RESULTS: Elizabeth Martinez narrowly defeats Ana Laura Ramirez in 73rd district judge race

SAN ANTONIO – Read more election coverage on the Vote 2024 page. KSAT.com will have live runoff election results on election day, May 28, beginning at 7 p.m. Early voting for the runoff begins Monday, May 20.

In the Democratic runoff race for 73rd Judicial District Court Judge, Elizabeth Martinez won the seat over Ana Laura Ramirez after capturing 53% of the vote.

Since there are no Republican candidates on the ballot for the 73rd District Court, Martinez will likely take office in January 2025.

Background

A candidate for Bexar County state district court judge who listed herself as gathering signatures from voters on the same days she was on a cruise is hoping to fend off the opponent who unsuccessfully attempted to have her removed from the ballot.

Ana Laura Ramirez and Elizabeth Martinez are the two remaining Democrats in the May 28 runoff election for 73rd Civil District Court.

Martinez received 42.67% of the vote in the March primary, falling short of the threshold of 50% plus one vote that would have won her the race outright.

Ramirez, a longtime San Antonio attorney, received 35.49% of the vote in the March primary, good enough for second place.

Ramirez listed herself as the circulator on all 82 signature pages she turned in late last year as part of her application to get on the March 5 primary ballot, records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.

Ramirez, however, was on the West Coast in early November, when close to 100 of her signatures were gathered, application records and social media posts confirm.

Her application drew a formal protest from Martinez, who described Ramirez’s application as invalid in a letter to the Bexar County Democratic Party in January.

Party leadership informed Martinez that they would not remove Ramirez from the ballot, but that she could file a lawsuit in civil district court asking for the signatures to be invalidated.

Martinez, staff attorney for the Bexar County civil district courts and a part-time city magistrate, ultimately decided not to challenge Ramirez’s application with a formal suit.

“I trust the voters. I trust the voters, and I don’t take any of this lightly, and I’m not about to take a choice away from the voters,” Martinez told KSAT earlier this year.

Early voting for the May 28 runoff elections will take place May 20-24.

Since there are no Republican candidates on the ballot for the 73rd District Court, the winner of the Democratic primary will likely win the election and take office in January 2025.

Related Stories:

• Here’s how, where to vote early in Bexar County for the May 28 Primary Runoff election
• Even if you didn’t vote in March primary, you can vote in runoff election
• Texas voters cannot switch political parties in primary runoff elections