Dateline: November 2, 2006

Voters to decide several state, local offices

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Donley County residents will decide several local races as well as voting for statewide offices when they go to the polls Tuesday.

The General Election will be held November 7, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting by personal appearance continues through Friday, November 3, in the Courthouse Annex.

Locally contested races this year includes the Texas 13th District Congressional seat now held by Republican incumbent Mac Thornberry, who is being challenged by Democrat Roger Waun and Libertarian Jim Thompson. Voters will also select the District 88 Representative to the Texas Legislature between incumbent Republican Warren Chisum and Libertarian challenger Timothy Justice.

Voters in Donley County Precincts 1&2 will chose who will serve as their Justice of the Peace – either Republican incumbent Jimmy Johnson or Democratic challenger Connie Havens.

Precinct 4 voters have a challenger for their commissioner’s seat in which Democratic incumbent Bob Trout is facing a write-in campaign from Claud DeBord.

Other local officials are running unopposed and include: County Judge Jack Hall (D), County Attorney Landon Lambert (R), District & County Clerk Fay Vargas (D), County Treasurer Wanda Smith (R), Pcts. 3&4 Justice of the Peace Ann Kennedy (D), and Pct. 2 Commissioner Donnie Hall (R).

Voters will also cast ballots for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, US senator, state comptroller, railroad commissioner, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner, state education board, and several state judicial seats.

County voters will also cast ballots on the question of freezing taxes on qualified homesteads for citizens who are disabled or are age 65 or over. The Clarendon College District and the City of Clarendon are also having separate elections on the same question.

As of early Tuesday morning, 290 people had cast early or mail-in ballots, according to the Donley County Clerk’s office. That number is down from the 2004 General Election when 350 people had voted eight days before the election.

The county reports there are 2,607 people registered to vote this year, which is down from 2,670 two years ago.

Polling places for this year’s General Election are as follows: Precinct Box 101 – Clarendon College Bairfield Activity Center, Box 102 – Howardwick City Hall, Box 201 – County Courthouse, Box 301 – Clarendon Community Center (adjacent to COEA Arena), Box 303 – Hedley Lions Club, and Box 401, Clarendon Church of Christ Family Life Center.

Check your voter’s registration card to see which precinct box you should vote in.

Complete results of this year’s local races will be printed in next week’s Enterprise.