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Kerr citizens turn out for 1st day of voting
Published October 19, 2004
The first day of early voting for the 2004 General Election was described as “heavy,” with 1,451 Kerr County citizens marking their ballots before the polls closed at 5 p.m. Monday, according to the county clerk’s chief deputy, Nadine Alford.
Voters lined up “out the door” throughout the day, waiting for a turn to cast their votes, she said.
With long lines that began at 8 a.m. Monday, poll workers had little time to break during the day, even for lunch, said Kerr County Clerk Jannett Pieper.
“By 4 p.m., there were 1,200,” Pieper said, of the number of votes cast.
Both the county clerk’s office and the voter registrar’s office reported busy phones and steady streams of traffic throughout their offices all day.
The number of Kerr County voters who registered to vote increased in the weeks leading up to the early voting period, according to Paula Rector, Kerr County Voter Registrar and Tax Assessor/Collector.
In the last two weeks, 1,148 Kerr County citizens registered to vote or updated addresses, Rector said.
“I’m surprised that there were this many who were not registered,” she said.
Historically, presidential elections produce the largest numbers for registration and voter turnout — along with higher emotions on both sides of the political fence.
In a recent press release, Texas Secretary of State Geoff Connor cited “an all-time high” voter interest in the 2004 Presidential election as the reason behind his initiative to “insure the integrity of Texas balloting”
With minority groups around the country reporting voter intimidation attempts, and attempted voter fraud reported in other parts of the country, state officials trained more than 400 election inspectors to be on hand in nearly every county in the state to deter any attempts at illegal voter activity.
Connor’s office announced Friday it is teaming up with Texas Attorney Gregg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas’ four U.S. Attorneys in “launching a statewide watch for incidents of voter intimidation or voter fraud on Election Day.”
“To anyone who might be considering engaging in any sort of voter intimidation or voter fraud, our message is clear: Don’t mess with Texas voters; don’t mess with Texas votes.”
Early voting continues from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, through Oct. 29 in the lower level of the Kerr County Courthouse. For information on voting, call the voter registrar’s office at 792-2242.
Glenda Taylor may be reached at glenda.taylor(at)dailytimes.com.
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