WASHINGTON CO. ELECTIONS OFFICE GIVES POSITIVE REPORT ON PRIMARY ELECTION

  

Washington County Commissioners received a recap today (Tuesday) of how the county elections office coordinated last week’s primary election and what the office did to ensure it ran smoothly.

Elections Administrator Carol Jackson said her office as a whole had a “pretty good election” and that, while they were not without hiccups, the county staff, volunteers and equipment did an “excellent job.”

Unofficially, the election had an overall turnout of 35 percent, with 8,723 ballots cast out of 24,912 registered voters.  Jackson spoke positively on the number of voters, saying they look to be trending upward year by year and show an increase in public involvement.

The turnout includes 5,731 votes during early voting, counting 5,535 in-person voters, 187 mail ballots and nine limited ballots.  Election Day drew 2,992 voters.  The local political parties will canvass the votes and make them official on Thursday in Jackson’s office at the courthouse.

Jackson addressed comments about the timing of results released on the night of the election.  She said election security laws passed during the 87^th Texas Legislature add responsibility for local election officials, who are required to provide checklists for opening and closing polling locations, reconcile and account for the number of ballots used at those locations, and complete chains of custody forms for the equipment and ballot boxes. 

When comparing if electronic voting makes a difference in time for reporting election results, Jackson said the answer ultimately depends on if the equipment operates as it is supposed to.  She did say the ExpressVote electronic ballot-marking devices are an accurate way to mark ballots with fewer potential issues than a pen. 

Further, Jackson said any issues with ballots run through the ballot scanners are corrected by the voter during early voting, but on Election Day, the ballot issues are resolved by the central counting station manager and judges, leading to more time needed to make resolutions.  She said around 15 percent of voters used the ExpressVote equipment.

Jackson said the first polling location box came in around 7:45 p.m., and final results were released around 10:57 p.m.; in comparison, results were released at 10:22 p.m. on Election Day in March 2020. 

County Judge John Durrenberger said the 35 percent turnout for the election was “remarkable” and “showed that we care.”  He also thanked all the candidates who ran, saying win or lose, they “contributed to our democracy.”  Commissioner Kirk Hanath said voting is a liberty that the people should never give up, calling it both a luxury and a duty.

Also at today’s meeting, commissioners:

• Awarded a contract to Vacha Services, LLC out of Bellville for $146,947 for the construction of an equipment shed for the Engineering and Development Services Department.  Vacha Services was the lowest bid out of six total bidders for the project.
• Approved a final plat for the Porch Swing Plantation subdivision, consisting of 15 lots along Old Phillipsburg Road and Schroeder Road in Precinct 2.
• Agreed to place Winding Branch, Hidden Trail, Vista Place, Valley View Court, and Pecan Grove Court into the county’s one-year maintenance period and reduce the bond to 50 percent.  The roads are located in the Washington Heights at Chappell Hill subdivision in Precinct 2.