(Seguin) — Today is election day across the Lone Star State. The Democratic and Republic primary elections are being held jointly today. Voters will be choosing the party nominees for a number of local, state and federal races. Guadalupe County Elections Administrator Lisa Hayes says voting has been made easy for those heading to the polls today.
“I think the most important thing for them to know is that Guadalupe County is doing vote centers, which means that any registered voter in Guadalupe County can go to any one of our 34 election day, voting locations. They are not restricted to the precinct in which they are registered. So we have a list on our website of 34 voting locations for election day, and registered voters in Guadalupe County can go to any one of those Guadalupe County locations — and that is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. We’ve done everything that we can to make it convenient for them to go to the location that’s most convenient to their daily routine. I think it’s really important that voters are aware of that, because it really can save them some time, and potentially some frustration if they were trying to go to a location that’s completely on the other side of town,” said Hayes.
Voters will have to decide if they want to vote in either the Democratic and Republic prmaries. Primaries are partisan elections, and voters must choose which party they want to help select their nominees for the general election in November. It may not be an easy decision for some. It’s a presidential election year, and that decision is all but made on the GOP ballot — with President Donald Trump expected to easily win his party’s nomination. Meanwhile, the Democratic presidential contenders are spending a lot of time and money in Texas, all in an attempt to earn the right to become the Democratic nominee and to have a chance to face President Trump in November. That contested race at the top of the Democratic ballot might entice some voters to choose the Democratic ballot; however, those people would not be able to vote on any of the local GOP races, like the races for sheriff or state district judge. Those local contested races are all on the Republican Primary ballot. Hayes says voters will have to decide which issues and candidates are most important to them, and then decide which party’s ballot they would like to choose.
“Because this is a primary election, and it’s a party primary election — when the voters go to the polls, they are going to have to decide if they want a Democratic ballot or a Republican ballot. When they are checked in to vote, they are going to have to make that decision and let the poll worker know which ballot they would like to vote on. So it’s very important that they know, preferably before they go, which party’s ballot they are going to want. This is election, is the election that will determine which candidates, for each party, go on to November; and in November, all the different parties will be on the (same) ballot. So voters will have to decide for this election, which party ballot they want. I know sometimes that’s a difficult decision, but that is a decision that has to be made if they want to vote in this primary election,” said Hayes.
Presidential elections generally produce a higher turnout. Hayes says those, who haven’t voted since the last presidential election cycle in 2016, will notice some changes in some of the voting equipment that’s used today. The equipment is all newer and made to help improve the overall voting process.
“The new equipment is what we call a hybrid system. It’s very user-friendly. The voter will receive a ballot card when they check-in to vote. They’ll take it over to what we call a ballot marking device. It’s essentially a touchscreen (device) where they insert the card to activate their ballot. They vote their ballot on the screen, they review all their selections, and then when they are done they hit ‘print card.’ At that point, it’s going to print all of their selections on that ballot card that they inserted, and it’s going to give it back to them. That is their ballot. It’s (also) another opportunity for them to review their choices. Then they are going to have to take that ballot and insert it into the ballot scanner. If they do not insert that ballot into that ballot scanner, before they leave the polls, then they have not voted. It is not a receipt for voting. There is no statute in Texas law that allows for a receipt. Basically, your ‘I Voted’ sticker is your receipt. So we want them to insert their ballot into the ballot scanner, so that their ballot is counted. It’s very important that voters realize that what is printed out and handed to them by the machine is not a receipt. It is their ballot. We want to make sure they understand that, so that they can complete the voting process,” said Hayes.
Local countywide contested races on the ballot include the race for Guadalupe County sheriff, featuring incumbent Arnold Zwicke and challenger Jimmy Harless; and the race for 25th Judicial District judge, featuring incumbent William “Bill” Old III and challenger Jacqueline Phillips Ott.
Other races appearing on the Republican ballot include Precinct 1 County Commissioner Greg Seidenberger being challenged by newcomer Grumpy Azzoz. The Precinct 3 seat on the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court is also up for grabs. Candidates seeking the position include former Schertz Mayor Michael Carpenter and former Schertz City Councilman Cedric Edwards. Longtime Commissioner Jim Wolverton has chosen not to seek re-election. Two candidates will also face off for the position of Guadalupe County Constable Pct. 2. They include candidates Trey Kelly and Mark Reyes. Kelly is retired from the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office, while Reyes currently serves the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office as a patrol sergeant.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at various locations around Guadalupe County. Again, voters can cast their ballots at any polling site. Radio station KWED will have live election coverage shortly after the polls close, sponsored exclusively by Gift & Gourmet in downtown Seguin.