Residents gather Nov. 3, 2020, to vote at the Noonday Community Center. 

Voters can begin casting ballots for the November general election with the start of early voting Monday.

Election Day is Nov. 8.

Smith County residents can vote in a variety of federal, state and local races and in a $179 million courthouse bond referendum.

In the race to replace U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert in the 1st Congressional District, Republican Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran is facing Democrat Jrmar Jefferson.

Smith County races include the justice of the peace Pct. 4 seat between Republican Curtis Wulf and Democrat Randy Hawkins. The winner will replace Mitch Shamburger, who is retiring. Also, the justice of the peace Pct. 3 race is between incumbent Republican James L. Meredith and Democrat Dustin G. Stephens.

FederalU.S. representative, District 1

Republican Nathaniel Moran: Moran, from Whitehouse, is the current Smith County Judge. He said areas he would focus on include border security, inflation, health care initiatives for veterans, support of law enforcement, shrinking the U.S. Department of Education and more.

Jrmar Jefferson: Jefferson, of Texarkana, said he has five major areas he would focus on if elected, including the Health Care Investment Literacy Act, education, economic development, public safety and quality of life.

State: Governor

The Texas governor’s race is one of the most watched, and most expensive, races in the midterm election. It features Greg Abbott, the incumbent Republican governor, attempting to hold off Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who is looking to capture the governor’s mansion after failed bids for the U.S. Senate and president.

Republican Gregg Abbott: Abbott, who grew up in East Texas, is seeking his third term as Texas governor. Before his election in 2014 as the 48th Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott was the 50th and longest-serving Attorney General of Texas.

Democrat Beto O’Rourke: O’Rourke, born and raised in El Paso, has worked as a small business owner, and served as a city council representative and member of Congress. He founded and currently leads Powered by People, an organization that supports voter registration and engagement.

Libertarian Mark Tippetts: Tippetts is a consultant for businesses and individuals that own property and/or do business in Mexico and Latin America. Previously, he established, developed, and operated several companies including a hydroelectric plant in Belize and a law firm in Monterrey, Mexico.

Green Delilah Barrios: Barrios was born in Brownsville, and has lives in Port Isabel, South Padre Island and Houston. She cites the BP oil spill as one of the chief reasons she is running for governor.

Lieutenant governor

The lieutenant governor is the president of the Texas Senate, making this position the second-most powerful in our state’s government. Republican Dan Patrick is seeking his third stint in the role, having first been elected in 2014.

Republican Dan Patrick: Patrick says his top priorities are “securing the border, reducing property and business taxes, standing up for the Second Amendment and addressing Texas’ infrastructure challenges.”

Democrat Mike Collier: Collier says he first entered politics to fight for Texas public schools, saying that “after seeing money gutted from our public schools year after year, he put his career aside to run for office and hold our state leaders accountable.”

Libertarian Shanna Steel: Steele says her goal is to “send Dan Patrick to retirement.”

Attorney general

The attorney general is the state’s chief legal officer, and is a race featuring an incumbent facing seven-year-old fraud indictments, a whistleblower lawsuit and an FBI bribery investigation.

Republican Ken Paxton: Paxton calls himself a prominent voice in the defense of religious liberty, and a defender of the free enterprise system. He says intends to continue to “fight against overreaching government regulations which harm Texas jobs and economic growth.”

Democrat Rochelle Mercedes Garza: Garza says her top issues are health care, protecting civil rights, consumer protection, legalizing cannabis, and immigration/border issues.

Libertarian Mark Ash: The border is one of Ash’s top priorities. He recently wrote “Reasonable border security does not include a wall paid for by the taxpayers of Texas. Border security is the job of the federal government. The state can assist and cooperate with border patrol by arresting those who have committed violent crimes.”

Comptroller

The comptroller is Texas’ chief financial officer — the state’s treasurer, check writer, tax collector, procurement officer and revenue estimator. Republican Glenn Hegar is seeking a third term in office.

