Texas County GOP to host commissioner candidate forum in Guymon

Texas County Republicans will put District 1 and District 3 commissioner candidates before voters in Guymon on Monday evening, giving residents an early look at two county offices that will be decided in the June 16 primary.

The meeting is set for 6 p.m. on May 18. Candidates for the District 1 and District 3 commissioner seats will speak as the party uses its monthly gathering to help voters compare the people who would help shape county decisions on roads, budgets, emergency response, fairgrounds and support for local agriculture and business growth.

Those two commissioner seats are among the Texas County offices on the ballot in Oklahoma’s primary election, along with county treasurer and county assessor. Candidate filing for county, state, legislative and judicial offices ran April 1 through April 3, and the Oklahoma State Election Board says the official candidate list will be used to print state ballots.

The calendar is tight from here. Voter registration for the June 16 primary closes May 22, absentee ballot requests are due June 1, and early voting runs Thursday, June 11 through Saturday, June 13. On Election Day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Texas County’s current commissioners are Darrell Edwards in District 1, Dolan Sledge in District 2 and Levi Bickford in District 3, according to the county’s official listings. That makes the Guymon forum particularly significant for voters who want to size up the District 1 and District 3 races before ballots are cast.

The Texas County election office in Guymon keeps voter registration records and administers local elections, putting it at the center of the county’s final stretch toward the primary. The Republican Party has already used its monthly meetings to feature candidates, including an April session that brought gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei and Commissioner Darrell Edwards before local voters.