Elections administrator Villarreal on March 9 primaries:

clearing the confusion in redistricting aftermath

According to Webb County Interim Elections Administrator Oscar Villarreal, confusion in the upcoming March 9 joint Democratic and Republican primary elections centers not only around precinct changes that came about as a result of recent redistricting efforts, but also over the fact that in the primary, voters can vote only in one or the other primary, Democrat or Republican.

"This is causing some confusion and all we can do is try to get the information out," Villarreal said, adding that calls to his office are welcome. He said that after redistricting, Webb County now has 57 precincts and because two precincts will be consolidated, there will be 55 voting sites available for this election.

As to voting Democrat or Republican in the primary, Villarreal said, "If people want to vote for Bush in the presidential election, they have to vote Republican in this election, but that means that they cannot vote in any of the local races except for the new congressional District 28, with Francisco Canseco, who is running as a Republican. There are no other local candidates on the Republican ballot. They are all on the Democratic ballot."

Local elections include races for Webb County Sheriff, commissioners, judge of the 406th District Court, and constables, with all candidates for those races running as Democrats. Villarreal said voting as a Democrat for the local races would not preclude voting for Republican, Green, Independent and other candidates who appear on the ballot in the November 2004 general election.

Early voting for the joint primaries begins Monday, February 23, and runs through Friday, March 5, including Saturday and Sunday. Election day is Tuesday, March 9.

For further information, or for clarification, call the office of Webb County Elections Administrator at 523-4050 or reach Oscar Villarreal at ovillarreal@webbcounty.com.