Collin County Precinct 3 Commissioner Chris Hill announced Monday that he will be “exploring a run for Collin County judge” in 2018.

Collin County Precinct 3 Commissioner Chris Hill, second from left, announced May 8 he is exploring a run for county judge in 2018. Collin County Precinct 3 Commissioner Chris Hill, second from left, announced May 8 he is exploring a run for county judge in 2018.[/caption]

The announcement, made in Hill's personal newsletter May 8, came on the same day that Collin County Judge Keith Self announced in a blog post on his website that he will not seek re-election to the position.

Candidates running for Collin County Commissioners Court cannot file until Nov. 11, according to the Texas Secretary of State website.

The Primary Election will be held March 6, 2018, with early voting running from Feb. 20-March 2. The first day to apply for a ballot by mail is Jan. 1 and the last day to register to vote is Feb. 5.

Hill must step down from his Precinct 3 commissioner seat before he can file to run for county judge, according to the county elections office.

Hill has been the Precinct 3 commissioner—which covers a wide swath of central, north and east Collin County—since 2012.

According to his biography on the Collin County website, in addition to serving as a commissioner, Hill has also previously served as a Republican precinct chair, election judge and a delegate/alternate at Republican state conventions since 1996.