Jim Wells County voters head to runoff polls, early voting opens Monday

Jim Wells County voters had a narrow window to settle the Texas primary runoff, with familiar polling sites in Alice, Orange Grove and Premont giving residents a local path to the ballot box before Election Day Tuesday.

Early voting ran from May 18 through May 22, and county voters could cast ballots at the Jim Wells County Annex Building in Alice, Orange Grove City Hall, the Premont ISD Administration Building and the BBPB Bus Barn in Alice. In a county that covers about 845 square miles, those nearby locations mattered as much as the races themselves.

The runoff carries real weight because it helps determine who reaches the November ballot. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson has said runoff elections are an important part of deciding who represents Texans in the fall. Under state rules, a primary runoff happens when no candidate in a party primary wins more than 50 percent. Voters who participated in the March Democratic primary can vote only in the Democratic runoff, and March Republican primary voters can vote only in the Republican runoff. Registered voters who skipped both primaries and are not affiliated with a third party may choose either party’s runoff.

State law also requires ID for in-person voting and bars cell phones and other wireless communication devices inside the voting room. Written notes and printed sample ballots are allowed, a practical detail for voters who want to keep their choices straight before they reach the booth.

The deadline pressure extends beyond the polling place. Election Day for the runoff is Tuesday, May 26, and mail-in ballots must be postmarked by that day and received by 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 27. Jim Wells County officials also posted daily runoff notices during the early-voting period, including vote-history and ballots-by-mail updates, a sign that administrators were watching turnout closely as the short voting window moved toward closing.

The local geography helps explain why access matters. Alice is the county seat and largest town, Orange Grove sits about 18 miles north of Alice, and Premont is about 26 miles south on U.S. Highway 281. Jim Wells County’s population was 38,891 in the 2020 census and is estimated at 38,804 in July 2025, with 79.8 percent of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino and 48.2 percent speaking a language other than English at home. In a county like that, where communities are spread between rail towns, highway stops and rural stretches, turnout in a compressed runoff can still shape who gets a say in November.