Early voting kicks off Tuesday across Valley for May 3 election

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Early voting for the May 3 election will begin Tuesday.

Polls in Hidalgo County will be open beginning on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting locations will be closed on Sunday, but they will open Monday, April 28, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The last day to vote early will be Tuesday, April 29, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters in Hidalgo County will have 18 polling locations to cast their ballots. A complete list of polling locations can be found at the Hidalgo County Elections website.

Hidalgo County voters will be deciding elections for the city of San Juan, Sullivan City, a special election in Progreso, as well as elections for the McAllen and Progreso school districts, and propositions for Hidalgo ISD.

The city of San Juan has three races including that of mayor, Place 2 commissioner and Place 3 commissioner. Mayor Mario Garza seeks to retain his seat, but he is being challenged by Place 2 Commissioner Ernesto “Neto” Guajardo.

With Guajardo’s Place 2 seat up for grabs, the race will be between Marta Soliz Santa Maria and Mario Cantu. The Place 3 race sees incumbent Commissioner Adina “Dina” Sanitillan seeking reelection. She is being challenged by Gilbert Garza and Jaime Castillo.

The McAllen school board will have two races to decide. Allena Cano and Robert Carreon are vying for the Place 3 seat after longtime board member Debbie Crane Aliseda decided not to seek reelection

The Place 7 race will include Rojelio Aleman II, Roberto Haddad and Tiffany Ramos. The seat was previously held by Lucia Thompson, who was appointed in June 2024 to replace Sam Saldivar Jr. following his resignation.

Cameron County voters will have 22 locations to cast their early votes, which can be found at the Cameron County Elections website.

Polls there will be open Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. After being closed on Sunday, the polls will open Monday, April 28 and Tuesday, April 29 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

There are 13 races on the ballot in Cameron County, including the proposal to incorporate SpaceX’s Starbase at Boca Chica Beach into a municipality.

Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño signed an order in February approving the election to incorporate Starbase after approving a petition filed in December.

The ballot includes elections for a mayor, with Bobby Peden being the only candidate, and a race for commissioner between Jordan Buss and Jenna Petrzelka.

Voters will also be deciding a crowded city commission race in Brownsville including commissioner for District 3, commissioner for District 4 and commissioner At-Large “B.”

District 3 incumbent Roy De los Santos, who was elected to the commission in a runoff in June 2021, is looking to earn the Commissioner At-Large “B” seat after Commissioner Rose M.Z. Gowen, who was first elected to the seat in 2009, opted not to seek reelection.

De Los Santos will be running against Alejandro Garcia, Nurith Galonsky Pizana and Jason Moody.

With the District 3 seat up for grabs, Yvonne Barraza, Denise Granado Chavez, and Gustavo Manuel Deleon are vying for the open seat.

The District 4 race will include incumbent Pedro Cardenas, who was elected to the commission in June 2021. He will be challenged by Michael Rodriguez, Louis E. Tijerina and Daisy Zamora.

Another competitive race on the ballot is for the Harlingen school board.

There are four candidates on the ballot for the Place 3 seat after board President Greg Powers elected not to run for a sixth term. The race will feature Rebekah “Bekah” Batot, Diana Cortez Young, Laura Longoria and Linda R. Gonzales.

Eladio Jaimez, a Texas State Technical College provost, is seeking to retain his Place 7 seat. He will be facing Lorraine DeLeon-Galarza, a retired registered nurse, who previously ran for the Place 1 seat in 2023.

Cameron County is also taking another shot at getting its own 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena. Voters have already shot down the proposal twice.

A complete list of races can be found at the Cameron County Elections website.

Tuesday will also be the last day to apply for a ballot by mail. It must be received, not postmarked by April 22.

Election Day is scheduled for Saturday, May 3.