High school candidate running for Cove council deemed ineligible, city says

Due to his voter registration application not being processed in time, Tayler Stokes, an 18-year-old high school senior from Copperas Cove has been deemed ineligible to run for a City Council seat, the city said in a news release Tuesday.

“The official voters list, a public record received from the Coryell County Registrar’s Office, conclusively established that Mr. Stokes was not registered to vote by Monday, August 21st at 5 pm, as required by Texas Law. As such he was determined to be ineligible to be a candidate for City Council for the November 7th General Election and his name will not be placed on the ballot,” the city said.

Stokes originally had filed to challenge incumbent Vonya Hart for her Place 6 seat. She is now unopposed on the ballot.

In Place 7, two names will appear on the ballot on Nov. 7.

Those names are incumbent Jack Smith and challenger Latisha Walton.

School board

The Copperas Cove ISD also has two places on the ballot for Nov. 7: Places 6 and 7.

Incumbent John Gallen for Place 6 is seeking reelection and will face challenger Carl “Moose” Smith.

Former board member Jeff Gorres is currently unopposed for Place 7. Gorres served on the board from 2019-2022 in Place 5. He was defeated last year in his reelection bid by board member Heather Copeland.

The district said the Place 7 incumbent, Dr. Karen Harrison, did not file for reelection.