Voting this year takes place on Tuesday November 4, 2014.  Austin County News Online has tried to make voting this year easier by doing all the searching on the web for you for candidates websites as well as other things.  Our voters guide below is full of links to your respective precincts ballot as well as explanations of each position, who the candidates are links to their websites (if they had one).  We hope that this guide helps you to make an informed and educated decision when selecting the candidates for the job they are running for.

The Ballots

If you would like to see what the actual ballot will look like, you can download your precincts ballot and view it in pdf format.  If you do not have Adobe Acrobat you can go HERE and download it free:

2014 Ballot Austin County Precinct 1 2014 Ballot Austin County Precinct 2 2014 Ballot Austin County Precinct 3 2014 Ballot Austin County Precinct 4

The Political Partys

There are 4 political party’s to choose candidates from on this years ballot.  (the party’s names are links to their respective websites):

Republican Party of Texas Democratic Party of Texas Libertarian Party of Texas Green Party of Texas

The Federal Level Positions & Candidates

  The U.S. Senate together with the U.S. House of Representatives makes up the U.S. Congress.

U.S. Senate Candidates John Cornyn (R) David M. Alameel (D) Rebecca Paddock (L) Emily “Spicybrown” Sanchez (GRN)

  The U.S House Of Representatives District 10 together with the U.S. Senate makes up the U.S. Congress.

U.S. House Of Representative Candidates Michael McCaul (R) Tawanna Walter-Cadien (D) Bill Kelsey  (L)

The State Level Positions

  The Governor of Texas – The governor of Texas is the chief executive of the state and is elected by the citizens every four years.  The governor makes policy recommendations that lawmakers in both the state House and Senate chambers may sponsor and introduce as bills. The governor also appoints the Secretary of State, as well as members of boards and commissions who oversee the heads of state agencies and departments.  For a complete list of duties go HERE.

Governor of Texas Candidates Greg Abbott (R) Wendy R. Davis (D) Kathie Glass (L) Brandon Palmer (GRN)

Lieutenant Governor – The Texas Constitution gives the Lieutenant Governor the right to debate and vote on all issues when the Senate sits as a Committee of the Whole. And his Constitutional role as President of the Senate also gives the Lieutenant Governor the right to cast the deciding vote in the case of a Senate tie.  For a complete list of duties go HERE.

Lieutenant Governor Candidates Dan Patrick (R) Leticia Van de Putte (D) Robert D. Butler (L) Chandrakantha Courtney (GRN)

Attorney General – serves as legal counsel to all boards and agencies of state government, issues legal opinions when requested by the Governor, heads of state agencies and other officials and agencies as provided by Texas statutes, sits as an ex-officio member of state committees and commissions, and defends challenges to state laws and suits against both state agencies and individual employees of the State.  For a complete list of duties go HERE.

Attorney General Candidates Ken Paxton (R) Sam Houston (D) Jamie Baiagia (L) Jamar Osborne (GRN)

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts – collects substantially all tax revenue owed to the State of Texas. As Texas uses a unified collection system for sales taxes assessed by both state and local governments, the comptroller’s office is responsible for collecting and remitting the local portion of this tax revenue to the various cities, counties, and special districts throughout the state. The comptroller’s office also operates the various prepaid college tuition funds operated by the state through its Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board, provides reports on fiscal management and economic forecasts, and manages the unclaimed property fund. As part of its fiscal management responsibilities, Article III, Section 49a of the Texas Constitution requires the comptroller to certify to the Texas legislature the amount of available cash on hand and anticipated revenues for the next biennium (the two-year period beginning on September 1 of odd-numbered years). The Legislature is not permitted to appropriate any funds in excess of the comptroller’s certified amounts (except in cases of emergency and then only with a four-fifths vote of both chambers), and absent the latter the comptroller is required to reject and return to the legislature any appropriation in violation of this requirement.

Texas Comptroller Candidates Glenn Hegar (R) Mike Collier (D) Ben Sanders (L) Deb Shafto (GRN)

  Commissioner of the General Land Office – is a state agency of Texas that manages state-controlled lands and mineral rights properties.  For a list of duties click HERE.

