What to know about voting early in Lubbock's city, school elections
Lubbockites will soon start casting ballots to choose a new mayor, city council members, school board members and more. Early voting in municipal and school district elections across the region begins Monday and runs through the following Tuesday, April 30 ahead of the May 4 municipal election.
Here's a look at who's on the ballot (listed in ballot order), where to vote and what to bring to the polls in Lubbock, Wolfforth, Plainview and Levelland.
Early voting in Lubbock
The City of Lubbock will see a new mayor four new city councilmembers after the May 4 election, as current officeholders are either not seeking re-election or running for another seat. Two of those positions — mayor and City Council District 2 — will see contested races, while voters in council districts 3, 4 and 6 will not have an option as the races are uncontested.
Lubbock will also re-elect the municipal judge, who faces no opponent.
More: Who's running for Lubbock mayor and city council? See what's on the ballot in May
For Lubbock mayor, voters across the city will choose one of six candidates: Stephen J. Sanders, Steve Massengale, Adam Hernandez, Kolton J. Bacon, Mark McBrayer and Antonio "Tony" Renteria. Mayor Tray Payne announced in December he would not seek a second two-year term.
Stephen J. Sanders: Sanders is running for mayor for a third consecutive time. In 2020, he challenged then-incumbent Dan Pope, earning about 44% of the vote. In 2022, he gathered only about 9% of the vote in a race that included Payne and three others.
Steve Massengale: Massengale is the current District 4 councilman and a Lubbock small business owner who was first elected to the council in 2016 when he unseated then-Mayor Pro Tem Jim Gerlt. He was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2020. Massengale previously served on the Lubbock ISD Board of Trustees.
Adam Hernandez: Hernandez lost to Tray Payne in a five-way mayoral race in May 2022. Hernandez was the second-highest vote-getter in that election, earning about 19% of the vote. Hernandez is known for his advocacy work across the Hub City, serving as communications chair for Lubbock Compact.
Kolton Bacon: Bacon is a seeming political newcomer who has not responded to the Avalanche-Journal's requests to interview him.
Mark McBrayer: McBrayer is a first-term city councilman who represents central Lubbock's District 3. He was first elected in 2022 in an uncontested race and has served about half of his four-year term. He is a local attorney and entrepreneur and said he plans to retire from law to focus on serving as mayor.
Antonio "Tony" Renteria: Renteria is the founder and CEO of Latinos United for Conservative Action. Renteria has formerly served on the Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission and the Lubbock County Hospital District (UMC Health System) Board of Managers — a position that he resigned from in 2014.
More: What are Lubbock mayoral candidates’ policy positions?
In council District 2, voters can choose between Michael Lestus Mitchell, Gordon Harris and Anna "Anah" Menjares to serve four years in the city council seat currently held by Shelia Patterson Harris.
Brayden Rose is running unopposed for the District 4 seat held by Steve Massengale, who is running for mayor. Tim Collins faces no opponent in District 6 after Latrelle Joy announced she would retire from the council. David Glasheen was the only candidate to file in a special election for the District 3 seat to finish Mark McBrayer's term after his mayoral run. Jorge E. Hernandez is the incumbent municipal judge and the only person to file in that race.
Lubbock voters will also decide whether to decriminalize possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana in the city by voting for or against Proposition A, known as the "Freedom Act Lubbock" ordinance.
More: Lubbockites will vote on 'Freedom Act' marijuana decriminalization ordinance
The Lubbock Independent School District Board of Trustees will have two contested races and two which are uncontested.
In District 1, incumbent Lala Chavez faces challenger Terri Morris. Mary Ann Lawson and LaCarl Richardson will face off for the District 2 seat currently occupied by Bill Stubblefield.
Nancy Sharp is running unopposed for the at-large seat which will be vacated by current Trustee Zach Brady, who is not seeking re-election. John Weddige is unopposed in the District 5 race; that seat is currently held by Kristopher Zepeda.
Lubbock-Cooper ISD has two positions with contested races and one uncontested race.
Amy Punchard and Aaron Baxter will face off for Place 1, currently held by Kevin Bryan. Gerri Daggett is challenging incumbent Colby Miller for Place 2. Daniel Castro does not face an opponent for re-election to Place 5.
