Early voting begins Monday

The two-week early voting period begins Monday across the state and in Young County for the November general election.

Early voting will be held Monday, Oct. 21 through Friday, Nov. 1. In Young County, early voting will be held 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 21-25, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27 and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28 to Friday, Nov. 1.

Early voting locations will be the Young County Annex at 417 Second St. in Graham and the Olney Community Library and Arts Center at 807 W. Hamilton St. in Olney. 

Election day voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5 at five voting locations. Those locations will be North Central Texas College at 928 Cherry St. in Graham, Loving VFD at 8891 Hwy. 114 E. in Loving, First Baptist Church Newcastle at 501 Graham St. in Newcastle, First United Methodist Church at 700 Third St. in Graham and the Olney Community Library and Arts Center.

The deadline to register to vote was Monday, Oct. 7 and the last day to apply for a ballot by mail will be Friday, Oct. 25. 

To be eligible to register a potential voter must be a U.S. citizen, resident of Young County, not a convicted felon, are at least 17 years and 10 months old on the date of registration and not been declared to be either total mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

To check your registration status, visit votetexas.gov or contact the Young County election office at 940-521-9483.

Federal and state contested races on the ballot are for President and Vice President, U.S. Senator, Railroad Commissioner, Supreme Court Justices, Court of Criminal Appeals Judges, District 15 Board of Education, District 30 State Senator, District 68 State Representative and Court of Appeals District Justices.

Local contested races will be for County Clerk, County Tax Assessor-Collector and for the unexpired term of a city of Olney city council member.

For County Clerk, Tina Gilliam and write-in candidate Walter Harvey are vying for the seat. For County Tax Assessor-Collector, incumbent Christy Centers and write-in candidate Kendra McClatchey are vying for the seat.

For the Olney city council position, candidates Steven Nurre and Kathy Muncy are vying for the seat.

Also on the ballot will be a charter amendment election for the city of Graham with nine amendments listed on the ballot. 

November Candidates

President/Vice-President
•Donald J. Trump/JD Vance
Republican
•Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz
Democratic
•Chase Oliver/Mike Ter Maat
Libertarian
•Jill Stein/Rudolph Ware
Green

U.S. Senator
•Ted Cruz
Republican
•Colin Allred
Democratic 
•Ted Brown
Libertarian

U.S. Representative District 25
•Roger Williams
Republican

Railroad Commissioner
•Christi Craddick
Republican
•Katherine Culbert
Democratic
•Hawk Dunlap
Libertarian
•Eddie Espinoza
Green

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 2
•Jimmy Blacklock
Republican
•DaSean Jones
Democratic

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 4
•John Devine
Republican
•Christine Vinh Weems
Democratic

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 6
•Jane Bland
Republican
•Bonnie Lee Goldstein
Democratic
•J. David Roberson
Libertarian

Presiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals
•David J. Schenck
Republican
•Holly Taylor
Democratic

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 7
•Gina Parker
Republican
•Nancy Mulder
Democratic

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 8
•Lee Finley
Republican
•Chika Anyiam
Democratic

Member, State Board of Education, District 15
•Aaron Kinsey
Republican
•Morgan Kirkpatrick
Democratic
•Jack B. Westbrook
Libertarian

State Senator, District 30
•Brent Hagenbuch
Republican
•Dale Frey
Democratic

State Representative District 68
•David Spiller
Republican
•Stacey Swann
Democratic

Chief Justice, 2nd Court of Appeals District
•Bonnie Sudderth
Republican

Justice, 2nd Court of Appeals District, Place 4
•Wade Birdwell
Republican

Justice, 2nd Court of Appeals District, Place 5
•Dabney Bassel
Republican

Justice, 2nd Court of Appeals District, Place 6
•Mike Wallach
Republican

District Judge, 90th Judicial District
•Phillip C. Gregory
Republican

District Attorney, 90th Judicial District
•Dee Peavy
Republican

County Attorney
•Christopher D. Baran
Republican

County Clerk - Unexpired Term
•Tina R. Gilliam
Republican
•Walter Harvey
Write-In

County Sheriff
•Travis Babcock
Republican

County Tax Assessor-Collector
•Christy Centers
Republican
•Kendra McClatchey
Write-In

County Treasurer - Unexpired Term
•Kyle Zohn Milam
Republican

County Commissioner Precinct 1
•Stacy Creswell
Republican

County Commissioner Precinct 3
•Alan Craig
Republican

County Constable Precinct 1
•Bryan Little
Republican

County Constable Precinct 3
•Cliff Blackstock
Republican

City of Olney Councilmember - Unexpired Term
•Steven J. Nurre
•Kathy S. Muncy

City of Graham Proposed Charter Amendments

PROPOSITION A - Shall Section 3 of the Graham City Charter be amended to read:

"Section 3 - Annexation

(a) That, in accordance with applicable state laws, the City Council of the City of Graham, Texas, shall have the power and authority by ordinance duly adopted by the City council to extend and enlarge the corporate boundaries of the City of Graham only through annexation of additional territory which lies within the City's exclusive extra-territorial-jurisdiction.

(b) Property owners who have ownership of territory which lies in the exclusive extra-territorial-jurisdiction of the City may petition the City Council for annexation in accordance with applicable state laws.

