A sign marks a voting location for the primary are pictured at the Heritage Building, 1900 W. Bellwood Road in Tyler on March 6, 2018.

Smith County residents can begin casting their ballots today during two weeks of early voting for the March 5 Joint Primary Elections.

Primaries are elections political parties use to select candidates for a general election. No one is elected to a position during a primary; however, some candidates may be uncontested.

If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary, the top two vote-getters will compete in a runoff on May 28. According to reporting from the Texas Tribune, Texas is an open-primary state, meaning voters can decide every two years whether to pick Republican or Democratic nominees (or hold out and go to third-party conventions).

It’s important to remember that whichever primary a voter decides to cast a ballot in, you can vote only in that same party’s runoff. You can, however, vote for either party’s candidates in the general election.

From Feb. 20 through March 1, Smith County residents can cast their ballots at any of the six early voting locations, which include:

• First Christian Church — Christian Life Center: 4202 S. Broadway Ave, Tyler
• Heritage Building: 1900 Bellwood Road, Tyler
• The Hub: 304 E. Ferguson Street, Tyler
• Lindale’s Kinzie Community Center: 912 Mt. Sylvan St., Lindale
• Noonday Community Center: 16662 CR 196, Tyler
• Whitehouse Methodist Church: 405 W. Main Street, Whitehouse

Because of Smith County’s construction of its parking garage next door to the elections office and The Hub, parking will be tight. Elections Administrator Michelle Allcon is encouraging voters to cast their ballots at one of the other locations.

Not sure where the closest polling location is to where you live or work? Smith County has launched a new, easy-to-use interactive map on its website.

Visit www.smith-county.com/government/departments/elections/current-election-information and click on the “Interactive Map of Smith County” link.

Beginning today, there will also be a red banner at the top of the homepage, at www.smith-county.com, to make it easier for visitors to access the current election information.

Early voting dates and times include:

• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday — Friday, Feb. 20-23
• 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24
• Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25
• 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday — Friday, Feb. 26 — March 1.

If you would like to apply for a mail-in ballot, the deadline for the elections office to receive the application is Friday, Feb. 23.

Election Day is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5. Smith County residents will be able to choose any of the 38 polling locations to cast their ballots on Election Day. Those locations can also be found on the new interactive map mentioned above.

Candidates on the ballots include:

Republican Candidates

President

Asa Hutchinson

Donald Trump

Ron Desantis

Vivek Rmaswamy

David Stuckenberg

Chris Christie

Ryan Binkley

Nikki Haley

U.S. Senator

R.E. Rufus Lopez

Ted Cruz

Holland Gibson

U.S. Representative District 1 (uncontested)

Nathaniel Moran

Railroad Commissioners

Corley Howell

Petra Reyes

Christie Clark

James Matlock

Christi Craddick

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 2

Jimmy Blacklock

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 4

John Devine

Brian Walker

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 6

Jane Bland

Presiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals

David Schenick

Sharon Keller

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7

Gina Parker

Barbara Parker Hervey

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8

Lee Finley

Michelle Slaughter

State Representative District 5

Jeff Fletcher began to practice law in 1994. Fletcher resides in Mineola, where he continues his private law practice. His beliefs include protecting the lives of unborn children, border security, the U.S. Constitution as the basis for daily life, accountability and responsibility for individuals’ actions and conduct, election integrity, gun rights, parents’ rights, opposition to radical gender ideology, and obscene material in schools.

Cole Hefner is a pro-life conservative who believes in securing and defending the border, protecting the right to bear arms, reducing government spending, and stopping handouts to illegal immigrants.

Dewey Collier served as a combat soldier and a nurse. He brings a unique perspective to the table – one of courage, leadership and a commitment to caring for others. As a decorated Veteran, Dewey knows the sacrifices made by those who defend our freedoms, and he will fight to ensure a strong and secure future for our country and the Lone Star State.

State Representative District 6

Daniel Alders is the president of Drake Management Services, a commercial property management company based in Tyler. Before joining Drake, Alders was the East Texas Regional Director to Sen. Ted Cruz, serving as the senator’s primary liaison to business owners, organizations, community leaders, and constituents across a 35-county region.

District Judge 7th Judicial District (uncontested)

Kerry Russell

District Judge 114th Judicial District (uncontested)

Austin Reeve Jackson

District Judge 475th Judicial District (uncontested)

Taylor Heaton

County Court at Law No. 2 — Unexpired term

Sara Maynard was appointed to serve as the Judge of County Court at Law No. 2 by the Smith County Commissioners Court on Dec. 27, 2022. Previously, Maynard managed a private practice firm for over 22 years after finishing the University of Houston Law School. Fifteen years of that time, she represented numerous children of Smith County in CPS cases. Maynard served as a prosecutor at Tyler Municipal Court for twelve years. She has also handled estate planning, probate, civil and criminal law. Most recently, she served as an assistant Smith County district attorney prosecuting juvenile cases.

Amy McCullough currently serves as Presiding Judge for the criminal court of record for the City of Tyler. In this role, she handles approximately 45,000 cases annually, including theft, drug paraphernalia, assault, and alcohol-related cases. During her time on the bench, McCullough has created several programs to improve the effectiveness of the court and decrease recidivism rates among the adults and juveniles who come through her courtroom.

Smith County Sheriff

Chris Green has been a resident of Smith County for over three decades. Green has been in law enforcement for more than 30 years, having the duty and powers of a state peace officer to enforce all laws of Texas. He was an active game warden for 20 years and served 10 years as a special game warden reserve, with much of that time spent in Smith County. He’s also been a small business owner.

