Early voting begins Monday for city, school races

Early voting for city council and school board races across Orange County will begin Monday, April 24. Election Day is Saturday, May 6.

This year, the only elections are for city councils in Orange, Bridge City, Vidor, and Rose City. School board elections will be for West Orange-Cove CISD and Vidor ISD.

Other cities and school districts were able to cancel elections because of no contested races. Orangefield ISD, however, has its board election in November. Orange County Port District and the Orange County Drainage District have elections in even-numbered years.

Early voting will be set up at three different boxes. , Any registered Orange County voter may go to any of the three boxes to vote in their assigned elections.

On May 6, the Orange County Elections Administration will have open box voting for the first time. The county will have five voting boxes with registered county voters able to go to any one of the boxes.

The early voting boxes will be at the Orange Public Library, 220 Fifth Street in Orange; Orange County Airport conference room, 2640 South Highway 87, and the Raymond Gould Community Center, 385 Claiborne Street in Vidor.

The early voting hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Extended early voting hours will be Monday, May 1, and Tuesday, May 2, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The contested Bridge City Council seat is for the vacated Place 3 with Bryant Champagne facing Kenneth Prosperie. All voters in the city will be able to cast a ballot in the race.

For the Orange City Council, the At-Large Position 6 incumbent Paul Burch is being challenged by Old Orange Historic District neighbor Henry Junior Leger. Any qualified registered voter in the city may vote for the position.

The West Orange-Cove school board has two incumbents and one challenger running for the two at-large position openings. Voters in the district may vote for one or two of the three candidates. The two candidates receiving the most votes will be seated. The incumbents are Ruth Hancock and Tommy Wayne Wilson Jr., with Donny Teate Jr. challenging them.

The Vidor City Council has one open challenged position with Ward 6 candidates Victoria M. Jones, Kathryn Weldon, and Lisa M. Harris.

The Vidor ISD board has three positions with challengers. Position 4 candidates are Billy Jordan and Natalie Martinez Long. Brooke Hoosier Gilthorpe and Rodney White are running or Position 5. The Position 7 candidates are Michael Helms, Ben Howard, and Jeremiah Harrington.

May 6 voting will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Orange Public Library, St. Francis Catholic Church in Orange, the Salvation Army in Orange, the Bridge City Knights of Columbus Hall, and the Raymond Gould Community Center in Vidor.