Early voting begins in Val Verde County for key May 2 election

Early voting opened at the Del Rio Civic Center on Veterans Boulevard with a ballot that reaches into nearly every corner of local government, from the Del Rio City Council to San Felipe Del Rio CISD and Val Verde Regional Medical Center. Voters are choosing the mayor, district council seats and an at-large place in Del Rio, four school board trustees and four hospital district board positions, plus Val Verde County (Comstock) W.C.I.D. races in the countywide uniform election.

The first-day numbers showed immediate interest. Val Verde County Clerk Teresa Esther Chapoy said 214 people voted in the city council race and 238 participated in the school district and hospital district elections, a steady start even as weather kept some residents home. For Del Rio, the race carries extra weight because Mayor Alvaro “Al” Arreola’s term expires in 2026, putting a recognizable local figure back in front of voters after years of public service on the school board, city council and hospital board.

The city ballot is centered on leadership at City Hall. Del Rio ordered the May 2 general election under Ordinance 2025-108 on Dec. 16, 2025, and its filing period for mayor, District 1, District 2 and At-Large Place C ran from Jan. 14 through Feb. 13. Municipal candidates listed by the city include Arreola, James DeReus, Efrain Valdez and Lazaro M. Castro Jr. Whoever wins will immediately shape the city’s direction, and the ballot gives voters a direct say in who manages the offices that touch daily services across Del Rio.

The school board race is just as crowded. San Felipe Del Rio CISD’s sample ballot lists contested races for Place I, Place III, Place IV and Place V, with Priscilla Aguilar and Jesus Emilio Galindo in Place I, Edward Guerrero and Linda Guanajuato-Webb in Place III, Bryan Weston in Place IV, and Leonel “Leo” Cavazos and Rebekah “Becky” Luna Chavez in Place V. Those trustees will guide district decisions that affect classrooms, campuses and the people who run them.

At the medical center, the stakes are equally practical. The Val Verde County Hospital District ballot lists Lee Keenen, Cris A. Diaz, Ramon Santellanes and Raul Alatorre in the at-large race, along with Jesus Emilio Galindo and Daniel Chartrand in Precinct 1. The Val Verde Regional Medical Center board is the elected governing body for the regional medical center, while the hospital corporation handles day-to-day operations, making these races the ones that determine who sets oversight for local care.

Early voting resumed Wednesday at the civic center after a Tuesday closure for San Jacinto Day, and continues through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., then Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and again Monday and Tuesday, April 27 and 28, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Election Day sites include the Del Rio Civic Center at 1915 Veterans Blvd., Joe Ramos Center at 1105 W. De La Rosa, Buena Vista Elementary Gym at 100 Echo Valley, City Hall Council Chambers at 109 W. Broadway and the Comstock Community Center at 68 Langtry St. The county clerk’s office administers elections countywide, and the county tax assessor serves as voter registrar.