By RAY QUIROGA
publisher@sbnewspaper.com
Early voting for the local school board of trustees, city commission seats, and Drainage District #3 began on Monday, April 20, and will continue through Tuesday, April 28, at the San Benito Community Building, 210 E. Heywood St., San Benito.
Other polling locations of note include the Rio Hondo Municipal Center, 121 N Arroyo Blvd., Rio Hondo; the Los Fresnos Community Center, 204 N. Brazil St., Los Fresnos; and the Los Indios Community Center, 309 E. Heywood St., Los Indios, for those communities’ respective elections.
Polls are open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Polls are closed on Sunday, April 26, and were also closed on Tuesday, April 21, due to San Jacinto Day, a state holiday.
The candidates for the May 2, 2026, City of San Benito General Election include retired law enforcement officer Daniel Cortez, who is running for Commissioner, Pl. 2. He is facing incumbent Deborah A. Morales, who is seeking reelection.
Ricardo “Rick” Guerra, a veteran on the commission, a retired firefighter, and the current San Benito Mayor, is fighting to retain his position as San Benito Mayor against City Commissioner and former Mayor Pro Tem Pedro A. Galvan, Pharm D., who lists his occupation as pharmacist.
Real estate broker Thomas W. Goodman is running for reelection to the commission at Place 1. He faces challenger Ricardo Perez, Jr., who listed himself as self-employed.
Line mechanic Victor Manuel Gonzalez is running unopposed in a special election to fill Commissioner Galvan’s unexpired term for Pl. 3. Galvan’s seat will be vacated in May because he filed to run for mayor.
For the San Benito CISD School Board of Trustees election, longtime trustee Orlando “Papas” Lopez is unopposed in Pl. 4.
For Pl. 5, retired educator and former San Benito High School teacher/coach Abel “Sonny” Fonseca is seeking the trustees’ seat against incumbent Rudy Corona, an AT&T employee.
Incumbent Alex Reyna aims to hold his Pl. 6 seat against Primera City Manager Celina Gonzales and home health professional Linda Garza.
In Pl. 7, incumbent Frutoso M. Gomez, Jr. faces challenger Roel Abrego, who lists HVAC Technician as his profession.
Embattled incumbent board member Ronaldo “Ronnie” Garcia is running for reelection to the Cameron County Drainage District No. 3 Board of Directors, Pl. 2, against challenger Jay Humphreys, while incumbent Luis A. Barrera is running unopposed for Pl. 1.
Last month, Cameron County Drainage District No. 3 found itself at the center of a scandal that led to the arrest of current and former district officials, including Garcia.
State authorities arrested Garcia, who was serving as the Drainage District’s president, the former general manager, and a former board member. All were charged with misapplication of fiduciary property valued between $30,000 and $150,000.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) led the investigation.
Garcia and Randall McMurray, a former director and secretary, each face one charge. Sonia Lambert, the entity’s longtime and well-liked former general manager, was arrested on two counts.
Lambert served as the entity’s GM from 1999 until her retirement in 2024.
According to DPS, an investigation into abuse of official capacity was opened in October 2025 after a complaint alleged that an elected district board member falsified government records to obtain reimbursements for services not rendered.
As of Wednesday evening’s totals, some 544 votes have been cast in that election. Meanwhile, in the San Benito School District races, another 547 ballots have been cast, and 448 ballots have been cast in the City election.
Voting totals through Wednesday show that 552 voters have cast their early ballots at the Community Building, with 251 tabulated on Monday and 301 on Wednesday.
The seven forms of approved photo ID are: Texas driver’s license issued by DPS, Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS, Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS, Texas Handgun License issued by DPS, United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph, United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph, and United States Passport (book or card).
Registered voters have the opportunity to use additional supporting documents to cast their ballot if they are unable to obtain an acceptable form of photo identification.
If a voter does not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of the seven forms of approved photo ID, the voter may vote by (1) signing a declaration of impediment at the polls explaining why the voter is reasonably unable to obtain one of the seven forms of approved photo ID, and (2) providing one of several forms of supporting documentation: a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or a document confirming birth that is admissible in a court of law and establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document); a current utility bill, a bank statement, a government check, a paycheck, or a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address (which may include the voter’s voter registration certificate).
In the San Benito area, May 2 Election Day polling locations are:
- San Benito Community Bldg., 210 E. Heywood St., San Benito,
- Sullivan Environmental Science Academy, 900 Elizabeth St., San Benito,
- Los Indios Community Center, 309 E. Heywood St., Los Indios,
- Fred Booth Global Leadership Academy, 705 Zaragoza St., San Benito,
- La Paloma Elementary School, 35076 Padilla St., San Benito,
- And the UTRGV Clinical Education Building, 2102 Treasure Hills Blvd. Harlingen.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day. For more information, contact the Cameron County Election Administration Office at (956) 544-0809.