GAINESVILLE, Texas — Cooke County voters will go to the polls Nov. 3 for the general election, with early voting beginning Oct. 19 and a Valley View ISD tax-rate question also on the ballot.
Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a proclamation ordering the general election for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, which falls on Nov. 3, 2026.
County offices on the ballot
Cooke County voters will choose candidates for county judge, county court at law judge, district clerk, county clerk, county treasurer, county commissioner for Precincts 2 and 4, and justice of the peace for Precincts 1 and 2.
Early voting
Early voting by personal appearance runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 30 at the Cooke County Courthouse Annex, 112 S. Dixon St. in Gainesville. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 19-23, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday Oct. 25, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 26-30.
Applications for a ballot by mail must be received by the close of business Oct. 23 and should be sent to Pam Harrison, Early Voting Clerk, 101 S. Dixon St., Room 108, Gainesville, TX 76240. The elections office can be reached at (940) 668-5437.
Valley View ISD tax-rate election
Valley View ISD voters will decide Proposition A, which asks whether the district may levy an ad valorem tax rate of $0.87861 per $100 of taxable assessed valuation. That rate is made up of a maintenance and operations rate of $0.7489 and a debt service rate of $0.12971.
The proposition represents an increase in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the 2026-2027 school year of 0.14 percent, or about $6,595, compared with the prior year. If voters reject the proposition, the district may not adopt a rate that exceeds its voter-approval tax rate.
Valley View ISD voters must cast their ballots at their assigned precinct polling place on Election Day. The district's polling places are Cross Timbers Church, 6134 FM 922 in Valley View; Valley View Baptist Church, 504 North Lee in Valley View; and the Era Community Center, 102 Malone St. in Era. All are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Era ISD school board
Era ISD has canceled its school board election because all candidates are unopposed. James Eaton (Place 1), Rebecca Reed (Place 2), Blake Branch (Place 3) and Samantha Freeman (Place 5) are declared elected.
Election judges
The Cooke County Commissioners Court has appointed election judges and alternate judges for each precinct for the general election, including locations at the Cooke County Annex, First Christian Church, Crossroads Baptist Church, Hillcrest Church of Christ, the Callisburg Community Center, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Woodbine Baptist Church, Cross Timbers Church, Valley View Baptist Church, the Era Community Center, Muenster VFW, First Baptist Church, the Lindsay Volunteer Fire Department, Lake Kiowa Lodge and Moss Lake Fire Station.
Voters must be registered at least 30 days before the election to be eligible. The last day to register is Oct. 5.