Early voting kicks off

NEWS Staff Report

Early voting for the May 3, 2025, General and Special Elections in Cameron County began on April 22 and runs through April 29, 2025.

On the ballot for San Benito voters is the Port Isabel-San Benito Navigation District [PISBND] Election.

Running for Commissioner Place 1 are Alejandro Guadalupe Leal, Janie G. Silva, and Duvie Alcozer Woods. For Place 2, the candidates are Joe Martinez and Victor Eloy Rosas.

In a controversial measure, the PISBND board voted to conduct the election in-house, citing cost, thus limiting voting locales to the PISBND headquarters located in Port Isabel or by mail-in ballot.

Leal, Silva, and Rosas stem from San Benito while Woods and Martinez are from the Laguna Madre area.

Early Voting for the PISBND General Election runs from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. until April 29. The entity’s offices are located at 250 Industrial Drive in Port Isabel.

Cameron County voters can also vote for or against Proposition “A,” which authorizes the renovation, planning, acquisition, development, construction, equipment, and expansion of a multipurpose arena and any related infrastructure.

According to the Cameron County website, Prop “A” also authorizes the use of the existing hotel occupancy tax at the rate of two percent of the price paid for a room in a hotel located in Cameron County, and authorizes the use of the existing short term motor vehicle rental tax at a rate of five percent on the gross rental receipts from the rental of motor vehicles in Cameron County.

Prop “A” also imposes an admissions tax at a rate not to exceed ten percent on the price of each ticket sold as admission to an event held at the Cameron County Arena Development Project. If approved, the maximum hotel occupancy tax rate imposed from all sources in Cameron County would be 17 percent of the price paid for a room in a hotel.

In San Benito, early voting is being held at the Community Building, 210 E. Heywood in San Benito. Polls are opening Mon.-Fri. from 9 a.m.–7 p.m. through Apr. 29, 2025 and from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 26.

Election Day is Saturday, May 3.