Collin County Precinct 3 Commissioner Chris Hill announced he would be stepping down from his position as commissioner to file for candidacy for Collin County Judge on Friday. Hill is required to step down from his position at his Precinct 3 commissioner seat before he can file to run for county judge, according to the county elections office. On May 8, Hill announced that he would be “exploring a run for Collin County judge” in 2018 after current Collin County Judge Keith Self announced he would not be seeking reelection. 

“As your next county judge, I will continue my commitment to limiting the size of government, keeping taxes low, pursuing excellence in county government, and defending personal liberty,” Hill said in his campaign announcement.

Candidates running for offices that will appear on the primary ballot will be able to register starting Nov. 11, according to the Texas Secretary of State website.

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

Self, the current county judge, made the announcement that he would not be seeking reelection in a blog post on his site in May.

“It has been my high honor to represent Collin County for the past decade—soon to be twelve years. But I firmly believe that one should not make a long career of holding a highly visible position like county judge,” Self said in the post.