?It can get confusing when you hear all the talk about elections, especially when it coincides with a presidential election year.? {{more:? continue …}}?There are at least three elections that will occur in Texas this year – the Texas Primary (March 3, 2020), Local Election for city, school board and other local governmental entities (May 2, 2020) and the General Election for county, state and national office (November 3, 2020). That is not counting a possible primary run-off election.?You don?t have to vote in any of them.? You can vote in just one of them. You can vote in all three. They have different purposes but they all required that you be a registered voter.?Unregistered, recently moved, had a name change???If any those apply, you will need to register or update your voter information. It is too late to be able to vote next week in the primary election, March 3. However if you register now, you may be able to vote in the city and county elections in May and, certainly, in the presidential and state elections next November. The law requires you to complete the registration process at least thirty days prior to next scheduled election.?Once you register, you are not required to do it again unless the information on your registration changes. See more @?How to register or change registration information
?Do you have to have a voter card to vote? No, as long as you can provide a photo ID with the most commonly used is a Texas driver?s license. The ID must provide information that closely matches the information that appears on the approved voter roll. See the above link for more information about the identification alternatives.?Open primary state ? what does that mean? Ok, so you are a register voter and can vote next week, here is what you need to know. Texas is an open primary state which means you are free to vote either in the Republican or Democrat primaries, even if you are an independent, a Republican, a Democrat, a Libertatrian, a Constitutionist, etc.Say that again??For example, you voted in the Republican primary the last time election and/or you are currently a member of the Republican Party, you can still vote in the Democrat primaries this time around and vice-versa. You do not have declare you are a member of a certain party. You just pick the ballot you want and vote. Note:?In the primaries you cannot “cross vote”. You have to choose one or the other ballot and vote. And, no, you can?t vote twice ? at least legally.?What is early voting??Texas provides opportunities to vote early, prior to the regular set election day. If you are registered voter already, you still have time to vote in the upcoming primary election. Primary early voting continues until this Friday, any time from 7am to 7pm at any voting location in Tarrant County as long as you live in Tarrant County.?The Kennedale Community is a designated early voting location however you do not have to vote there. Again, you can vote at any designation location in Tarrant County if you are a resident of this county. This also applies on the elecion date.??Click for locations and more about early voting?Does your vote still count if you do not vote in all the races listed???Your vote will still count even if you voted in just one race, regardless, if it is a primary, local or national election.?The sample ballot for Tarrant County in the upcoming primary elections shows at least 32 different races. Most people will not know who is who in most of those races. If you are a conscientious voter, you can try an internet search to check out the various candidates. The Star Telegram publishes a guide to the different races at ST Voter?s Guide to Tarrant County primary races Tarrant County also publishes sample ballots that list all the various races and candidates. Note: Races and candidates will vary depending on where you live in Tarrant County. See Sample Tarrant County Ballots?Local elections – May 2, 2020??Local elections for school board and city council/mayor are held in May of each year. The filing deadline for candidates for local elections has already closed (January 15 ? February 14). The final day to register to vote in this election is April 2, 2020. Early voting starts April 20 and continues until April 28 with Election Day set for May 2. For exact dates and times see??Local elections information. While times might vary, the actual days of votings are uniform.?There is no requirement that says you have to vote in any other election to vote locally.? Any vote you cast is important.?Local candidates in the May elections:?
Mayor of the City of Kennedale
- Brian Johnson*
- Jerrick ?JD? Drayden?
Kennedale City Council Place 2
- Gary Mitchell
- Chris Pugh*
Kennedale City Council Place 4
- Linda Rhodes*?
KISD School Board Place 6
- Darryl Owens
- Bailey Torcoletti
- Reggie Brown (write-in candidate)?
KISD School Board Place 7
- Felicia Moody
- John Hunt*
* designates incumbent
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General Election (November 3, 2020) ? Important Dates
- Monday, October 5, 2020 ? last day to register to vote to if you haven?t already
- Monday, October 19, 2020 ? first day to vote early
- Friday, October 30, 2020 ? last day to vote early
- Tuesday, November 3, 2020 ? Election Day
For more calendar information see 2020 Texas Election Calendar.?For complete election information for Texas see VOTETEXAS.Gov.?Thanks to all those who vote this year and to those who have chosen to run for office.
