(Seguin) — Early voting is now underway in Guadalupe County as polls open today for the March 3 Republican and Democratic Primary Elections.
Voters can cast their ballots beginning today, Tuesday, February 17, through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Early voting continues Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., and again Monday, February 23 through Friday, February 27 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The main early voting location is the new Guadalupe County Elections Office at 3251 N. Highway 123 in Seguin. Other early voting locations include the Cibolo Fire Station No. 2 in Cibolo, Redemptive Grace Ministries in New Braunfels, the New Berlin Community Center, and the Elections Office Annex in Schertz.
All local contested races in Guadalupe County for this March Primary appear on the Republican ballot.
Although running unopposed, former Guadalupe County Commissioner Pct. 3 Michael Carpenter, will appear on the ballot to become the next Guadalupe County Judge.
It’s reportedly uncommon for the county judge race to be uncontested locally.
Carpenter stepped down from his commissioner seat in the fall to pursue the position after current Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher announced he would not seek reelection.
With no Democratic challenger, Carpenter is positioned to assume the county’s top elected seat in January 2027.
Other featured races include contested seats for County Commissioner Precincts 2, 3, and 4, County Court-at-Law Judge, and Justice of the Peace Precinct 2.
Facing off in the Pct. 2 Commissioner race are Noah Webster and Ronnie Clark. The newcomers hope to fill the seat of current Commissioner Drew Engelke who has chosen not to seek re-election.
Appearing on the ballot for Commissioner Pct. 3 – the Unexpired Term– are Allison Heyward and Jim Wolverton. It should be noted that Wolverton was recently appointed to the position following the resignation of Carpenter who, again, stepped down to seek the position of county judge.
In Pct. 4, three candidates will be seeking the position of commissioner. This includes incumbent Stephen Germann and challengers Mark Allen and Joel Hicks.
In the Pct. 2 race for Justice of the Peace, the ballot will include incumbent Sheryl Sachtleben and Willie Ybarra.
Voters countywide will also be casting their ballots for Guadalupe County Court-at-Law. They include incumbent Bill Squires and challenger John Green.
Voters in Pct. 1 will also see an uncontested race for Justice of the Peace. Katherine Torrence will be the only name appearing on the ballot. Torrence, who does not face a Democratic candidate in November, assumes the position to replace long-time Judge Darrell Hunter who will be retiring.
The March 3 primary will determine party nominees for the November general election. Applications for ballots by mail must be received by the close of business February 20.
Voters can also learn more about the candidates by tuning in to a special extended edition of the Saturday Topic radio program on KWED. A special KWED Candidates Corner Guide is also being made available to voters this year. A link for both can be found at SeguinToday.com.