Julye Keeble|Leader-News
Mayoral candidates (left to right) Kimberly Mata-Rubio, Cody Smith and Veronica Martinez gather in council chambers at Uvalde City Hall. A ballot order drawing took place beginning at noon on Sept. 8, and the candidates are lined up in the order their names will appear on the ballot for the Nov. 7 special municipal election.
The three mayoral candidates will be listed on the November special election ballot in the following order: Kimberly Mata-Rubio, Cody Smith, and Veronica Martinez.
The city of Uvalde held a ballot drawing on Sept. 8 at noon at city hall. All three candidates were in attendance.
City secretary Sorayda A. Sanchez directed the drawing while administrative assistant Juli Alvarado pulled papers listing the candidates’ names, read off said names and displayed them for the audience.
Candidate filing for the Nov. 7 special election for Uvalde mayor ended on Sept. 6.
Smith is a First State Bank of Uvalde senior vice president and former mayor.
Mata-Rubio is a Uvalde Leader-News advertising executive and former assistant newspaper editor.
For more information on these two candidates, please see Page 1 of the July 27, 2023, edition of the Leader-News.
Martinez said she has taught art at Dalton Elementary School for about five years. She said she would be available to meet with the newspaper on Sept. 19 for her candidate announcement.
Mayor Don McLaughlin Jr. may hold office until the election. The mayor was reelected to a four-year term in 2020 but is stepping down early to run a campaign for State Representative for District 80, up for election in 2024.
The special election is being held to fill one year remaining on McLaughlin’s term, and the slot will be up for election again in 2024.
Council members, and now the city mayor, serve four-year terms. The mayor is elected at large and council members are elected by district to a specific place on the council.
The mayor receives a $50 monthly stipend. City council members receive $25 monthly.
Voting information
City secretary Sorayda A. Sanchez said the city is contracting with county elections administrator Melissa Jones for the election.
All voting will be held in the Cactus Room at the Willie De Leon Civic Center.
Early voting will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Oct. 23 through Nov. 1.
On the last two days of early voting, Nov. 2-3, the site will be open for voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
On Nov. 7, election day, voting will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Oct. 10 is the last day to register to vote in this election. Oct. 27 is the last day to apply for ballot by mail. Ballots must be received, not just postmarked, by this date.
