Early voting begins Monday in upcoming primary elections
Early voting begins Monday in the upcoming primary elections. According to the PEW Research Center, the last three general elections were among the highest in history. “The elections of 2018, 2020 and 2022 were three of the highest-turnout U.S. elections of their respective types in decades. About two-thirds (66%) of the voting-eligible population turned out for the 2020 presidential election – the highest rate for any national election since 1900. The 2018 election (49% turnout) had the highest rate for a midterm since 1914. Even the 2022 election’s turnout, with a slightly lower rate of 46%, exceeded that of all midterm elections since 1970.” The same report should give a county like Cass who is predominately Republican some pause. Though it is relatively even between the two parties who vote, the greatest disparity was among the ones who didn’t vote. According to their research, “Adults who voted in at least one election during the period divide evenly between Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party or Republicans and Republican-leaning independents in their current party affiliation (48% each). The subset who voted in all three elections are similarly divided (49% Democrats, 50% Republicans). Citizens who did not vote in any of the three tilt Republican by 46% to 41%.”
“That growth and change is also spilling into more suburban counties, such as Hays County in Central Texas, which transformed from a red to blue county during Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 bid for U.S. Senate and during the 2020 election.”
“The level of change was really dramatic, and that was a change almost entirely driven by increased election participation,” said Democratic state Rep. Erin Zwiener of Driftwood, who flipped the state House district that included Hays and Blanco counties in 2018.
“She won by 2,618 votes, or 3.2 percentage points. In 2020, she staved off a Republican attempt to take back control of the district. That year, she won by about 1,208 votes,” notes the Tribune writer.
“I only won by 1 percentage point, and that means every single person that came out and voted was essential, and their voice mattered,” she said.
Depending on your political perspective, that information should have you cheering or be driving to your closest polling location.
Cass County Clerk Amy Varnell announced a few weeks ago voting information for the November 5 election. She noted that there are no local contested races this year. Sample ballots can be found on the Elections page of the county website: www.co.cass.tx.us Election day is November 5. Polls are open on Election Day from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m Early voting will be held October 21 – November 1. There are three early voting locations: Linden at the Voting Building located at 227 E. Rush St Atlanta at the North East Texas Property Management Building 101 E Pinecrest corner of Highways 43 and 77 Hughes Springs at the Community Center 903 E. First Street Hwy 11 The first week of Early Voting, October 21-25, Monday – Friday, all three early voting locations are open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Linden early voting location is open for extended hours (Linden is the only location mandated by law to have extended hours) Saturday, October 26 the hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Sunday, October 27 from noon until 6:00 p.m.
The second week of early voting, October 28 – November 1, Atlanta and Hughes Springs are open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday Linden location is open 7:00 am. to 7:00 p.m. the second week, Monday – Friday.
Those who are 65 or older, disabled, or who will be out of the county during early voting and on Election Day can vote by mail. October 25 is the last day we can accept a request to vote by mail (received, not postmarked). A request for a ballot by mail must be in writing, we can’t take a request by phone.
A voter can, however, call and request we mail them an application to vote by mail. ONLY THE VOTER can request we mail an application, a spouse can’t request we mail an application for husband/wife, nor can a son or daughter or a caretaker request we mail an application to a voter.
If a voter requests a ballot mail during the March primary and checks the “Annual Application” box on the application, they will automatically receive a ballot in the mail for the November election.
If a voter is unsure if they checked the “Annual Application” box, they can call our office, however, we can only give that information to the voter.
PARENTS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS: If your son or daughter won’t be able to vote in person during early voting or Election Day and attend college out of the county, they can request a ballot by mail. Parents cannot request a ballot by mail for their son/daughter.
Applications for ballots by mail can be emailed, however, the original, hard copy of the application MUST be mailed and received by the early voting clerk no later than the 4th business day from the date we received the email.
On Election Day, a voter can vote at ANY location. When voting in person, you MUST present an acceptable form of ID: · Texas Driver’s License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (“DPS”) · Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS · Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS · Texas Handgun License issued by DPS · United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph · United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph · United States Passport (book or card) If a voter is physically unable to enter the polling location, they can curbside vote. When they arrive at the voting location, they can call our office at 903 756 5071 and we will let the election worker know there is a curbside voter.
PLEASE NOTE: CURBSIDE VOTING IS NOT DRIVE-THRU VOTING. Curbside voting is only for those who aren’t physically able to enter the polling location. An election worker can give voting order priority to a voter who votes in person who is in a wheelchair or uses a walker. October 7 was the last day you could have registered to vote in the November 5 election. For questions regarding voter registration, contact the Voter Registrar’s office (Tax Office) at 903 756 5513, which is located in the Justice Center at 604 Hwy 8 North in Linden.