If you have not already cast your ballot, only a few days remain until the March 5 Primary Election, known as “Super Tuesday” because the largest number of states (16) hold their primary elections and caucuses on that date. More than 1/3 of the total Republican delegates at stake (874 GOP national delegates) will be selected and largely pledged to a presidential candidate. The Democrats’ nominee is selected in a similar manner utilizing state primaries and caucuses, including “Super Tuesday.” As a result of the March 5 “Super Tuesday,” we will learn much more about who will be on the ballot for the November elections.
The Denton County elections website www.VoteDenton.gov is the place to go for voting locations, sample ballots for your precinct, and other information you will need to cast your ballot. Prior to Election Day, you can participate in Early Voting at any of the county’s 50 sites. However, Election Day in-person voters must vote in their voter precinct’s assigned polling site. On “Super Tuesday” itself, there will be 85 sites each for the Democrats and the Republicans. You also can find your voter precinct number and its election day polling site at the VoteDenton.gov site.
But wait – there’s more! After the polls close, there will be a meeting of voters in each precinct (separate meetings for each Party) at that precinct’s voting site where they will convene or caucus to begin building the Party platform (GOP) and select delegates to the next level of convention (Senate District 30 or 12) which will be held on Saturday, March 23. Anyone who voted in the 2024 Republican Primary (either Early Voting, Absentee or on Election Day) may attend the Precinct conventions. Locations for these events will be announced soon by the Denton County Republican Party.
The Democrats will hold their Precinct Conventions on March 23 at the Horizon Unitarian Church in Carrollton. Anyone who voted in the 2024 Democrat Primary may attend.
Elections are indeed the foundation upon which our country was built and the premise for the freedoms we enjoy as U.S. citizens. We have enjoyed our freedoms since the first U.S. presidential election from Monday, Dec. 15, 1788, through Wednesday, Jan. 7, 1789, as part of the new U.S. Constitution ratified earlier in 1788. Under the Constitution, the terms of president and vice president were created. As you learned in grade school, George Washington was unanimously voted in for the first of two terms as our first president.
What took 23 days to accomplish 235 years ago now, in principle, takes a much shorter period. Through the Electoral College system, based on each state’s congressional representation (both in the Senate and the House), 538 electors cast ballots to reach a majority of 270 electoral votes.
This year, once again, we will be voting for a President and Vice President as well as a slate of officials throughout the country. In the Republican Primary in Denton County, we have 82 elected positions with 170 candidates as well as 13 Propositions. In the Denton County Democratic Primary, 55 individuals are seeking election to 24 positions. To avoid a runoff, a candidates must receive a majority (50% plus one vote) among multiple candidates. The Primary Runoff Election is scheduled for May 28th for runoffs in either Party. You may vote in a Party runoff as long as you did not vote in the other Party’s primary.
For those voters with special needs, the Hart InterCivic Verity Touch Writer with Access voting unit is available at all voting locations to serve Denton County voters who are blind, have limited vision or limited dexterity that prevents them from marking the ballot without assistance. This ADA-compliant voting system is certified by the Texas Board of Elections for use in Texas. The Touch Writer with Access unit has been a voter option at all polling places during early voting and will again be available on Election Day.
In Denton County, we have been dedicated to ensuring all residents who want to vote can do so with ease and we strongly urge all registered voters to exercise their right to self-governance!
Precinct 4 County Commissioner Dianne Edmondson may be contacted by email at [email protected] or by phone at 972-434-3960. You can also visit her by appointment at her office in the Southwest Courthouse, 6200 Canyon Falls Drive, Suite 900, in Flower Mound. If you would like to receive her periodic e-newsletter, just request it at her email address.
 GIF.gif)