For the first time ever, voters across Lubbock County will also have a chance to elect three directors at-large for the Lubbock Central Appraisal District. Micah O'Hair and John Bruegel are running for Place 1, Jim Baxa for Place 2 and Brant O'Hair, Tom Keisling and Rusty Smith for Place 3.
In Lubbock County, voters can cast a ballot early at a number of United Family grocery stores and other locations across the county, listed below.
Lubbock County Elections Office — 1308 Crickets Ave., Lubbock
United — 2630 Parkway Drive, Lubbock
United — 401 Slide Road, Lubbock
United — 6313 Fourth St., Lubbock
United — 1701 50th St., Lubbock
United — 2703 82nd St., Lubbock
United — 8010 Frankford Ave., Lubbock
United — 12815 Indiana Ave., Lubbock
United — 11310 Slide Rd., Lubbock
Amigos — 112 N. University Ave., Lubbock
Market Street — 4425 19th St., Lubbock
Market Street — 3405 50th St., Lubbock
Market Street — 4203 98th St., Lubbock
Citizens Tower — 1314 Ave. K, Lubbock
Lubbock ISD Administration Office — 1628 19th St., Lubbock
Texas Tech University Student Recreation Center — Hartford Avenue and Main Street, Lubbock
Abernathy City Hall — 811 Ave. D, Abernathy
Casey Administration Building — 501 Seventh St., Wolfforth
Idalou Community Center — 202 W. Seventh St., Idalou
New Deal Community Clubhouse — 309 S. Monroe Ave., New Deal
Ransom Canyon City Hall — 24 Lee Kitchens Drive, Ransom Canyon
Roosevelt ISD Arena — 1301 CR 3300, Lubbock
Shallowater Community Center — 900 Ave. H, Shallowater
Slaton Community Clubhouse — 750 W. Garza St., Slaton
The elections office, as well as the vote centers located at United, Amigos and Market Street locations, will be open every day during early voting from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. except for Sunday, April 28. On Sunday, these locations are open from noon to 6. Hours for the other vote centers vary. Complete information is available at votelubbock.org or by calling 806-775-1339.
Wolfforth and Frenship early voting
The City of Wolfforth is electing a mayor and two city councilmembers.
Incumbent Mayor Charles Addington II is unopposed for re-election. Incumbent David E. Cooper and challenger Pete Wilkinson are both seeking Place 1 on the city council, while incumbent Gregory Stout is challenged by Wesley Houck for Place 2.
Frenship Independent School District has one contested school board election, and two races which drew only one opponent. L. Witherspoon Sr. is challenging incumbent board member Jamey Phillips for Place 6. David R. Miller and Shawn Vinson do not face opponents for re-election to places 5 and 7, respectively.
Voters in Wolfforth can cast an early ballot at any of the aforementioned Lubbock County vote centers.
Plainview early voting
Plainviewans will be electing a mayor and three city councilmember in the upcoming municipal election.
Incumbent Mayor Charles Starnes will face challenger Lionel A. Garcia.
In District 5, five candidates are seeking to replace Susan Blackerby, who has hit her term limit. Daniel Rascon, Matt Blackerby, Jeremy Sepeda, Rusty Powers and William H. "Bill" Nelson all filed to run for the seat.
Evan Weiss is unopposed in his bid for re-election in District 6, and Eugene Allen is challenging incumbent Lorie Martinez Rodriguez in District 7.
Plainview Herald: Here's what you need to know for early voting
Plainview Independent School District will have one contested school board race.
Cheryl Dickerson is challenging incumbent Veronica Salazar in District 6. Adam Soto is unopposed in District 1 and Sylvia De La Garza drew no challenger in District 7.
Plainview voters can cast an early ballot at City Hall, 202 W. Fifth St., Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Levelland early voting
Voters in the City of Levelland will select a new mayor.
Current District C Councilmember Breann Buxkemper and Mary Engledow are both seeking to become Levelland's next mayor. Barbara Pinner is not seeking re-election.
Rob Martin and Joe Tubb will face off for South Plains College Board of Regents Position 6.
Early voting in Levelland is taking place at the Hockley County Election Office, 911 Austin St. Polls are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Early voting: Who's on the ballot, where to vote in Lubbock elections
