Local election setting records

Even though the 2024 presidential race is the center election for interested people around the world, Orange County is having local races on the ballot for Election Day, Tuesday November 5.

The Orangefield school board has a trustee election, plus the Vidor ISD has a $98.4 million bond issue on the ballots with the money designated for renovations and new buildings. Also, two county emergency services districts will have elections for members to their governing boards of directors.

Early voting in Orange is setting turnout records and will continue through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. As of Tuesday, the county has a total of 23,571 ballots cast with 22,709 in person and 805 mail-in ballots received so far. The county has about 55,000 registered voters.

The total includes six early provisional votes plus 52 limited votes. Those votes are made under state law with people using photo identification but questions about their registration or home location.

The early votes included 1,137 cast on a rare Sunday voting day. Vidor's Raymond Gould Community Center has a nine-day total off 7,158 early votes, the Orange Public Library has 6,304, the Orange County Airport has 6,207, and the Mauriceville Community Center has 3,040.

The Orangefield ISD board of trustees has three candidates running at-large for Place III with no incumbent running. The candidates are Richard Lasseigne Jr., Dustin Logan, and Jude Graffagnino. Incumbents Chris Kovatch for Place VI and Brad Frye for Place VII are unopposed.

Orange County Emergency Services District 1 and District 3 voters will choose two directors at-large. The candidates for District 1 are Wyatt Boyett, Ronnie Herrera, and Rose Luca. For District 3, candidates are Scott McDonald, Jeremy Kent Nichols, Cathy Drake, and Jeff Braus.

All open Orange County elected offices have Republican candidates, mostly incumbents, running unopposed.

Ten polling spots across the county will be open Election Day November 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Any registered Orange County voter with proper photo identification will be able to vote at any of the polls in the county.

Orange County Commissioners Court and the OC Election Administration Office worked years with the Texas Secretary of State to get the proper tools and organization to allow countywide voting on Election Day. In the past, people were require to vote only at the assigned neighborhood box on Election Day.

This year the boxes in Orange will be the West Orange-Cove CISD Administration Building, 902 West Park; Orange Public Library, 220 North Fifth Street; St. Francis Catholic Church, 4300 Meeks Drive; LC-M CISD Administration Building 6586 FM 1130; Sabine River Authority headquarters, 12772 North Highway 87, Orange County Drainage District, 8081 Old Highway 90.

In West Orange, ballot boxes will be at the Dow Business Center, 2601 Irving Street, and West Orange City Hall, 2700 Western Avenue.

Another polling site on Election Day will be the Orange County Expo Center, 11475 FM 1442. The box in Orangefield will be at the Cormier Museum by the schools, 9908 FM 105. Mauriceville's box is at the Mauriceville Community Center, 7441 Cohenour Road.

Bridge City has boxes at St. Paul Methodist Church, 1155 West Roundbunch Road, and Knights of Columbus Hall, 495 West Roundbunch Road.

The presidential race between Republican former president Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is drawing the most attention. Texans also have a U.S. Senate spot open with incumbent Republican Ted Cruz facing Democrat Colin Allred.

Locally, our incumbent U.S. Representative Republican Randy Weber is facing Democrat Rhonda Hart for Texas District 3.

Orange County's incumbent state representative, Dade Phelan, and state senator, Robert Nichols, are unopposed Republicans on the ballot. All local county offices have Republicans running unopposed.