Incumbent Mary Brown

A clerical mistake could cost a state district judge the post she’s occupied since 2014.

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If you are voting in Dallas County Tuesday, don’t get stumped when you encounter the ticket item with no choices.

No candidate is listed in the vote for 301st District Court judge, a role held since 2014 by Oak Cliff Lions Club member, Bishop Dunne alumnus and Democrat Mary Brown.

Instead of seeing Brown’s uncontested name on your ballot, you’ll be prompted to “write in” your choice.

(Can I write in my cousin’s name? He seems qualified, I wondered. Sorry, no.)

Three lawyers are running as “declared write-in candidates”: Earl Jackson (Republican), Michelle McKinney (Democrat) and Brown.

In accordance with Texas Election Code, a list of all declared write-in candidates is included in mail ballot materials sent to voters, and will be posted in each voting station during early voting and on Election Day. (I did not see this list posted, but now you know what I did not.)

This is a “highly unusual” situation, Dallas County Elections Administrator Michael Scarpello told a local news reporter.

The incumbent faults her political consultant for not filing the correct paperwork ahead of deadline, per the DMN.

“If Mary Brown had done her initial filings correctly, she’d be a shoo-in for the bench,” Republican candidate Jackson told the paper. “There’s no doubt about it.” He sees his opponent’s faux pas as an opportunity for Republicans to reclaim a seat typically held by Democrats.

Judge Brown, whose court deals with family matters such as divorces, restraining orders and child custody disputes, is presiding over some high profile cases, including a child custody case involving Jeff Younger, a politician who is fighting to stop his child’s gender transition.

Brown recently lifted restrictions that required the mother, who is a pediatrician, to live in Texas with the Younger’s kids, prompting members of Protect Kids Texas to protest near her home. (That case has been going on for years.)

A county judge presides over a five-member Commissioners Court, which has budgetary and administrative authority over county government operations. The deadline to file was last December. A Dallas County judge earns approximately $228,394 per year not counting monthly allowances.

Contrary to rumors, the absence of names on the 301st District Court item is not a mistake on the part of the Dallas County Elections Department.

“In the contest for District Judge in the 301st Judicial District, there are no candidates listed on the ballot because there is not a nominee,” according to Dallas County Elections. This “mistake” rumor has been identified as “misinformation.”

If you miss early voting, you can vote on Election Day, tomorrow Nov. 8, at any polling location.

The results in write-in votes must be counted by hand, not electronically like the other races, so the results will not be in on Election Day.