Larry Smith has over three decades of experience in local and federal law enforcement. He has been the sheriff of Smith County since 2013. His promises include more transparency, more deputies on the streets, more training, emphasis on drug law enforcement, violent crimes and homicide investigations, fighting crime and corruption and more. The Bible, U.S. Constitution, and Texas Constitution are Smith’s guides when serving.

County Tax Assessor-Collector (uncontested)

Gary Barber

County Commissioner Precinct 1

Christina Drewry said she is a leader and advocate for liberty. For more than two years, Drewry has attended weekly commissioners court meetings, school board, city council, emergency services district and other meetings to know why and how officials are spending taxpayers’ dollars. She said she is committed to working hard, listening to constituents’ concerns and being a voice for those who may not have the opportunity to be heard — a citizen-first candidate who wants to be the guardian of constituents’ tax dollars.

Incumbent Pam Frederick has 20 years of governmental experience. She’s served on various boards and government roles, including Mayor of Bullard 2011-2022, Bullard City Council 2003-2011, Christus Mother Frances Hospital Community Leadership Board, Smith County Area Go Texan Scholarship Committee, and Strategic Planning Committee – American Freedom Museum. She said she is committed to serving the community and affecting positive change as a representative who is accessible to the citizens.

County Commissioner Precinct 3

Rusty Smith works for Brookshire’s Grocery Company as an IT Manager in its retail and corporate business. Before Brookshire’s, he worked in a similar role for Trane for 21 years. Smith has been a volunteer firefighter for 12 years with the Winona Volunteer Fire Department. During his career, he served as assistant chief for the department, which was his first exposure to management. He began his volunteer career in 1994 and retired in 2006 after being elected Mayor of the City of Winona. Smith was first elected to the position of Alderman for the City of Winona in May 2000 and served three terms for six years.

J. Scott Herod, conservative, small business owner, and rancher is a nearly lifelong resident of East Texas. If elected, Herod looks forward to serving his community, supporting law enforcement, and protecting all constitutional rights. Herod lives near Chapel Hill, where he ranches cattle and owns Cut Beef, selling pasture-raised, grain-fed beef to individuals and restaurants across the U.S.

Incumbent Terry Phillips took office in January 2009 as commissioner for Precinct 3, the largest of the four commissioner precincts. Phillips thinks of himself as a straightforward, down-to-earth, plainspoken conservative. He worked as a Well Test Analyst at Otis Engineering. In 1980, the couple moved back to Tyler, where he worked for Getty Oil Company. Soon after, Texaco bought out Getty Oil, and he remained with Texaco USA through the mid-1980s, when he began acquiring real estate. He continues managing properties today.

County Constable Precinct 2 (uncontested)

Wayne Allen

County Constable Precinct 3 (uncontested)

Jim Blackmon

County Constable Precinct 4 (uncontested)

Josh Joplin

County Constable Precinct 5 (uncontested)

Wesley Hicks

Democratic Candidates

President

Gabriel Cornejo

Joseph Biden Jr

Star Locke

Dean Phillips

Armando Perez-Serrato

Marianne Williamson

Frankie Lozada

Cenk Uyagur

U.S. Senator

Carl Sherman

Meri Gomez

Heli Rodriguez Prilliman

Colin Allred

Roland Gutierrez

A Robert Hassan

Steven Keough

Thierry Tchenko

Mark Gonzalez

Railroad Commissioners

Katherine Culbert

Bill Burch

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 2

Dasean Jones

Randy Sarosdy

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 4

Christine Vinh Weems

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 6

Joe Pool

Bonnie Lee Goldstein

Presiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals (uncontested)

Holly Taylor

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7

Nancy Mulder

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8

Chika Anyiam

State Representative District 6

Cody Grace is a local businessman dedicated to improving public education and teachers’ pay. Growing up in and raising his teenage daughter in public education, he’s seen the hard work and dedication teachers have for their students. Education, infrastructure and economic development are focal points of his campaign.

County Commissioners Precinct 3

Dave Hansen

Edith Mayfield Wilson

County Constable Precinct 1

Ralph Caraway Jr. began his career as an intern at the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and then worked in various divisions within the office. In 2013, he became a patrol sergeant before transitioning to Narcotics Sergeant. In 2015, he was promoted to Jail Lieutenant and was Jail Captain from 2015 to 2018. He worked for the Smith County District Attorney’s Office from 2019 to 2022.

Derrick Holman is a former Smith County deputy. At a recent candidate forum, Holman briefly spoke about his 10-year tenure at the department and how the late former Pct. 1 Constable Henry Jackson helped him start his career in law enforcement.

Willie Mims is the longest-serving Chief Deputy and Sergeant for the Precinct 1 Constable office from (2005 to 2020). He believes his 22 years of experience as a licensed peace officer makes him highly knowledgeable about the residents and businesses throughout Precinct 1. His vision for law enforcement is rooted in collaboration and transparency, reflecting his commitment to ensuring the voices and concerns of the community are not just heard but actively addressed, he said.

Important dates

Early voting by personal appearance is from Feb. 20 to March 1. Feb. 23 is the last day to apply for a ballot by mail, and March 5, 2024, is the last day to receive a ballot by mail.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph is publishing profile stories on local candidates now through Election Day. To read stories published so far, visit tylerpaper.com/elections.