Republican Glenn Hegar: Hegar says he “believes a less-burdensome tax system will foster a better environment for job creation and business expansion, and thus a healthier Texas economy.”

Democrat Janet T. Dudding: Dudding says “we’re overpaying for services that don’t offer any real benefits. We’re paying $100M more in state taxes to deny comprehensive mental healthcare. We’re letting our property taxes pick up the tab when indigent care becomes crisis care. We’re letting corporations skate on property tax giveaways.”

Libertarian V. Alonzo Echevarria-Garza: Echevarria-Garza previously served as finance director for the City of Port Isabel.

Land commissioner

The Texas General Land Office primarily serves the schoolchildren, veterans, and the environment of Texas by preserving history, maximizing state revenue through administration, and through the stewardship of state lands and natural resources.

Republican Dawn Buckingham: Buckingham says her focus will be on fighting inflation and lowering costs for Texas families, securing the border, unleashing Texas energy and fighting the Green New Deal, and protecting public education funding.

Democrat Jay Kleberg: Some of Kleberg’s top issues are improving the performance of the Permanent School Fund, responsibly managing public lands, reducing carbon emissions, and preparing for natural disasters.

Libertarian Algred Molison Jr.: Molison says “improving the infrastructure that serves the public is my primary goal.”

Agriculture commissioner

The agency’s key objectives are to promote production agriculture, consumer protection, economic development and healthy living.

Republican Sid Miller: Water is among Miller’s top priorities, saying “without water, there is no agriculture. Without water, there is no economy. Without water, there is no life. Water is the most essential substance in the world and Texas is running out of it.”

Democrat Susan Hays: Hays says her goals are to “clean up” the office of the agriculture commissioner, support rural healthcare and economic development, and promote economically and environmentally substantive agriculture.

Railroad commissioner

The Railroad Commission of Texas the state agency with primary regulatory jurisdiction over the oil and natural gas industry, pipeline transporters, natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline industry, natural gas utilities, the LP-gas industry, and coal and uranium surface mining operations.

Republican Wayne Christian: Christian says he “understands that big government increases costs for consumers and kills high paying jobs, while harming our economy and national security. He believes all regulations should be consistent, predictable, and based on sound science.”

Democrat Luke Warford: Warford says “Texas has been an energy leader for decades, with oil and gas jobs helping millions of Texans provide for their families. In order for energy jobs to continue to be the backbone of the Texas economy for decades to come, we need a Texas Railroad Commission that embraces technology, innovation, and science.”

Libertarian Jaime Andres Diez: Diez says “The prerogative of the commission should be to protect groundwater, taxpayers and landowners. And the current commission has failed on all these points.”

Green Hunter Wayne Crow: Crow says he is running “because we cannot have a healthy humanity without a healthy natural world. Humans are part of nature and rely on the resources of nature for our very existence. We can’t continually harm major parts of the natural world without suffering the consequences.”

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3

Republican Debra Lehrmann: Lehrmann is the longest serving female Supreme Court Justice in Texas history and serves as the Senior Justice on the Court.

Democrat Erin A. Nowell: Nowell serves on the Fifth District Court of Appeals, Place 5, an appellate court with general jurisdiction to hear all appeals from six North Texas counties.

Libertarian Thomas Edward Oxford: Oxford has no public candidate page or information.

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 5

Republican Rebeca Huddle: Huddle was originally appointed to the Supreme Court of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott in October 2020.

Democrat Amanda Reichek: Reichek was elected to the Fifth District Court of Appeals in 2018.

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 9

Republican Evan Young: Before being asked to serve on the Texas Supreme Court, Young was a partner at Texas’s oldest law firm, Baker Botts L.L.P.

Democrat Julia Maldonado: Maldonado is the presiding judge of the 507th Family District Court in Harris County, having been elected in November 2016.

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5

Republican Scott Walker: Walker is looking to retain is position on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Previously, Walker litigated more than 40 jury trials and more than 100 appeals.

