With May 6 elections in local entities less than three weeks away, early voting begins today and ends May 2, with 24 polling sites across Hidalgo County.
The Annex Room located at 317 N. Closner Blvd. in Edinburg is the main early voting location in Hidalgo County.
This election, the UTRGV campus in Edinburg will not be used as a voting location.
“For this election, we do have a total of nine local entities elections that we will be administering,” said Hilda Salinas, elections administrator for the Hidalgo County Elections Department. “They include McAllen ISD, Progreso ISD, Sharyland ISD, as well as the [cities] of Alton, La Villa, Mercedes, Peñitas, San Juan, and we also have a special election for the Hidalgo County drainage district.”
On the ballot, voters will have the opportunity to address drainage issues.
The Proposed 2023 Drainage Bond Program presentation states,“To address critical drainage infrastructure improvements and expansions of these arteries and channels to mitigate potential threats from catastrophic flooding and protect lives and property, the Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 is proposing a bond in the amount of $195 million for drainage infrastructure improvements in regional main arteries that serve our communities.”
The proposed countywide projects would positively affect more than 81,095 structures in Hidalgo County, helping to protect more than $17.8 billion in assessed property values, according to the presentation.
“The District has strategically worked closely with partnering cities within the County to identify and prioritize those projects that would have the greatest impact in expanding drainage capacity and addressing the most critical infrastructure improvements needed in the County’s drainage system,” the presentation states.
There will be a zero tax rate impact to Hidalgo County taxpayers, according to the presentation.
Early voting sites are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 1 and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 2. On Sunday, the early polling locations are closed.
To request a mail-in ballot, voters must be 65 years or older, have a disability, be confined in prison or jail with the right to vote, be out of the county during early voting or Election Day or if expected to give birth within three weeks of Election Day.
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Tuesday.
The Hidalgo County election website has links to see what is on the ballot before heading to the polls.
To vote, there are seven acceptable forms of photo ID to present at the polling location: a Texas driver’s license, Texas ID, Texas election ID certificate, Texas handgun license,
U.S. citizenship certificate with photo, U.S. military ID card with photo and
U.S. passport. For the full list of
early voting locations and more information on the election, visit www.hidalgocounty.us.
“Now, if they don’t have one of the seven approved IDs in the state of Texas, like if they do not possess or they cannot reasonably obtain one of these photo IDs … people still can vote,” Salinas said. “They will just simply fill out a reasonable impediment declaration. And they do need to show a copy or original … of the following IDs: It could be the certified domestic birth certificate or court admissible birth document.”
It could also be the current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or it could be a government document with your name and address, including your voter registration certificate, she said.
To be eligible to register in Texas, voters must be U.S. citizens, be a resident of the county, be 18 years old, not a convicted felon and not be declared mentally incapacitated by a court of law.
Mark Kaswan, an associate professor in the UTRGV Political Science department, said voting is important.
“If we don’t vote, then we have a political system that is controlled by the few,” Kaswan said. “And the people who do vote, generally are people who are more privileged in our society. And they will vote in a way that defends their privilege. So people need to vote in order to help ensure that their interests are reflected.”
He said all votes matter.
“Nobody’s vote matters,” he said. They all matter together. … It’s not about any one vote. It’s all of the votes coming together is what matters.”
Kaswan encourages voters to do their research before voting.
The countywide polling location program will be used during Election Day.
“So, that means that if you find yourself in Edinburg and you reside in Weslaco … you can vote at any polling location in Edinburg,” Salinas said. “You can find your nearest polling location head straight to that poll and your ballot will be there. So it offers the convenience … where they can vote at any polling location. Election days [are] the same way.”
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