(WBAP/KLIF News ) – Early voting in the November 5 general election officially got underway in Texas Monday morning.
Eligible residents are casting ballots for the president of the United States, U.S. and state senate seats as well as key local issues.
Dallas County Election Administrator Heider Garcia said transparency is top of mind.
“It is and some things that were probably taken for granted and were not that exposed are now being. We’re working really hard to make sure they are transparent and people can see and understand them,” he said.
Voters will decide on who will win in the closely-watched U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger Representative Collin Allred.
Dallas has numerous city charter proposals on the ballot, including the controversial propositions S, T and U. They’re known as HERO amendments.
A bipartisan group got the propositions on the ballot after collecting enough signatures. Proposition S would remove governmental immunity, allowing a resident to sue the City of Dallas if it doesn’t comply with local ordinances or charter amendments.
Proposition T would mandate an annual quality-of-life survey.
Proposition U would force the city to maintain a minimum police staff of 4,000 officers. It would also mandate that at least 50 percent of any additional revenue the city receives be directed to the police and fire pension fund as well as higher salaries for officers.
The amendments have sparked fierce backlash from current and former city leaders as well as support from the community.
Early voting runs through November 1. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Most North Texas counties allow voters to cast ballots at any polling location in the county of registration.
Click the “Am I Registered” portal on the Secretary of State’s website to double-check the specific locations where you can vote early.
Voters can also find election day voting locations on the Secretary of State’s website or get information for the election official in your county.
Key Deadlines:
Anyone who wants to vote by mail in the November 5 election must send in their application by Friday, October 25.
The deadline to send in a mail-in ballot is November 5 at 7 p.m. if the envelope is not postmarked. It’s November 6 if the envelope is postmarked by 7 p.m. at the polling location on election day.
You can download an application for a mail-in-ballot at the Secretary of State’s website.
Anyone 65 or older, disabled, absent from the county of registration during early voting and on election day, expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day or confined to jail but is eligible can vote by mail.
For those who want to know about propositions or what each candidate stands for, the League of Women Voters Texas has a non-partisan informative website breaking down the details.
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