Bell County

A rematch of 2022, when Whitson won 54.5% to 45.5%. Both seem decent, so this is a toss-up; our pick goes to the Democrat, who is closer to center-left.

Open seat. Commissioner Louie Minor, a Democrat, lost the March primary to Wilkerson, about 65% to 35%.

Covers much of Killeen and Harker Heights. Incumbent Nicola James lost the Democratic primary.

Nonpartisan. Under a 2025 state law, voters now elect three members of the board that oversees property appraisals. We found nothing published about these candidates. Place 2: James Butts, Paul Strang, Gwendolyn Everett. Place 3: Charles Wilson, Cheyenne Minick. Place 1 (Kevin Koch) is unopposed.

County Judge (David Blackburn), County Courts at Law No. 1 (Paul Motz), No. 2 (John Mischtian) and No. 3 (John Gauntt, Jr.), District Clerk (Lacey Martindale), County Clerk (Shelley Coston), County Treasurer (Adriane Hodges), 169th District Judge (Cari Starritt-Burnett), 264th District Judge (Paul L. LePak), 478th District Judge (Wade Faulkner), and Justices of the Peace in Precinct 1 (Patrick "Pat" Patterson), Precinct 2 (Michael Tice) and Precinct 3, Place 2 (Larry Wilkey). All are Republicans.

Nonpartisan; we haven't profiled these. Nolanville: Mayor (James Lynn Bilberry, John David Campbell); Council Seat 1 (Zonte Pendergrass, Russell Wayne Winchell); Council Seat 3 (Martin E. Hennessy, Tanara Grisham). Copperas Cove ISD, for the few Bell County voters inside the district: Place 5, unexpired term (James Ortiz, Emily Urquidez); Place 6 (Trang Nguyen, Inez Faison); Place 7 (Jeff Gorres, J.C. Stubbs).

• Prop A: Creates a hospital district and lets it levy a property tax of up to 75 cents per $100 of value. A board appointed by the commissioners would set the actual rate.

• Prop A: Moves regular elections for mayor and council from May to the November uniform election date in odd-numbered years.
• Prop B: Repeals the rule that a council member must resign when filing to run for a different council office.
• Prop C: Has the remaining council fill any council vacancy by majority vote, with a special election only if the council loses its quorum.
• Prop D: Gives the city secretary 30 days instead of 10 to certify an initiative or referendum petition, and gives petitioners the same time to fix a deficient one.
• Prop E: Bars the council from adopting, or putting to voters, a citizen-initiated ordinance that conflicts with state law.
• Prop F: Requires a recall petition to allege incompetence, official misconduct or malfeasance in office.
• Prop G: Gives the city secretary 5 days instead of 1 to provide recall petition forms.
• Prop H: Requires anyone filing to recall a district council member to live in that district.

• Prop A: $15 million in bonds for the Sammons Community Center. Includes a tax increase.

• Prop A: Deletes the charter section that lets the council create council wards.
• Prop B: Requires candidates for mayor or council to have lived in the city for the 12 months before the filing deadline.
• Prop C: Removes the mayor's power to appoint advisory boards with council consent, and spells out that the mayor presides and votes only to break ties, with no veto.
• Prop D: Lets the council decide whether three missed meetings in a row are excused before a member forfeits office.
• Prop E: Makes the council the final authority on whether and when a forfeiture of office has occurred.
• Prop F: Has the council appoint someone within 90 days to fill a vacancy, serving until the next November city election.
• Prop G: Limits anyone to four two-year terms in any one city office.
• Prop H: Drops the requirement to publish franchise ordinances in the newspaper before they take effect.
• Prop I: Gives the council 60 days instead of 30 to repeal a referendum ordinance or send it to voters.

• Prop A: Confirms creation of Bell County Emergency Services District No. 3 and lets it levy a property tax of up to 10 cents per $100 of value.

A tax ratification election asks voters to approve a rate the school board already adopted. Refunding bonds refinance existing debt.

• Bartlett ISD, Prop A: Ratifies a $1.2804 tax rate, an 18.17% increase in operating revenue (about $220,000).
• Bartlett ISD, Props B and C: Up to $3.3 million and $1 million in refunding bonds for 2024 maintenance tax notes and time warrants.
• Holland ISD, Prop A: Ratifies a $1.0269 tax rate, a 4.39% increase in operating revenue (about $432,918).
• Florence ISD, Prop A: Ratifies a $1.0182 tax rate, a 9.07% increase in operating revenue (about $734,420).
• Florence ISD, Prop B: $1.45 million in refunding bonds for a 2015 maintenance tax and revenue note.

• Prop A: Confirms creation of the utility district for the Solana Ranch development. The ballot labels it a tax increase.

Also on the ballot: Ted Brown (Libertarian).

Also on the ballot: Pat Dixon (Libertarian).

Also on the ballot: Anthony Cristo (Libertarian), Kevin McCormick (Green).

Also on the ballot: Tom Oxford (Libertarian).

Comptroller, Land Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner, Railroad Commissioner, the State Board of Education, and the Supreme Court and appeals court seats. We haven't profiled these yet.

A 2024 rematch; Buckley won that race 61% to 39%.

We haven't profiled judges yet. On the ballot: Cory Liu (Republican) and Darlene Byrne (Democrat). The Texas Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals and 15th Court of Appeals races are in the statewide section.