Early voting runs Oct. 19-30 in Texas. Local party leaders weigh in on the election, while the League of Women Voters offers guides to help voters prepare.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19, in Nueces County, where local Democratic and Republican leaders are encouraging voters to prepare for the election while offering different assessments of the political climate.

Conor Rice, chair of the Nueces County Democratic Party, criticized Republican leadership over issues including the economy and the region’s ongoing water crisis. Carmen Calderone Jr., chair of the Nueces County Republican Party, pointed to what he described as progress under local Republican leadership.



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“All the effects that you’re feeling, whether it’s at the pump … all the way down you have Republican leadership, and that is what we get,” Rice said. “We’re in a water crisis, at the behest of the governor, at the behest of a state legislature that refuses to act on water, at the behest of a Republican county commissioner and a Republican county judge.”

Calderone pushed back on that assessment, highlighting Nueces County Judge Connie Scott’s record on county finances and infrastructure.

“Look at the county judge Connie Scott. She inherited a mess when she took over Barbara Canales, and she turned the county around financially and infrastructure-wise,” Calderone said.

He added that Scott found ways to fund required infrastructure upgrades, including through the sale of properties the county no longer needed, rather than relying heavily on tax increases.


League of Women Voters encourages voter education

Along with hearing from political parties, voters can take steps to familiarize themselves with the ballot before heading to the polls.

Dr. Alice Upshaw Hawkins, president of the Corpus Christi-area League of Women Voters, said the organization includes people with a range of political affiliations and focuses on helping voters understand the issues.

“We got Republicans, we’ve got Democrats, we’ve got Independents, we’ve got Green Party people as members of our group,” Hawkins said. “We are here to protect our democracy, and that’s what we’re doing, and to educate our voters on the issues, and then they will make their own decisions.”

Hawkins said the number of candidates in this election prompted the League to expand its voter guide from 24 pages to 48 pages.

The League’s voter guides are available at several locations throughout the area, including:

City and county buildings

Local and county libraries

College and university libraries and student centers

Public centers, including the Coastal Bend Food Bank, the Trade Center, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center and the Garcia Arts Center

KEDT Radio and TV

Various restaurants around town

The League also offers state and local voter guides in Spanish for those who prefer to read the information in Spanish.

Calderone also encouraged voters to prepare ahead of time, saying the ballot includes a lot to consider. He said voters can visit the Nueces County Republican Party headquarters to pick up a sample ballot and voter guide.


Early voting locations and hours

Nueces County has 20 early voting locations. The Nueces County Courthouse is the only location scheduled to be open throughout all 12 days of early voting.

Voters can find the official sample ballot and election information through the Nueces County Elections Department website.

Rice and Calderone both predicted strong turnout, with Rice expecting high participation in Nueces County and across Texas.

Rice also reminded voters that they can cast their ballots at any polling location in Nueces County, rather than being limited to the location closest to their homes.

Early voting runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 30, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.