Add a couple of San Marcos political races to the list.
Specifically, local candidate Miguel Arredondo is now facing a situation in which he would have to choose between a position he has already won on Nov. 3 and one he is in contention for on Dec. 1.
Arredondo, who was re-elected to San Marcos CISD’s District 1 board position Nov. 3 by defeating challenger James Bryant Jr., has also beat out three other candidates in a pool of five to be a top vote-getter and qualify for a San Marcos mayoral race runoff.
The race for the next mayor of San Marcos will continue in a December runoff with Arredondo facing incumbent Jane Hughson. Neither Hughson nor Arredondo received more than 50% of the vote, but they received the most ballots of the five candidates in the race.
In October, officials from Hays County stated Arredondo was able to run in two races during the Nov. 3 election because the pandemic led to the postponement of what was originally to be a May 2 election for SMCISD’s districts 1, 2 and 3.
Should Arredondo end up with both wins, he will have to choose which position to take and jettison the other, according to Texas election law.
Hughson received 8,902 votes—44.75%—and Arredondo had 6,502—32.69%. The runoff is tentatively set for Dec. 1, according to a spokesperson for the city of San Marcos.
If Arredondo ends up winning the runoff race against Hughson, he said in an email statement he would accept that position.
“If the voters elect me as their next mayor, I will, due to state election law, be forced to resign from the school board," Arredondo said. "If that were to happen, I am confident that my colleagues on the school board, including trustee-elect [Mayra] Mejia, would appoint a replacement trustee who will serve District One voters well.”
Regarding what SMCISD will do in the event Arredondo resigns, Texas Election Code states that if a vacancy occurs on a school board within the state, the remaining board members may fill the vacancy by appointment until the next trustee election or may order a special election to fill the vacancy.
Results are unofficial until they are canvassed and certified by the county clerk. Under Texas election law, the clerk accepts and counts mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 4, if they were sent from inside the U.S., or Nov. 9 if they were sent from outside the U.S.
