Obligation to our democracy

The Texas Primary Election is set for March 3, and in Hidalgo County, voters will elect a sheriff, District 20 state senator and U.S. representative for Districts 15 and 28, among many others.

“Every election is always the most important election that’s happening in our lifetime,” said Robert Velez, a political science lecturer with a specialization in U.S. government and politics. “I just encourage people to register and vote; however you decide to vote, it’s not as important as being involved in the process. I think the more people that are involved the better, the more representative it is.”

Velez encourages students to get information from multiple sources and not rely on just one when it comes to getting information and news about the upcoming elections and candidates.

“Decide what issues are important to you,” he said. “You don’t have to be an expert on everything. If you’re a student, it’s not unusual for you to be interested in tuition and financial aid and things like that. So, find a couple of issues that are important to you and focus on those.”

Velez suggests students should not wait to get registered but to do it as soon as possible.

“If you’re a student in Edinburg and you live in Edinburg, even if you’re not from here, you can still register here,” he said. “So, if you’re from somewhere else in Texas but you’re going to school [at UTRGV] as a student, you’re allowed to register where you go to school.”

Denisce Palacios, a political science senior and campus organizer for Texas Rising, said it’s sad when someone has the privilege to vote and does not use it.

“Our [Texas Rising] purpose is to involve young people, especially, like, minorities, people of color, women, LGTBQ+ communities, communities that are usually disenfranchised and we register people to vote because in the [Rio Grande] Valley what we see is that only two out of 10 people who are registered to vote, go out to vote,” Palacios said. “So, many of us that are not voting but are affected by the policies that are enacted by our state and federal governments … voting is our opportunity to change that and that’s where Texas Rising comes in.”

If you aren’t registered to vote yet, Palacios encourages students to find Texas Rising on campus or to reach out to them on social media.

“We’re on campus literally every day and you can find us on Twitter or send us a message on Instagram @txrisingutrgv, and we’ll send someone to go register you to vote,” she said.

“Voting affects literally everything, it affects how much money the university gets, whether or not you’re going to have enough grants for the year, when your car is breaking down because of potholes and your suspension sucks,” Palacios said. “That’s because your local officials and your county officials are not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, so you need to vote them out and vote for people who will be working for you.”

Fatima Garza, an anthropology sophomore, is excited to be voting and thinks voting is one of the most important things that citizens can do.

“I’m hoping for adequate city representation and adequate state representation and I think it all starts there and I’m really hopeful that we can get somebody that will truly represent our communities, especially here in the RGV,” Garza said.

She wants her fellow UTRGV students to be informed about who they’re going to vote for and to vote for people who truly want to represent them.

“We don’t have control over many things but there’s one thing we have a slight control over and that’s voting,” Garza said. “I feel like if we collectively decide to participate in this way, then we’ll get something going.”

The last day to register to vote is
Feb. 3.

Palacios said getting information about candidates in Texas is a bit tough but by going on Texasvote.gov, voters can find out who is in office and who is up for re-election and who their opponents are.

She said in California, the state distributes pamphlets with information on candidates.

“California has these pamphlets where they give information on the candidates, but Texas says it’s too expensive to inform people on how to vote and what candidates stand for,” Palacios said.

Early voting starts Feb. 18 and ends Feb. 28. Election Day is March 3. UTRGV will be a polling site.

Republican and Democratic voters will choose nominees for elective offices, including president of the United States. The winners in each primary will face off in the November General Election.

The following are among the positions on the ballot:

Federal Positions

–U. S. Representative District 15. Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. Monica De La Cruz Hernandez, Ryan Krause and Tim Westley are seeking the Republican nomination;

–U.S. Representative District 28. Henry Cuellar is the Democratic incumbent and is being challenged by Democrat Jessica Cisneros. Sandra Whitten is seeking the Republican nomination.

