Is this year's Presidential race important to you? It all begins with the Primary Election, which determines who the candidates will be. If it is important to you (and it should be), then you need to vote in the Texas Primary.

Early voting in person on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at the Dr. Pattie Dotson Public Health Center, located at 2805 N. Navarro in Victoria.Voting in both the Republican and Democratic Party races will be held from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm through Friday, February 26th. Early Voting in Person will offer additional hours to vote in the primary on Saturday, February 20th from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. On Thursday and Friday, February 25th & 26th the hours will begin at 7:00 am and close at 7:00 pm.

All Victoria County registered voters are eligible to cast a ballot in the primary election. You may participate in only one party's primary as Texas uses a closed primary structure.

If you wish to join in the political activities of the Libertarian or Green Parties you should not vote in the primary. If you wish to sign a petition supporting an independent candidate, you should not vote in the primary.

Early Voting by Mail is ongoing and is available to voters who qualify. The last day for the early voting clerk to accept an application to vote by mail in the primary is Friday, February 19, 2016. Applications to vote by mail may be delivered to the Elections Office prior to the start of early voting in person. Applications may be submitted by mail, by email or by fax. The mailing address for Victoria County is: Early Voting Clerk, 2805 N. Navarro, Ste 500, Victoria, Texas 77901-3947. The email address is: elections@vctx.org<mailto:elections@vctx.org>. The fax number is: (361) 582-5940. An application may be found at: http://www.vctx.org/pdf/electpdf/ABBM.pdf Carefully read the instructions found on the application.

ALL applications to vote by mail must contain the name and residence address of the voter, a mailing address if the ballot is to be mailed to a different address, the reason the mail ballot is being requested (see below), the party you are voting in and the signature of the voter (or a witness acknowledgement).
To qualify for a ballot by mail the voter must meet one or more of the following criteria;

· 65 years of age or older on or before Election Day, a disability which prevents them from entering a polling location, confined in jail but not having a final felony conviction, or absent from the county during early voting in person and on Election Day.

Primary Election Day is Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Victoria County will open thirty-five Vote Centers from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Victoria County voters may cast their ballot at any open polling location during the day.

For more information you may contact the Elections Office at 576-0124 or come by 2805 N. Navarro, Suite 500.

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