By Edmond Ortiz
The end of January and the start of February also herald one special runoff election in a Northeast Side suburb, and a key deadline for voters wanting to cast a ballot in the leadup to this fall’s midterm elections.
Schertz runoff election
Schertz voters are asked to head to the polls for a third time in three months, as the city holds a Jan. 31 runoff election to decide who will fill the vacant Place 7 City Council post.
The two contestants, John Carbon and Dr. Robert Sheridan, were the two top vote-getters in the city’s Dec. 20 special election, which had five total candidates.
The victor will replace the late Tim Brown, who died while in office last October, and fill the rest of Brown’s term, which expires in November 2027.
According to the Guadalupe County Elections Department, 394 ballots were cast during the two-week early voting period for Schertz’s Place 7 runoff election. Election Day polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at the county elections office/Schertz annex at 1101 Elbel Road.
March primary elections
Feb. 2 is the last day to register to vote in the March 3 party primaries, which will determine candidates for the Nov. 3 general elections.
Early voting for the primaries will be held Feb. 17-27. Feb. 20 will be the final day to apply for a primary ballot by mail.
Bexar County elections officials said Jan. 27 that their department recently cleared a backlog of more than 7,000 voter registration applications.
“The county is committed to an efficient and reliable election,” department officials added in a statement.
Bexar County residents needing more information or assistance may visit the department website for details.
Comal County residents may visit this link for more information on voter aid and resources. Guadalupe County residents can visit this link for voter information. Election details for Kendall County residents are available at this link.
Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai’s office issued a statement, reminding Bexar County residents who mail vote-by-mail ballots or other deadline sensitive items, including property tax payments, to be aware of an important change in how the U.S. Postal Service applies postmarks.
“USPS postmarks may now show the date your mail reaches a regional sorting facility, not the date you dropped it off at your local post office or mailbox,” Sakai’s office said in the statement. “This means the postmark date could be later than the day you mailed it. This may affect any mail that must be ‘postmarked by’ a specific date.”
According to Sakai’s office, Bexar County residents who mail something that depends on a postmark deadline, especially a vote-by-mail ballot or other date sensitive mail, should do one of following things at their local USPS post office retail counter:
- Ask the clerk for a manual (local) postmark on your envelope.
- Buy postage at the counter and keep the receipt/PVI label showing the date you
mailed it. - Use Certified Mail, Registered Mail, or a Certificate of Mailing and keep your receipt.
Prior to early voting, Focus on San Antonio will offer previews of Democratic and Republican primaries in various Congressional, legislative and county elections around the San Antonio area.
