Voters’ Guide General Election Non Partisan and Unbiased November 3, 2020 Greater Fort Bend County Created by the write idea CONTENTS Position/Issue Page Position/Issue Page General Voting Information 3-5 Constable 44-46 Precinct 1 - Precinct 2 Precinct 3 - Precinct 4 President 6 Fort Bend County Special Election 48 U. S. Senator 7 Local School Districts 49-53 School Board Members in Fort Bend ISD, Katy ISD, Needville, Stafford MSD U. S. Representative (Congress) 8-9 Needville ISD - Special Election 51 District 9 - District 22 Railroad Commissioner 10 Lamar Consolidated Bond Election 52 Chief Justice, Supreme Court 11 Local Cities - Mayor and/or City Councils 53-64 Justice, Supreme Court, 12-14 Arcola - Katy - Meadows Place - Place 6 - Place 7 - Place 8 Missouri City - Pearland - Richmond Rosenberg - Stafford - Sugar Land Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals 16-18 Missouri City Special Election 56 Place 3 - Place 4 - Place 9 Pearland Special Election 58-59 State Senator 20-21 Richmond Special Election 60 District 13 - District 18 Rosenberg Special Election 62 State Representative 22-25 Sugar Land Special Election 65 District 26 - District 27 - District 28 District 85 Chief Justice, 14th Court of Appeals Dist. 28 Additional Ballot Items 66-71 Justice, 1st Court of Appeals District 29-31 Thompsons - Weston Lakes - Place 3 - Place 5 Fort Bend County MUDs - Justice, 14th Court of Appeals District Quail Valley Utility District - Place 7 Thunderbird Utility District - District Judge 32-35 West Keegan’s Bayou Improvement 387th Judicial District District - Willow Fork Drainage Dist. 400th Judicial District Fort Bend County Freshwater Supply 434th Judicial District Arcola Municipal Management District 505th Judicial District Wharton County Junior College Judge, County Court at Law No. 5 36 Early Voting Locations 72 County Attorney 37 Election Day Voting Locations 73-74 Sheriff 38 Acknowledgements 75 Tax Assessor-Collector 39 Commissioner 40-41 An “I” after a candidate’s name indicates Precinct No. 1 - Precinct No. 3 that the candidate is the incumbent Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 1 42 3 This non-partisan Voters’ Guide is meant to assist voters. An educated citizenry is vital to the election process. This 2020 Texas General Election Pamphlet provides information about candidates appearing on local ballots in November. It is meant simply to be an unbiased resource for Fort Bend County voters. Every effort was made to include all candidates and to place candidates in the order in which they will appear on the ballot. There was no charge to be included in this guide. Content on these pages was taken from candidate websites/Facebook pages and other credible on-line sources. This Guide makes no endorsements explicit or implied. Non-profit Ads are easily identified by format and were complimentary. This Guide is compiled by the write idea as a voter tool. It is being distributed via the internet. If you are not on our distribution list and wish to receive a free electronic copy of the May, 2021 Guide - City and School Board elections - please send an email to: [email protected]. Write “FBCVG” in the subject line and a link will be emailed to you shortly before the election. Sue Hauenstein the write idea “If you don’t vote, you lose the right to complain.” -George Carlin Important dates for the November 3 Election Early voting Tuesday, October 13 - Friday, October 30, 2020. Early voting locations and hours are listed at the back of this guide. The General Election will take place on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The County may, for several reasons, change polling locations. Please verify before you go! The final list of polling locations can be verified at:www.fortbendcounytx.gov . NOTE: Readers may visit candidate campaign sites by clicking on the link included in each entry. We included campaign websites, Facebook pages, Twitter pages and email addresses IF we could locate them. Candidate entries are color coded - Red for Republicans, Blue for Democrats, Purple for Libertarian and Green for the Green party candidates. General Voter Information Voting In Person All voters will be asked to show one of the forms of photo identification at the polling location before the voter will be permitted to cast a vote. If a voter does not present proper identification, the voter will still be permitted to vote provisionally. The voter will have six (6) days to present proper identification to the county voter registrar for the voter’s ballot to be accepted. Voters who do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of the forms of acceptable photo identification listed below, may present a supporting form of identification and execute a Reasonable Impediment Declaration. Required Identification for Voting in