Early Voting in El Paso

Early voting in El Paso has begun. By the looks of it, everyone is going out and casting a ballot. The El Paso County elections administrator told the El Paso Times that the first day of early voting would set a record.

This is great news for a city known for its apathetic voters. Obviously, the presidential race is the main reason many voters are flocking to their polling sites, but how many of you know about the more than 10 other local races? (That doesn’t even include the small school-district races.)

Here’s a quick overview of three local races to watch:

State Representative

El Paso has five state representatives. Two of the positions are being challenged, but the race between Republican candidate Dee Margo and Democratic candidate Joe Moody is being watched closely. Why? If Moody wins, the Democrats could take back the majority in the House.

Sheriff

The sheriff's race pits former gang officer and Republican candidate George Rodriguez Stoltz against former police chief and Democratic candidate Richard Wiles. This contest is worth watching because it started off with 12 candidates — all but one were Democrats. The primary race led to a runoff between two former police chiefs, Carlos Leon and Wiles.

District Judge, 448th Judicial District

There are three judicial positions being contested. All are important to El Paso, but the 448th Judicial District position is charged with handling civil cases. (The other two positions deal with drug felonies and appellate cases.) The 448th court, which was created last year, is being fought for by Republican incumbent Chris Antcliff and Democrat Regina B. Arditti.

I plan to do a little more research on the candidates before swinging by my poll after work or during lunch this week. Will you do the same?

Remember, early voting ends on Oct. 31. Do you know where your early-voting polling site is? Click on the El Paso County Elections site here to find out where your poll is located. The county also provides this sample ballot for you to get an idea of who you'll be voting for this year.