Voters’ Guide March PRIMARY Non Republican Partisan and Ballot Unbiased March 6, 2018 Greater Fort Bend County Created by the write idea INDEX Position Page Voter Information 3-5 U. S. Senator 7 U. S. Representative (Congress), District 22 8 Governor 9 Lieutenant Governor 10 Attorney General 11 Comptroller of Public Accounts 11 Commissioner of the General Land Office 12 Commissioner of Agriculture 13 Railroad Commissioner 14 Justice, Supreme Court 15 Presiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals 16 Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals - Places 7 and 8 17-18 Member, State Board of Education, District 7 19 State Senator, District 17 20 State Representatives, Districts 26, 28 and 85 21 Justice, 1st Court of Appeals 22-24 Justice, 14th Court of Appeals 25-26 District Judge - 240th, 268th, 328th and 458th 27-29 District Attorney 30 County Judge 31 Judge, County Court At Law - Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 32-34 District Clerk 35 County Clerk 35 County Treasurer 36 County Commissioner, Precinct 4 37 Justice of the Peace, Precincts 1, Place 2, Precincts 3 and 4 38-39 Republican Party County Chair 40 Precinct Chairs 40 Republican Ballot Propositions 1-11 41 Early Voting Locations 42 Election Day Voting Locations 43-44 Acknowledgements 44 Republican Candidates - Alphabetically 46-47 You may view EXACTLY who is on YOUR PRECINCT’s ballot, by clicking HERE. Republican ballots are at the top. Scroll down to view Democrat ballots. 3 This non-partisan Voters’ Guide is meant to assist and inform voters. An educated citizenry is vital to the election process. This 2018 Texas Primary Election Pamphlet provides information about candidates and issues appearing on the Texas ballot in March. It is meant simply to be a resource for Fort Bend County voters. Every effort was made to include all candidates and to place candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot. NOTE: Third Party Candidates will appear in the General Election Guide. There was no charge to be included in this guide. Content on these pages was taken from candidate web- sites and, where possible, sent to the individual candidates for verification. Please note that some candidates did not respond to our request for confirmation of their information, a few were unreachable. This Guide makes no endorsements explicit or implied. Candidates were given the opportunity to purchase ad space if they wished to expand on the information we included. Ads purchased by candidates are easily identified by format. This Guide is compiled by the write idea as a voter tool. It has been distributed via the internet for over 10 years. If you are not on our distribution list and wish to receive a free electronic copy of the May 2018 Guide - City and School Board elections - please send an email to: [email protected]. Write “FBCVG” in the subject line and your copy will be emailed to you shortly before early voting begins. Sue Hauenstein the write idea Important dates for the March 2018 Primary Election Early voting Tuesday, February 20 thru Friday, March 2, 2018 Early voting locations and hours are listed elsewhere in this guide. The General Election will take place on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. The final list of polling locations can be found by clicking HERE. We have included a list of precinct chairs as obtained from party websites. NOTE: Readers should be able to visit candidate web sites, Facebook pages and/or Twitter pages, by clicking on the link included in each entry. This should work for the email addresses also. Fort Bend County Voters may vote at ANY Fort Bend County Polling Location General Voter Information The Primary election will take place on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. Two elections are being held simultaneously. You must choose to vote in either the Democratic or the Republican Primary. You will be directed as you check in. Early voting begins on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 The last day for early voting is Friday, March 2, 2018. If a run-off is necessary, you will be able to vote ONLY in the election for the party you originally selected. Primary Runoff Election Date (if necessary) - Tuesday, May 22, 2018 First Day of Early Voting for Run-off - Monday, May 14, 2018 Last Day of Early Voting for Run-off - Friday, May 18, 2018 Voter ID All voters will be asked to show one form of photo identification at the polling location before the voter will be permitted to cast a vote. Acceptable Forms of ID The following forms of ID must be unexpired or expired less than 4 years. ➢ Texas Driver’s License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) ➢ Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS ➢ Texas Concealed Handgun License issued by DPS OR ➢ Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS ➢ United States military identification card containing your photograph ➢ United States citizenship certificate containing your photograph ➢ United States passport There are provisions for voters with disabilities, religious and natural disaster exemptions, similar names, and other. Please take a few moments to look at the Fort Bend County Elections Office website for detailed information. CLICK HERE. 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 Click HERE. BALLOT BY MAIL iF You request a mail ballot for one election, you will automatically receive ballots for all elections in that calendar year! 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. · Expected absence from the County during both the early voting period and on Election Day. (The ballot must be mailed to an address outside the county.) · Disability · 65 years of age or older · Confinement in jail and not finally convicted of a felony You must make a written request for a ballot by mail. In applying, you must: · State the address at which you are registered to vote. · Give one of the reasons listed above for requesting a ballot. · Provide the address to which you want the ballot mailed. If the ballot is not being mailed outside the County, nor to the address at which you are registered, then you must provide a description of that such as nursing home, hospital, etc. You must sign the application For more information about voting by mail, please contact the Office of Elections Administration at 281-341-8670 or at [email protected]. You do not have to vote on every item on the ballot. Your votes count even if you skip one or more races. NOTE: You must request the ballot of your preferred party in this election. If there is a run-off election, you may vote ONLY for candidates of the party you declared in the March Primary. In the November General Election, you may vote for any candidate from any political party. It will not matter which political primary you selected in the Primary. Candidate entries are color coded - Blue for Democrats and Red for Republican. On The Republican Ballot Statewide & District Positions March 6, 2018 7 U. S. Senator Six year terms -staggered- 1/3rd every two years. Each state has two Senators. Candidates must be at least 30 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years, and a resident of the state they wish to represent. U. S. Senators represent the entire state. Amongst their responsibilities: confirmation of Cabinet Secretaries, Supreme Court Justices, Federal Judges, and Ambassadors, and other federal uniformed officers. The Vice President serves as the Presiding Officer of the U.S. Senate. Mary Miller CPA Americans want more money in the pockets of the middle and working classes in order to build a strong economy by strengthening our infrastructure, with special focus on cyber-threats, cutting tax- es, offering medical care at a reasonable cost, and returning the funds [email protected] we paid into the social security system when we reach retirement age. Stefano DeStefano Attorney - Energy Field DeStefano is running to bring some reason and a pragmatic approach to governing back to the U.S. Senate. He is committed to leading on the issues where we can find common ground to create positive solutions that matter to Texas and the nation. View the candidate’s stance on issues (the economy, jobs, immigration, and more) on his website. Ted Cruz - I U. S. Senator - elected 2012 Ted Cruz has consistently: Defended our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms | Led the fight to stop amnesty, and championed creative solutions to fund the border security we need to keep us safe | Passed legislation to fund and guide NASA | [email protected] Advocated for our military. Ted Cruz has proven to be a passionate and effective fighter for limited government, economic growth, and the Constitution. Bruce Jacobson Jr. Christian TV Executive Former political appointee for both the administrations of President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush. During the Reagan administration, Bruce served in the U.S. Department of Transportation as a staff assistant to the Assistant Secretary of [email protected] Congressional Affairs.