Three Ector County races are headed to a May runoff.
Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett said following Tuesday’s count of provisional ballots and the meeting of the ballot board there were still two precinct chair slots tied.
Ector County precinct chair races brought massive change to the local GOP with Donna Kelm defeating longtime incumbent Tisha Crow 4,954 to 3,775. Most of a group of newcomer candidates supporting Kelm also kicked out many of Crow’s longtime supporters.
Two of the precinct chair races ended in ties. In Precinct 205, Crow’s candidate Dale Barnes got 142 votes as did Kelm’s supporter Charles Pierce. In Precinct 310, Crow’s candidate Jaime Mendoza received 68 votes as did Kelm’s supporter Randy Elam.
Fawcett via text said June 17 is when Kelm and new precinct chairs will take office. The runoff is May 28.
Those two races will be on the ballot along with a runoff for justice of the peace in Precinct 1 between Jennifer Mahan-Woodall and incumbent Carlos Chavez.
Mahan-Woodall and Chavez are heading for a runoff May 28.
Chavez, a longtime lawman, was seeking a full term as Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace after being named to the post in April 2023 following JP Terry Lange’s retirement. Lange is supporting Chavez.
Chavez, 59, served with the Odessa Police Department for more than 30 years and touts his background in law enforcement and his ability to conduct business in Spanish as critical qualifications to residents in the sprawling precinct.
Mahan-Woodall is an office manager at Brown Oilfield Services.
