Just over three months from now, Election Day will be here.
It is a Presidential Election year, which always brings out a higher voter turn-out.
Poll locations may be even more crowded however, as in addition to national, state and county positions up for bid, voters will also be selecting new City and School officials.
Normally held during the month of May, the City and School elections were postponed when Texas was declared in a State of Disaster due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Also moved to the General Election Day on November 3, 2020 is a special proposition for the Fairfield Hospital District.
The Primary Runoff Elections earlier this month solidified the candidates that will appear on the ballot for the Republican and Democratic parties.
However, prospective candidates have one more opportunity to file for national, state and county positions.
Write-In Candidates
A Declaration of Write-In Candidacy may be accepted from now until Monday, August 17, 2020.
Those declaring for a national or state position will typically file with Texas Secretary of State office. For county positions, such a declaration must be filed with the County Judge.
Such Declarations must be accompanied by either a filing fee, or a nominating petition signed by a certain number of qualified voters.
If filing a petition, state-wide offices required 5,000 voter signatures. District, county, or precinct positions require 500 signatures, or 2% of voters (as counted in the most recent gubernatorial general election).
As Freestone County had 6,446 voters in the 2018 election, two percent would require 129 valid signatures for a write-in candidacy for a county position.
It is important to note that a person who was a candidate for office in the Primary Election is ineligible for a place on the list of write-in candidates for that same office in the succeeding general election.
Additional information about the process for becoming a write-in candidate may be found online at https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/candidates/guide/2020/writein2020.shtml
This information about write-in candidates does NOT apply to local School or City elections.
Important Dates
Applications for a Ballot by Mail for the November 3rd Election are being accepted now and must be received by Friday, October 23, 2020.
Those who may meet the eligibility requirements to vote by mail include the following criteriga:
–65 years of age or older
–Disability
–Expected absence from the county
–Confinement in jail
Applications for a Ballot by Mail should be delivered to the Early Voting Clerk, County Clerk Linda Jarvis, at P.O. Box 1010, Fairfield, Texas 75840.
If you are not yet registered to vote, the last day to register in time to vote in the November 3rd general election is Friday, October 23, 2020.
This week, Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation to extend Early Voting by nearly a week. Early Voting will now be held from October 13 – 30, 2020.
The proclamation also expands the period in which marked mail-in ballots may be delivered in person to the early voting clerk’s office, allowing such deliver prior to, as well as on, Election Day.
“As we respond to COVID-19, the State of Texas is focused on strategies that preserve Texans’ ability to vote in a way that also mitigates the spread of the virus,” said Governor Abbott. “By extending the early voting period and expanding the period in which mail-in ballots can be hand-delivered, Texans will have greater flexibility to cast their ballots, while at the same time protecting themselves and others from COVID-19.”
