Early voting is set to open for the Texas November General and City Hall elections.
The upcoming election features a wide array of critical races across Texas, perhaps none more so than the showdown between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton for a U.S. Senate seat.
With polls trending toward Talarico
, the contest marks Texas Democrats' best chance in 30 years to send one of their own to Washington.The gubernatorial contest between incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat Gina Hinojosa likewise promises to be a closely watched battle, as Hinojosa continues to keep the race within striking distance only weeks before Election Day.
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, is looking to hold onto her seat for a fifth
term against Republican Adam Bauman, who has done little to put up a fight in the Democrat-leaning district.
Here's a look at key dates, voting locations and races ahead of the start of the early voting period.
When does early voting begin?
The early voting period kicks off Monday, Oct. 19, and runs through Friday, Oct. 30.
The general and El Paso city elections are on Tuesday, Nov. 3. City elections are held by district. Only voters in specific districts can vote in those races.
All registered voters can cast ballots for key races such as governor, other statewide races and the Texas U.S. Senate contest.
Where are early voting locations?
El Paso voters can cast ballots at any early voting location across the city. Following is a list of all of the early voting sites in El Paso County:
- Agua Dulce Community Center, 15371 Kentwood Ave., Classroom B
- Arlington Park Shelter, 10350 Pasadena Circle, Main Room
- Bassett Place, 6101 Gateway West Blvd., next to Claire's
- Canutillo Nutrition Center, 7351 Bosque Road, Exercise Room
- Carl L. Robinson Heat Retreat, 5509 Will Ruth Ave., The People's Place
- Chayo Apodaca Community Center, 341 North Moon Road, Community Center
- City of San Elizario Municipal Court, 12004 Socorro Road, Suite B, Council Chambers
- Clint Junior High School, 12625 Alameda Ave., Library Conference Room
- Commissioner's Corner, 10700 Montana Ave., Community Room
- Dorris Van Doren Library, 551 Redd Road, Multipurpose Room
- EPCC Administrative Services Center, 9050 Viscount Blvd., A-Building Foyer
- EPCC Transmountain Campus, 9570 Gateway North Blvd., Pit, next to the Union
- El Paso County Eastside Annex, 2350 George Dieter Drive, Community Room
- El Paso County Northwest Annex, 435 East Vinton Road, Community Room
- Enrique Moreno County Courthouse (Main Early Voting Location), 500 E. San Antonio Ave., Third Floor, Back Lobby
- Esperanza Acosta Moreno Library, 12480 Pebble Hills Blvd., Meeting Room
- Fabens Community Center, 201 Northeast Camp St., Pool Room
- Gary del Palacio Recreation Center, 3001 Parkwood St., Multipurpose Room
- Gonzalez Place, 4101 Rich Beem Blvd., Community Room
- Hilos de Plata Senior Center, 4451 Delta Drive, Classroom
- Kennedy Brothers Memorial Recreation Center, 400 S Zaragoza Road, Kennedy Gym
- La Fe Montana Vista Community Center, 14618 Greg Drive, Auditorium
- Marty Robbins Recreation Center, 11620 Vista Del Sol Drive, Lobby
- Memorial Park Senior Citizen Center, 1800 Byron St., Classroom
- Mountain View-Rae Gilmore Recreation Center, 8501 Diana Drive, Classroom
- Nations Tobin Sports Center, 8831 Railroad Drive, Small Rink
- Officer David Ortiz Recreation Center, 563 North Carolina Drive, Classroom A
- Oz Glaze Senior Center, 13969 Veny Webb St., Main Dining Area
- Pebble Hills High School, 14400 Pebble Hills Blvd., Auditorium Foyer
- SISD District Service Center, 12440 Rojas Drive, TSC Library
- South El Paso Senior Center, 600 South Ochoa St., Classroom
- The Shoppes at Solana, 750 Sunland Park Drive, by the Food Court, next to Book Nook
- UTEP-Union Building East, 351 West University Ave., River View Room, 102H
- W.E. Neill Community Center, 19210 Cobb Ave., Library
- Wayne Thornton Community Center at Grandview, 3134 Jefferson Ave., Classroom
- Wellington Chew Senior Center, 4430 Maxwell Ave., Classroom
- Western Technical College-Northeast, 9451 Diana Drive, Classroom 400
- YWCA-Central, 1600 Brown St., Program Offices
- YWCA-West, 313 Bartlett Drive, Program Offices
Polls are open at varying times at each location. Exact times for each location can be found on the El Paso County Elections Department website, www.epcountyvotestx.gov.
What are the key races in El Paso?
The biggest race for El Pasoans is the county judge battle between incumbent County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, a Democrat, and Republican Minerva Torres-Shelton.
Samaniego took office in January 2019 and has seen little in the way of competition over previous election cycles. However, the ousting of County Commissioners David Stout and Sergio Coronado, both Democrats, could indicate a desire for change among El Paso voters.
Also on the ballot are four seats on the El Paso City Council: District 1 incumbent city Rep. Alejandra Chavez is facing three opponents in her reelection bid; District 5 incumbent city Rep. Ivan Nino is facing only one opponent in his reelection bid; District 6 incumbent city Rep. Art Fierro is facing four opponents in his reelection bid; and District 8 incumbent city Rep. Chris Canales is facing four opponents in his reelection bid.
With multiple candidates running in three of the City Council contests, the stage is set for a December runoff election.
Here's a look at some of the other key races on the ballot:
- Texas U.S. House District 23: Republican Brandon Herrera will face Democrat Katy Padilla Stout
- Texas Lieutenant Governor: Incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will face Democrat Vikki Goodwin
- Texas Attorney General: Democrat Nathan Johnson will face Republican Mayes Middleton and Libertarian Tom Oxford
- State Representative, District 74: Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Eddie Morales will face Republican Robert Garza
- State Representative, District 77: Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Vince Perez will face Republican Humberto Perez
- State Representative, District 79: Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Claudia Ordaz will face Republican Jess Romero
- El Paso County Commissioner, Precinct 2: Democrat Miguel Teran will face Republican Matt Sistrunk
- El Paso County Commissioner, Precinct 4: Democrat Annette Griego will face Republican Leo Arcos
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso voters face pivotal races as early voting begins Oct. 19
