Filing period opens for city elections

The City Council of the City of Olney passed Ordinance O1-20 ordering a general election for one (1) Mayor and two (2) Councilmembers at their regular meeting on January 13, 2020. Those wishing to run for office need to file an Application for a Place on the City of Olney General Election Ballot, and fill out other campaign finance paperwork before they begin a campaign. There are a minimum set of qualifications an individual must meet in order to run for any office with the City. In addition to the documentation mentioned previously you must reside within the city limits of Olney, be twenty-one (21) years of age, a registered voter in the State of Texas, and have resided inside Olney for the previous twelve (12) months. If your voter registration does not reflect your current address you will need to update that information first through the Young County Elections Office. While the election will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2020 the filing period came open on January 15 and will continue through February 14, 2020 at 5:00 PM. By state law those wishing to run for office must file their paperwork with the City Secretary’s Office by the above deadline or their application will be rejected.

Election packets are available at City Hall and online at http://www.olney.tx.citygovt.org under the Elections tab. Please note that you may only run for one local office in each election meaning you cannot run with your name on the ballot for two elected positions in the same election cycle. You must be a registered voter within the city limits to vote for the Mayor or Councilmembers of Olney. Those who need to register to vote or update their voter registration in order to cast a ballot in May must do so with the Young County Elections Office by April 2, 2020.