State Positions

–State Senator District 20. Incumbent Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Judy Cutright is seeking the Republican nomination;

–Supreme Court Justice, Place 7. Republican Jeff Boyd is the incumbent. Brandy Voss and Staci Williams are seeking the Democratic nomination;

–State Representative District 35. Oscar Longoria is the Democratic incumbent and has no challenger;

–State Representative District 36. Sergio Munoz Jr. is the Democratic incumbent and is being challenged by fellow Democrat Abraham Padron;

–State Representative District 39. Armando “Mando” Martinez is the Democratic incumbent and is running unopposed;

–State Representative District 40. Terry Canales is the Democratic incumbent and is running unopposed;

–State Representative District 41. Bobby Guerra is the Democratic incumbent and is being challenged by fellow Democrat Richard Gonzales;

–Justice for the 13th Court of Appeals District, Place 6. There is no incumbent. Democrat Nereida Lopez Singleterry and Republican Clarissa Silva are seeking the nomination in their respective parties;

–92nd Judicial District, District Judge. Luis Manuel Singleterry (D) is the incumbent and running unopposed;

–93rd Judicial District, District Judge. Fernando Mancias (D) is the incumbent and running unopposed;

–139th Judicial District, District Judge. J.R. “Bobby” Flores (D) is the incumbent and running unopposed;

–332nd Judicial District, District Judge. Mario Ramirez Jr. (D) is the incumbent and running unopposed;

–389th Judicial District, District Judge. Leticia Lopez (D) is the incumbent and running unopposed;

–398th Judicial District, District Judge. Keno Vasquez Jr. (D) is the incumbent and running unopposed;

–430th Judicial District, District Judge. Israel Ramon Jr. (D) is the incumbent and running unopposed;

–449th Judicial District, District Judge. Renee Rodriguez Betancourt (D) is the incumbent and running unopposed;

–464th Judicial District, District Judge. Republican Ysmael Fonseca is the incumbent. Joe Ramirez is seeking the Democratic nomination. 

Hidalgo County Positions:

–Hidalgo County Sheriff. Jose Guerra (D) is the incumbent and is being challenged by fellow Democrats Frank Guerrero and Raul Salinas. Ezeqiel (Zeik) Jurado is seeking the Republican nomination; 

–County Court at Law No. 7. Incumbent Sergio J. Valdez (D) is running unopposed;

–County Court at Law No. 9. There is no incumbent. Abiel Flores and Patricia Olivarez are seeking the Democratic nomination;

–County Court at Law No. 10. Incumbent Armando Marroquin (D) is running unopposed;

–County Tax Assessor-Collector. Incumbent Pablo “Paul” Villarreal Jr. (D) is running unopposed;

–County Commissioner Precinct 1. Democratic incumbent David L. Fuentes is being challenged by fellow Democrat Olga Noriega;

–County Commissioner Precinct 3. Democratic incumbent Joe Flores is challenged by fellow Democrat Everardo Villarreal;

–Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Place 1. Democratic incumbent Gilberto Saenz is being challenged by fellow Democrat Juan Ramos Jr; 

–Justice of the Peace Precinct 2, Place 1. Democratic incumbent Robert M. “Bobby” Contreras is running unopposed;

–Justice of the Peace Precinct 3, Place 1. There is no incumbent. Seeking the nomination are Democrats Marco De Luna and Sonia Treviño;

–Justice of the Peace Precinct 4, Place 1. Incumbent Democrat Charlie Espinoza is being challenged by fellow Democrats Jamie Rene Chavana and Orlando Jimenez;

–County Constable Precinct 1. Democratic incumbent Celestino Avila Jr. is running unopposed;

–County Constable Precinct 2. Democratic incumbent Martin “Marty” Cantu is running unopposed;

–County Constable Precinct 3. Democratic incumbent Larry Gallardo Jr. is being challenged by fellow Democrat Miguel Flores;

–County Constable Precinct 4. Atanacio “JR” Gaitan Jr. (D) is the incumbent. Challenging him are Democrats Eddie Badillo and Elias Mora.