are in effect for election day, May 5, as well.