Smith County ballot items range from U.S. Senate race to a school bond

Published 6:30 pm Monday, November 5, 2018

1. Candidate Profiles: Smith County Judge
2. Candidate Profiles: Precinct 2 Commissioner
3. Candidate profiles: Texas House District 5
4. Candidate Profiles: Texas House District 6
5. Information about Lindale ISD bond

When Smith County voters head to the polls on Tuesday, they will have a chance to decide on issues ranging from who should represent Texas in the United States Senate to whether a local school district should borrow money.

Tuesday is the 2018 general election, known as the midterm election because, halfway through President Donald Trump’s first four-year term, voters will choose who to send to represent them in the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

One of the most talked about statewide races in Texas has been between incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso. Polls have suggested the race could be decided by a margin of fewer than 10 percentage points.

But down the ballot, there are six contested elections for candidates in Smith County races. Additionally, a tax issue is on the ballot in the city of Whitehouse and a school bond is on the table in Lindale Independent School District.

County and local elections

For the U.S. House of Representatives, Smith County voters will choose whether to re-elect U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, to another two-year term. Gohmert is facing off for the fourth time against Democrat Shirley McKellar. Libertarian Jeff Callaway also is running. 

Additionally, the whole county will be able to vote in the race for Smith County judge. Nathaniel Moran, a Republican who was appointed to the seat in 2016, is facing the Rev. Michael Mast, a Democrat, for his first elected term.

The county judge is one of the top elected officials in the county. The county judge is the presiding officer over the Commissioners Court, which makes policy for the county; has managerial duties over much of the county government; and presides over involuntary mental health hospitalization cases.

Moran and Mast both have law degrees and are both former members of the Tyler City Council. During the campaign, Moran has stressed his philosophy of using the seat to listen to good ideas and solve problems. Mast is running on a platform of criminal justice reform and greater inclusivity for people of color.

Residents of the southeast corner of the county will choose who should hold the Precinct 2 seat on the Smith County Commissioners Court. The seat represents the areas of Whitehouse, New Chapel Hill and a portion of southeast Tyler in making countywide policy.

Cary Nix, a Republican, is running for his third four-year term and says he wants to be re-elected because he enjoys public service. Randolph Scott, a Democrat who is self-employed as a landlord, says he would like to increase transparency in county government.

There is also a contested race for Smith County’s Precinct 3 justice of the peace between incumbent Republican James Meredith and Democrat Dustin Stephens. The position is responsible for overseeing a court that handles low-level criminal offenses.

For the Texas House of Representatives, Smith County residents in parts of the county, including Lindale and Arp, will vote in the District 5 race. They will vote in the District 6 race if they live in the more densely populated parts such as Tyler, Bullard and Whitehouse.

State Rep. Cole Hefner, R-Mount Pleasant, was first elected in 2016 and is seeking a second term. He has pointed to his support during the 2017 session of a ban on sanctuary cities and a law to ensure school employees can transport or store a firearm concealed in their locked personal vehicle on school property. He said he wants to provide property tax relief.

Bill Liebbe, the Democrat running against Hefner, is a trial lawyer who says he excels at working with others, including when he reaches settlements in medical malpractice cases. Liebbe said his priority in the Legislature would be public education, especially opposing school vouchers.

In Texas House District 6, Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, is seeking his fourth two-year term. He is challenged by Neal Katz, a political newcomer who is running as an independent. There is no Democrat or Libertarian running in the race.

Schaefer is the chairman of the Texas Freedom Caucus, a conservative coalition that tends to disagree with establishment Republicans. He has expressed excitement that the House is scheduled to elect a new speaker in 2019, now that moderate Republican Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, is retiring from politics.

Katz has criticized Schaefer for what he calls a lack of positive relationships in Austin, including his relationship with the former speaker. Katz said he created a campaign message after listening to local leaders say what their ideal representative would do.

Schaefer has highlighted his pro-life record during the campaign, and he says abortions in Texas have gone down since he was elected. Katz said he is against abortion and would like to keep such decisions between women, their families, their doctors and their faith.

In Whitehouse, the city is asking voters to approve a change in taxation structure. The city would like to reallocate sales tax money to fund an economic development corporation.

Voters in Lindale Independent School District will decide on a $32.4 million bond package. The district is proposing to use the money to expand the high school, enhance security and renovate Eagle Stadium.

Statewide elections

Farther up the ticket, voters will choose whether to give a second term to Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, who is running for his second four-year term against Democrat Lupe Valdez, the former Dallas County sheriff. Libertarian Mark Tippets also is on the ballot.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican incumbent, faces Democrat Mike Collier and Libertarian Kerry McKennon; Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, faces Democrat Justin Nelson and Libertarian Michael Ray Harris; and Comptroller Glenn Hegar, a Republican, faces Democrat Joi Chevalier and Libertarian Ben Sanders.

There also are contested races for agriculture commissioner, with incumbent Sid Miller, a Republican, facing Democrat Kim Olson and Libertarian Richard Carpenter; for railroad commissioner, with incumbent Christi Craddick, a Republican, facing Democrat Roman McAllen and Libertarian Mike Wright; and for land commissioner, with incumbent George P. Bush, a Republican, facing Democrat Miguel Suazo and Libertarian Matt Piña.

Voters also will have choices for several judicial positions. These include seats on the Texas Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the state for deciding on civil cases under the Texas Constitution. The term for a Texas Supreme Court justice is six years.

The other judicial positions are for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which is the highest court in the state for deciding on criminal cases. The judges on the Court of Criminal Appeals also serve six-year terms.

How to vote

Smith County will have 34 polling places open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Registered voters can cast their ballots at any of the locations in the county, regardless of which polling place is closest to their homes.

Registered voters need a photo ID to vote. People with a reasonable explanation for not having a photo ID can bring another form of identification, such as a paycheck or utility bill with an address on it, and fill out a declaration of reasonable impediment explaining why they don’t have a photo ID.

Those who registered to vote before the Oct. 9 deadline but whose names are not showing up in the system as being registered can request a provisional ballot at the polling place. Provisional ballots are kept separately from other ballots, and a provisional voting ballot board reviews them after the election, according to the Texas secretary of state’s website.

The Texas secretary of state is advising voters to make sure to review their ballots before submitting them after some users of Hart Intercivic eSlate machines have voted straight-ticket for a party and have seen their votes changed accidentally. The secretary of state says the issue is user error but has identified 78 counties using the machines and is advising Texans to double-check their ballots. 

The instructions affect the East Texas counties of Cass, Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson, Nacogdoches, Rains, Upshur and Wood, where the Hart Intercivic eSlate machines are used. However, Smith County uses electronic voting machines made by a company called Elections Systems & Software and should not be affected.

Voter resources

• The Smith County Elections Office phone number is 903-590-4777.
• The Texas secretary of state says people with questions about the voting process can call 1-800-252-VOTE.
• People with complaints about voting rights violations can contact the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section at 1-800-253-3931, 202-307-2767 or by email at voting.section@usdoj.gov.
• A national program run by journalists called Electionland encourages voters to report any issues they’re having at the polls. To sign up for the program, text VOTE to 81380.

TWITTER and INSTAGRAM: @_erinmansfield

A previous version of this article listed the incorrect number of counties using the Hart Invercivic eSlate machine and the scale of people who have reported errors.