Voters head to ballot box Saturday

This Saturday, May 3, voters across the county will head to the polls to cast ballots in city and school elections, choosing candidates who share their vision and deciding the fate of propositions and referendums.

Polling locations will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. as voters cast their votes in school and city elections.

Perhaps the biggest measures at play this cycle are a pair of bonds that can potentially change the face of Tarkington Independent School District as they ask voters a third time to approve bonds for new campus facilities and upgrades.

The district is proposing a pair of bonds that, if both passed, would come in at $ 95 million. You can read more about the bond referendum in this week’s edition.

Only Devers and Cleveland ISDs will have contested school board races. Both contests have the potential to redirect both school systems.

Cleveland ISD will have two races on the ballot this cycle, and they will have at least one new member after the retirement of longtime Position 4 Board of Trustee member Willie Carter. Pauline M. Johnson and Kairos Sanchez Martinez run for that open seat.

In the race for Position 5, incumbent Amanda Sandoval Brooks is facing a challenge from Jessica Allen.

In Devers ISD, there are two contested races, with Position 1 incumbent Michelle Carr facing opposition from Daniel Barnes. In the race for Position 2, incumbent Tommy McIntosh will face Sandi Zbranek.

On the municipal side, four city elections will bring the voters of Liberty, Dayton, Daisetta and Ames to the ballot box.

Liberty will see a five- person race for three at- large council seats, with incumbents Libby Simonson and Debbie Dugger vying for another term. In contrast, incumbent Dennis Beasley did not seek another term.

Bruce Bell, Nick Dennis and Trent LaFour have all tossed their names in the hat, and voters will have the opportunity to select up to three candidates to fill the open seats.

In the county’s largest city, a pair of contests with both incumbents being challenged by former council members will be on the ballot in Dayton.

In the contest for Position 4, incumbent Tonya Smikal will face a challenge from former councilman Don McDaniel.

The race for Position 5 will see Valorie Barton, currently serving her first term, against former councilman Alvin Burress.

In Daisetta, there will be one contested race on the ballot, as Position 2 Councilman Ryan Taylor will face a challenge from Joseph Ballard. Incumbent Kelsey Norris will face no opponent for Position 4.

Ames will have one contested race on the ballot, as incumbent Position 5 Councilmember Audrey Harrison will face two challengers, Reubin Williams and Tiffany Burgis.

Cleveland voters will not have any contested races, but a bevy of propositions will leave residents with plenty of decisions to make at the ballot box.

Those propositions include granting the mayor voting rights, adding a sixth member to the council, and extending terms from two to three years. There are also several charter amendment proposals on the ballot.

The cities of Hardin, Devers, Kenefick and Plum Grove will not have any contested races.

You can check out our 2025 City and School Election Guide at thevindicator.com, which has a complete list of voting locations and information on the candidates. For sample ballots and other useful election information, visit votelibertycounty.com.

The Vindicator will have live coverage with all of the results as they come in via our Facebook page.