Land Office Commissioner Candidates George P. Bush (R) John Cook (D) Justin Knight (L) Valerie Alessi (GRN)

Texas Commissioner of Agriculture – is a state executive position in the Texas state government. The commissioner oversees a variety of programs aimed at promoting the agricultural economy and encouraging healthy living.

Agriculture Commissioner Candidates Sid Miller (R) Jim Hogan (D) David “Rocky” Palmquist (L) Kenneth Kendrick (GRN)

Railroad Commissioner – state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, natural gas utilities, pipeline safety, the natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline industry and surface coal and uranium mining in Texas.  For more information on the Railroad Commission go HERE.

Railroad Commissioner Candidates Ryan Sitton (R) Steve Brown (D) Mark A. Miller (L) Martina Salinas (GRN)

Texas Supreme Court – hears appeals involving civil matters and does not hear any appeals involving criminal matters except when the defendant is a juvenile. Under Texas law, juvenile proceedings (even those involving criminal activity) are considered civil matters; thus, the Texas Supreme Court hears such appeals, but it defers to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in matters where the Texas Penal Code must be interpreted. The Supreme Court also maintains responsibility for attorney licensing and discipline.

Chief Justice, Texas Supreme Court Candidates Nathan Hecht (R) William Moody (D) Tom Oxford (L)

Justice Supreme Court Place 7 Candidates Jeff Boyd (R) Gina Benavides (D) Don Fulton (L) Charles E. Waterbury (GRN)

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals – hears appeals on criminal cases excluding those involving juvenile proceedings. Cases in which the death penalty was imposed are directly and automatically appealed to this court, bypassing the lower Courts of Appeals.

Judge Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3 Candidates Bert Richardson (R) John Granberg (D) Mark W. Bennett (L)

Judge Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4 Candidates Kevin Patrick Yeary (R) Quanah Parker (L) Judith Sanders-Castro (GRN)

Judge Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9 Candidates David Newell (R) William Bryan Strange, III (L) George Joseph Altgelt (GRN)

  State Representative District 13 – The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Texas House elections are held every two years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits.

Lois W. Kolkhorst (R)

Texas Court of Appeal – Texas has 14 Courts of Appeals, which have intermediate appellate jurisdiction in both civil and criminal cases.  The First Court of Appeals covers: Houston (formerly Galveston), covering Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Harris, Waller, and Washington counties.  The First Court of Appeals has a total of 9 justices.  All cases are heard by a three-justice panel unless a hearing en banc (the entire bench) is ordered. The Texas Legislature determines which counties are assigned to a court, and has shifted counties between courts to balance the docket.  (Death penalty cases are automatically appealed to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and bypass this level)

Justice, 1st Court of Appeals District, Place 3 Candidates Russell Lloyd (R) Jim Sharp (D)

Justice, 1st Court of Appeals District, Place 5 Candidates Laura Carter Higley (R)

Chief Justice, 14th Court of Appeals District Candidates Kem Thompson Frost (R) Kyle Carter (L)

Justice, 14th Court of Appeals District, Place 4, Unexpired Term Candidates Marc Brown (R)

Justice, 14th Court of Appeals District, Place 7 Candidates Ken Wise (R) Gordon Goodman (D)

County Level Positions 

All positions in Austin County are running unopposed. County Judge – Tim Lapham (R) Judge County Court at Law – Daniel W. Leedy (R) District Clerk – Sue Murphy (R) County Clerk – Carrie Gregor (R) County Treasurer – Bryan Haevischer (R) Justice of the Peace Precinct No. 1 – Rick Yancey (R)  

Proposed Constitutional Amendment

“The constitutional amendment providing for the use and dedication of certain money transferred to the state highway fund to assist in the completion of transportation construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation projects not to include toll roads.”

There have been several articles written about this amendment both pro and con.  Below are some articles to read to help you make your decision. TxDot’s Debt, Texas Roads, & Prop 1; What You Should Know – Austin County News Online.com Prop 1 On A Collision Course With Texas Taxpayers – Examiner.com

Prop 1 vs. Prop 1 [VIDEO] – KXAN News, Austin TX

2014 Voter’s Guide For The Texas Constitutional Amendment, Proposition 1 – hardhatters.com

Can Proposition 1 save Texas roads? [VIDEO] – KPRC – Houston