Early voting is under way in Texas. Find all of our Tarrant County endorsements here | Opinion
Texans can go to the polls right now for important races in their cities, school boards and other local governments.
And they can elect three new county-level positions: members of their property-value appraisal districts, crucial bodies for determining the taxes homeowners and businesses pay.
Here are our endorsements in the biggest races in Tarrant County:
TARRANT APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD
FORT WORTH
City hotel tax for convention center renovation
ARLINGTON
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS
MANSFIELD ISD
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHey, who is behind these endorsements?
Members of the Editorial Board, which serves as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s institutional voice, decide candidates and positions to recommend to voters. The members of the board are: Cynthia M. Allen, columnist; Steve Coffman, editor and president; Bud Kennedy, columnist; and Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor.
Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
How does the process work?
The Editorial Board interviews candidates, asking about positions on issues, experience and qualifications, and how they would approach holding the office for which they are running. Board members do additional research on candidates’ backgrounds and the issues at hand. After that, members discuss the candidates and generally aim to arrive at a consensus, though not necessarily unanimity. All members contribute observations and ideas, so the resulting editorials represent the board’s view, not a particular writer.
How do partisanship and ideology factor in?
We’re not tied to one party or the other, and our positions on issues range across the ideological spectrum. We tend to prefer candidates who align with our previously stated positions, but qualifications, temperament and experience are important, too.