Early voting begins April 22 in Midlothian and across the state of Texas for the Saturday, May 3 joint local city and school board election, the Ellis County Elections Office announced this week.
In total, there are two seats up for grabs on the Midlothian City Council. The Midlothian Chamber of Commerce scheduled a meet-and-greet and forum for the candidates for Thursday evening at the Midlothian Conference Center at 1 Community Circle Drive.
Both seats up for a vote on the Midlothian ISD board of trustees are uncontested.
The early voting period will continue through Tuesday, April 29 and will take place at voting centers throughout Ellis County. Ellis County residents who are registered to vote may cast their ballots at any voting center within the county, regardless of residence. Voting times will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 22-25; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 26; and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 28-29.
In Midlothian, a voting center will once again be located at the Midlothian Conference Center. Other locations include the Ellis County Woman’s Building in downtown Waxahachie and the Waxahachie ISD Administration Building, as well as locations in Ennis, Palmer and Red Oak.
Election Day voting will take place at 19 locations throughout the county, including the Midlothian Conference Center; the Midlothian Church of Christ fellowship hall at 1627 North U.S. Highway 67; and the Mountain Peak Community Church at 751 West FM 875.
Runoff elections, if needed, will take place in June, according to the Elections Office.
There are only two contested races on this year’s ballot in Midlothian, and both are on the City Council.
Place 4 city councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Clark Wickliffe and Place 3 councilmember Anna Hammonds have each filed for re-election to another full three-year term on the City Council. Wickliffe is seeking a third full term, while Hammonds is seeking a second.
The Place 3 election will be a rematch of a contest three years ago in which Hammonds and former councilmember Ed Gardner competed. In 2022, Gardner and Hammonds ran a remarkably congenial campaign, which Hammonds won in a runoff.
This will be the fourth straight election season that Gardner will be in the race for a Council seat. Gardner in 2023 won a special election to fill the Place 5 seat vacated by the election of Justin Coffman to mayor, but was defeated by Ross Weaver for re-election to a full term in 2024.
Wickliffe was unopposed in his 2022 re-election bid, but this year has drawn one challenger, Valencia Daniels, a longtime notary public in the city.
Place 4 on the MISD board is being vacated by trustee Mike Dillow, who did not file for re-election to a second term. John D. Knight is the only candidate who is running for the position and will join the board in May after the votes are canvassed and certified.
In Place 5, incumbent trustee Jessica Ward has filed for re-election to a second term on the school board and is unopposed.
