By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Even by Val Verde County and city of Del Rio standards, this year’s Val Verde County Joint Constitutional Election featured what could be best describe as an abysmal turnout.
According to the summary results report prepared by Generosa “Janie” Gracia-Ramon, Val Verde County Clerk/Elections Administrator, only 9.99 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in this year’s joint election. That means that of the 28,973 registered voters in the county, only 2,893 turned out to vote.
Most of the ballots came from early voting as 2,043 ballots were cast during that period. On the day of the election, 655 people voted. Another 195 persons voted via absentee ballots.
This most recent election saw voters deciding on two state propositions, four city council positions, one city proposition, four San Felipe Del Rio CISD Board of Trustees positions, four Val Verde County Hospital District positions, and two Val Verde/Comstock Water Control and Improvement At Large, Directors positions.
The following are the unofficial results from this election. (The results will be certified by the governing parties of each election, such as the city council, school board, etc.)
STATE PROP 1
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the reduction of the amount of a limitation on the total amount of ad valorem taxes that may be imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes on the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled to reflect any statutory reduction from the preceding tax year in the maximum compressed rate of the maintenance and operations taxes imposed for those purposes on the homestead.”
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For: 2,278
Against: 448
STATE PROP 2
“The constitutional amendment increasing the amount of the residence homestead exemption from ad valorem taxation for public school purposes from $25,000 to $40,000.”
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For: 1,952
Against: 779
CITY OF DEL RIO
MAYOR
* Al Arreola: 995
* Virgil Armstrong: 762
Alfredo “Fred” Contreras: 437
Alejandra D. “Alex” Hernandez: 249
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* Arreola and Armstrong will participate in a runoff election as neither garnered 50 percent plus one of the total votes cast
COUNCILPERSON AT LARGE, PLACE C
Ernestina “Tina” Martinez: 1,310
Elizabeth “Liz” Elizalde: 988
COUNCILPERSON DISTRICT I
Jesus Lopez Jr.: 314
Mario Bosquez: 193
Janice Sandoval: 175
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* Lopez Jr. and Bosquez will participate in a runoff election as neither garnered 50 percent plus one of the total votes cast
COUNCILPERSON DISTRICT 2
Jim DeReus (incumbent): 629
Arturo Rodriguez: 359
PROPOSITION A – CITY OF DEL RIO
“Termination of the Del Rio Economic Development Corporation, which includes the abolition of the 1/8 cent sales and use tax within the city of Del Rio for the promotion and development of new and expanded business enterprises under chapter 504 of the Texas Local Government Code (Type A Corporation); and the adoption, in the place of the abolished tax, of a 1/8 cent sales and use tax for the promotion and development of new and expanded business enterprises and other lawful purposes pursuant to chapter 505 of the Texas Local Government Code (Type B Corporation); all of which will result in no net increase in sales and use taxes collected by the city of Del Rio.”
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For: 1,559
Against: 763
SAN FELIPE DEL RIO CISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES
PLACE 1
Jesus Emilio Galindo: 1,502
Ken Smith (incumbent): 1,176
PLACE 3
Linda Guanajuato-Webb (incumbent): 1,650
Lindsey M. Mitchell: 1,019
PLACE 4
Raymond P. Meza (incumbent): 1,811
Melanie Kidd: 872
PLACE 5
Rebekah (Becky) Luna-Chavez: 1,465
Hugo Tadeo Sanchez: 1,155
VAL VERDE COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES
PRECINCT 1
Daniel Chartrand: 289
Christopher Robert Kuechmann: 236
PRECINCT 2
Julio “Dr. O” Otazo: 368
AT LARGE
* Cris A. Diaz: 1,450
* Raul J. Alatorre: 1,180
Lee Keenan: 1,175
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* The top two vote getters in the At Large race were elected to the board of trustees
VAL VERDE/COMSTOCK WATER CONTROL AND IMPROVEMENT AT LARGE, DIRECTORS
* Pete Gould: 26
* Justin Chandler: 24
Miguel Zuniga: 15
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* The top two vote getters in the At Large race were elected to the board of directors
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
