Any Plano resident who did not have the opportunity to vote early will have one last chance to cast a ballot Tuesday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. We previously shared a full list of ballot items to expect, and here is a rundown of some of the most notable contested races taking place locally:
Justice of the Peace Precinct 3-1
Incumbent Chuck Ruckel faces Democratic nominee Ramona Brumfield in a re-election bid for this Collin County seat. Justices of the peace hear traffic and other Class C misdemeanor cases up to $10,000 in damages. Justices also preside over landlord and tenant disputes, hear truancy cases and perform various magistrate duties.
Ruckel was elected to the four-year term in 2012 after retiring as head of the Field Operations Division of the Collin County Sheriff’s Office. He shares Precinct 3 with Seat 2 Justice John Payton. The precinct covers the majority of Plano as well as cities of Lucas, Murphy and Allen.
Brumfield, who ran for the position in the 2012 election, took 68 percent of the vote in the March 1 primary election. Brumfield has worked in the legal field for several years with emphasis on foreclosure processes in 12 states. Brumfield has also served as a truancy mentor and a volunteer at the Legal Aid clinic in Plano.
State Rep. District 67
State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, is running for his third term for District 67. Leach, who was first elected 2012, practices law at the law firm of Gray Reed & McGraw, P.C. in Dallas.
The Democratic candidate Scott Coleman is a public administrator in Carrollton. Ray Brewer is the Libertarian candidate.
416th District Judge
Republican Andrea Thompson and Libertarian Daniel R. Correa are running for 416th District Judge. Thompson has spent four years working at Collin County’s Clerk’s Office, during which time the office went paperless. Correa has practiced civil and commercial litigation since 2011, handling many multi-million dollar suits.
To learn more about this race and the candidates, read their Q&A here.
State Rep. District 89
Three candidates are vying for State Representative District 89. Incumbent Jodie Laubenberg, R, is currently serving her seventh term in the Texas House and is Chair of the House Committee on Elections and a member of the House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence, according to her website. She is running against Denise Hamilton, D, a substitute teacher and Collin County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), and Bob Worthington, L.
U.S. Rep., District 3
U.S. House Rep. Sam Johnson, a Republican in his 26th year representing Collin County in Texas's third congressional district, is running to retain his seat against Democrat Adam P. Bell, Libertarian Scott Jameson and Green Party candidate Paul Blair.
The incumbent Johnson serves as a deputy whip and serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee. His Democratic challenger Bell has worked in real estate since 2003, when he started his own title company.