(c) An ordinance annexing property shall describe, by metes and bounds, the territory so annexed and, upon the passage and adoption of said ordinance, such territory shall become a part of the City of Graham and included in its corporate limits. This Section shall control in the event of a conflict of an ordinance or part of an ordinance adopted by the City Council in conflict with this Section."

Fiscal Impact Statement: In the event this proposition is approved, it will have no fiscal impact on the City or its residents.

PROPOSITION B - Shall Section 4 of the Graham City Charter be amended to read:

"Section 4 - Reserved This Section was repealed at the November 5, 2024 Charter amendment election. Language previously in this Section was moved to Section 3(b)."

Fiscal Impact Statement: In the event this proposition is approved, it will have no fiscal impact on the City or its residents.

PROPOSITION C - Shall Section 9 of the Graham City Charter be amended to read:

"All legislative and executive powers of the city shall be vested in the City Council which shall be elected in the manner proposed by this Charter. The terms board of aldermen, city council, and council shall all refer to the governing body of the City of Graham. The terms alderman and councilmember shall mean a member of the governing body other than the mayor."

Fiscal Impact Statement: In the event this proposition is approved, it will have no fiscal impact on the City or its residents.

PROPOSITION D – Shall Section 12 of the Graham City Charter be amended to read:

"Each member for the City Council shall be a resident of the City of Graham. A person desiring to file for candidacy for the position of Mayor or Councilmember must meet the following qualifications: (a) be a United States citizen, (b) be 18 years of age on the date of election, (c) have been a resident of the City of Graham for six months prior to the date of election, (d) have paid all property taxes which are due to the City, and (e) be otherwise eligible for candidacy per the eligibility requirements for public office as stated in Section 141.001 of the Texas Election Code."

Fiscal Impact Statement: In the event this proposition is approved, it will have no fiscal impact on the City or its residents.

PROPOSITION E - Shall Section 25 of the Graham City Charter be amended to read:

"At the next called meeting which occurs after the date upon which canvassing of the municipal election is allowed under Texas Election Code, the City Council shall canvass the results of a municipal election during which the positions of Mayor, or at least one Councilmember, are elected, The City Council shall meet at the usual place and time for holding such meetings, at which time the newly elected Mayor or Councilmember(s) shall assume the duties of office. The City Council shall be the judges of the election and qualifications of its members, subject to review by the courts, and in accordance with the Texas Election Code."

Fiscal Impact Statement: In the event this proposition is approved, it will have no fiscal impact on the City or its residents.

PROPOSITION F - Shall Section 25.1 of the Graham City Charter be created and added to the City of Graham Charter to read thusly:

Sec. 25.1 - Forfeiture of office by Mayor or Councilmember for a felony conviction; expulsion of Mayor or Councilmember for disorderly behavior

(a) In the event that the Mayor, or any Councilmember, is convicted of a felony while in office, the incumbent shall be deemed 'not qualified for office' and shall thereby immediately forfeit the office to which the Mayor or Councilmember was previously elected.

(b) The City Council may determine its own rules of procedure and punish its members for disorderly behavior. The Mayor, or a Councilmember, may be expelled from the City Council for disorderly behavior. Expulsion of the Mayor or a City Councilmember for disorderly behavior may only be affected through passage of an Expulsion Resolution. The Expulsion Resolution must receive a favorable vote from three-fourths of the City Council for passage.

Fiscal Impact Statement: In the event this proposition is approved, it will have no fiscal impact on the City or its residents.

PROPOSITION G - Shall Section 25.2 of the Graham City Charter be created and added to the Graham City Charter to read thusly:

Sec. 25.2 - Frequency of City Council meetings, special meetings, and meeting in closed session

(a) The City Council shall meet at such time and place as may be prescribed by ordinance, but not less frequently than once every two weeks unless, by a majority vote of the Council, a scheduled meeting is cancelled. A majority of all the members elected to the City Council shall constitute a quorum to conduct official business of the Council. The Council shall make its planned meeting schedule available to the public.

(b) Special meetings may be called by the Mayor, may be called by the City Secretary upon the written request of three Councilmembers, or may be called by the City Manager. All meetings of the City Council, and of the boards and committees thereof, except as hereinafter provided, shall be open to the public and the City Council shall provide that citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard at any such meeting in regard to any matter, or to be considered, thereat.

(c) Closed (also called 'Executive') sessions of the City Council, and of the boards and committees thereof, shall be held in accordance with the terms and provisions contained within the various laws, statutes, rules, and regulations collectively referred to as the 'Texas Open Meetings Act'."

Fiscal Impact Statement: In the event this proposition is approved, it will have no fiscal impact on the City or its residents.

PROPOSITION H – Shall Section 117 of the Graham City Charter be amended to read:

"The City may enforce its ordinances by setting fines consistent with applicable state laws. Provisions may also be made by ordinance for the collection of fines imposed and executions issued in civil cases."

Fiscal Impact Statement: In the event this proposition is approved, the City may experience an increase in revenue from the increase in the possible amount of fines collected for ordinance violations.

PROPOSITION I - Shall Section 128 of the Graham City Charter be amended to read:

"The provisions of this Charter, in so far as they may conflict with the state laws, shall not supersede state law and the conflicting provisions of this Charter shall be held invalid."

Fiscal Impact Statement: In the event this proposition is approved, it will have no fiscal impact on the City or its residents.