Person Information on Exemptions to the Photo ID Requirement Information on Similar Names Early Voting In most elections, the Early Voting period begins 15 days prior to Election Day and ends 4 days prior to Election Day. During Early Voting you may cast a ballot at any site in Fort Bend County. Not all sites are open the same hours so it is important to check the Early Voting Schedule for each election. Election Day Voters are free to vote at any polling location open for that election. Election Day polls open at 7:00 AM and close at 7:00 PM. Voters who are in line before 7:00 PM will be allowed to cast a ballot. Polling places may vary between elections, so it is important that you verify the available polling locations. Limited Ballots Voters who have recently moved to Fort Bend County and have not yet registered to vote may be eligible to cast a Limited Ballot during the Early Voting period. To be eligible a person, § Must be a resident of Fort Bend County § Must be a registered voter of another Texas County If you meet these criteria, you may be able to receive a ballot for any statewide contests, or any contests common to where you are registered and your current residence. Limited Ballots are only available during the Early Voting period, and only at the Fort Bend County Election Office in Rosenberg. Voting By Mail If you are a registered voter of Fort Bend County, you may be able to vote by mail if any of the following conditions would prevent you from going to the polls. (Ballot By Mail Applications are available at the link in the line above.) Expected absence from the County during both the early voting period and on Election Day. (These ballots may only be mailed to an address outside of Fort Bend County.) Disability 65 years of age or older Confinement in jail and not finally convicted of a felony For more information about voting by mail, please contact the Office of Elections Administration at 281-341-8670 or at [email protected]. While we strongly encourage voters to vote in EVERY election, you do not have to vote on every position on the ballot. Your votes count even if you skip some races. This Guide will provide you with links to each candidate on the ballot, IF the candidate has a campaign website, Facebook page or Twitter. We provide an email address when possible. iF YOu rEquEST a mail ballOT FOr ONE ElECTiON, YOu will auTOmaTiCallY rECEivE ballOTS FOr all ElECTiONS iN ThaT CalENdar YEar! Have You Ever Thought About Becoming An Election Worker? Election Workers work at the polls on election day and during early voting to ensure voters are able to exercise their rights in an honest and well-organized manner. You are eligible if you: √ are registered to vote in Fort Bend County √ do not hold an elected office or are not the employee of an elected official √ enjoy interaction with the public, are detail-oriented, able to take direction well and √ not easily distracted Yes, election workers are paid for the days they work during the election process. For more information: 281-341-8670 or www.fortbendcounty - Click on Departments/Elections/General Information/Become an Election Worker. NOTE: True to 2020 form, there have been repeated changes to the process. On September 25, 2020 Straight Party Voting was back on the ballot! I am unable to promise it will still be there by the time you vote, however, at the time we are going into distribution, voters MAY VOTE straight party. NOTE: School District and Municipal Elections are at the bottom of the ballot along with other ballot measures. City and School District races are non-partisan! Please don’t miss these races! This Guide is color coded. With respect to a Candidate’s party affiliation If the Candidate’s name is in a Red Box, he/she is Running As a Republican If the Candidate’s name is in a Blue Box, he/she is Running as a Democrat If the Candidate’s name is in a Purple Box, he/she is a Libertarian If the Candidate’s name is in a Green Box, he/she is running as a GREEN Party Candidate 6 President of the United States The President is the head of state and head of government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. There are only three qualifications for the Presidency — the President must be at least 35 years of age, be a natural born citizen, and must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years. Elected 2016 - Real Estate Entrepreneur Running Mate: Mike Pence Trump was elected President in the largest electoral college landslide for a Republican in 28 years. President Trump is working hard to: lower taxes, repeal and replace Obamacare, end stifling regulations, protect our borders, keep jobs in our country, take care of our veterans, strengthen our military and law enforcement, and renegotiate bad trade deals, creating a government of, by and for the people.