Editor’s Note: State Bar of Texas President Randy Sorrels and Executive Director Trey Apffel issued the following message to members on Thursday. It includes links to new messages from president-elect candidates Pablo Almaguer and Sylvia Borunda Firth.
We’re writing to share the latest messages from State Bar president-elect candidates Pablo Almaguer and Sylvia Borunda Firth and to ensure you are aware of an important change to the 2020 State Bar elections. (Scroll down to read the candidates’ messages.)
The State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association elections will proceed starting April 1. However, voting will be online only due to uncertainty regarding the ability of the State Bar’s election vendor to receive and process paper ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure Texas lawyers have ample time to vote, the Nominations and Elections Subcommittee of the State Bar Board of Directors agreed to extend the voting period by one month, until May 29. The Supreme Court signed an order to implement this change.
Although we face challenging days, we believe it is important to continue the self-governance of the bar. By electing the president-elect and district directors, Texas lawyers can exercise their right to self-governance and ensure the board of directors continues to fulfill the bar’s mission and statutory purposes.
In an effort to encourage voter participation and educate members on the president-elect candidates’ platforms, the State Bar is distributing messages submitted by the candidates addressing topics of their choosing. Their latest messages are available at the links below.
Note: Opinions expressed by the candidates do not necessarily reflect the views of the State Bar of Texas.
Pablo Almaguer |
Sylvia Borunda Firth |
| Click here to read Pablo Almaguer’s message. | Click here to read Sylvia Borunda Firth’s message. |
On April 1, attorneys eligible to vote will be mailed an election packet that includes candidate brochures, and instructions on how to cast their vote online. An email also will be sent to attorneys with instructions on how to vote online. Be sure to check your spam filter. Election emails are sent by the State Bar’s election provider, Election Services Corporation, from statebaroftexas@electionservicescorp.com.
The election packet and email will contain a voter authorization number (VAN) with instructions on how to vote online. Attorneys may use this VAN and their bar card number to log on to the election website to cast their ballot. If attorneys do not have their VAN, they can also go to the State Bar website, texasbar.com, to cast their vote during the voting period.
More information on the election is available at texasbar.com/election.
Please visit the State Bar of Texas’ coronavirus information page at texasbar.com/coronavirus for up-to-date information on guidance from the courts, Texas Supreme Court orders, helpful CLE webcasts, and other attorney resources. As always, please let us know if there are needs you think the State Bar can address within its statutory purposes.
Sincerely,
Randy Sorrels, President
randy.sorrels@texasbar.com
Trey Apffel, Executive Director
trey.apffel@texasbar.com