Texas Democratic Party: Moving Texas Forward

Texans who want to have a say in who represents them in dozens of local, state and federal offices can cast early ballots starting Tuesday in the March 2 primaries.

Local election officials say they don’t expect early turnout to reach the historic highs of the 2008 presidential primaries, which featured Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Republicans John McCain and Mike Huckabee.

But they say the spirited gubernatorial race, which has already had three debates and statewide TV commercials, along with key local elections, will likely draw sizable crowds to the polls.

“Voting is an important part of being a Texan, and my office is committed to ensuring that every eligible voter understands their rights and can have confidence in the integrity of our elections process,” Secretary of State Hope Andrade said. “I hope that my fellow Texans will join me in participating in this great democratic process.”

At the top of the ballot is the gubernatorial race, where Republicans have a contested race for the first time in years. Gov. Rick Perry has two challengers in his re-election bid: U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Wharton businesswoman and Tea Party activist Debra Medina.

Seven Democrats, meanwhile, are vying for their party’s gubernatorial nomination: former Houston Mayor Bill White, Houston hair-care magnate Farouk Shami, teacher Felix Alvarado, physician Alma Aguado, college professor Clement Glenn, private investigator Bill Dear and rancher Star Locke.

In 2006, the last gubernatorial election, 3,636 Democrats and 14,171 Republicans cast early ballots in Tarrant County. In 2008’s presidential primaries, 86,559 Democrats and 35,620 Republicans voted early in Tarrant County, local election results show.

“I know there’s a lot of interest [this year], but we will have to wait to see how it translates into voting,” said Steve Raborn, Tarrant County’s elections administrator.

For more go to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram article.