Why Does District 1 Need a Special Election This Year?

Lubbock is buzzing with all the voting going on, and District 1 is no exception. With current Councilman Victor Hernandez running for mayor, a replacement is needed.

In January, when Councilman Hernandez filed to run for Mayor he also automatically resigned from his District 1 spot. Hernandez was allowed to stay on the council for a period of time known as a hold-over, but he must be replaced since he gave up his District 1 spot in order pursue the higher office.

"If they file for another office, it's considered an automatic resignation if they have more a year left on their term," Lubbock City Secretary Rebecca Garza said. "That's actually what happened with Councilman Hernandez, filed for mayor, and he's got more than a year left, so it's an automatic resignation."

The four candidates running are Ben Medina, Tristan Ramirez, Tiger Pratt and Sheila Paterson-Harris. These candidates will only fill the spot Hernandez left the district with. The seat will be up for re-election in 2018 since Hernandez left his spot with two years left to represent the district.

The special election will be on May 7 along with the general election.

[Via Everything Lubbock]