Democrat Dana Huffman: Huffman has 25 years of combined legal and judicial experience, and she has presided over hundreds of bench and jury trials.

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6

Republican Jesse F. McClure III: Before being appointed to the court in 2020, McClure presided over the 339th District Court in Harris County.

Democrat Robert Johnson: Johnson is a judge in the 177th Criminal District Court in Harris County.

State representative, District 6

Republican Matt Schaefer: Among pieces of incumbent Matt Schaefer’s platform are support of economic freedom, tying education spending to accountability and high standards, restoring career and vocational training in public schools as well as support of the First and Second Amendments.

Democrat Cody J. Grace: Cody Grace says border security, human trafficking, data privacy and cyber security are critical issues for Texas, and ensuring the state’s infrastructure is sound is key to economic growth.

Local candidates

: Justice of the Peace Pct. 4

Republican Curtis Wulf: For the past two decades, Wulf said he has been involved with the court system through his career in law enforcement and working with his wife at her law firm. Wulf said Pct. 4 is in a good place, and he looks to continue moving it forward and serving the community.

Democrat Randy Hawkins: Hawkins said with his experience in leading and serving, he believes he would be a good fit and hopes to further serve the community as a justice of the peace. He looks to go out into the community to hear residents’ concerns and make the Pct. 4 justice of the peace office even more efficient.

Justice of the Peace Pct. 3

Republican James L. Meredith: Meredith has been serving as Pct. 3 justice of the peace for about19 years. He said it is important to be “fair and available” to the community and accessible to those who need him.

Democrat Dustin G. Stephens: Stephens said he looks to make changes in the way things are run in the Pct. 3 justice of the peace office and be more equal and fair to those in the community. He hopes to be more effective in handling cases and minimizing unnecessary tickets while holding a more sympathetic and open court.

Smith County Emergency Services District No. 2, District 5 commissioner

Scotty Thornton

Hunter Rath

Smith County courthouse bond

Commissioners voted in August to put a bond referendum on the November ballot that would fund a new courthouse as well as a parking structure.

The bond package totals $179 million — $160 million for new courthouse construction and $19 million for an accompanying parking structure. The estimated tax impact is about 3.67 cents, which would be an increase of about $73.40 per year on a $200,000 home.

Overton City Council, Place 4

Richard Howell, Jr.

A.G. “Tuck” Moon

Winona ISD

Proposition A: The issuance of $13.4 million in bonds by Winona ISD for the purpose of constructing, renovating, acquiring and equipping school buildings in the district and the acquisition of sites for school buildings and levying taxes in payment thereof. This is a property tax increase.

Proposition B: The issuance of $6.5 million in bonds by Winona ISD for the purpose of constructing, renovating, acquiring and equipping stadium improvements in the district and levying taxes in payment thereof. This is a property tax increase.

Proposition C: The issuance of $3.6 million in bonds by Winona ISD for the purpose of constructing, renovating, acquiring and equipping a gameday fieldhouse at the stadium and levying taxes in payment thereof. This is a property tax increase.

Whitehouse ISD

Proposition A: Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of $1.1526 per $100 valuation in Whitehouse ISD for the current year, a rate that will result in an increase of 6.4502 percent in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the district for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional $1,487,771.

When and where to vote

Early voting begins Monday. Dates, times and locations are:

8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 24 through 28

7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct 29

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct 30

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Oct. 31 through Nov. 4

Early voting locations are:

Heritage Building, 1900 Bellwood Road, Tyler;

The HUB, 304 E. Ferguson St., Tyler;

Noonday Community Center, 16662 CR 196; Tyler;

Lindale Masonic Lodge, 200 W, Margaret St., Lindale;

Whitehouse United Methodist Church, 405 W. Main St., Whitehouse;

Winona Community Center, 520 Dallas St., Winona.

For information about elections, visit www.smith-county.com .