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Record early voting turnout
By NATALIE TORENTINOS
It’s only been a week, and early voting numbers in Brazoria County are higher than ever.
Countywide, more than 47,000 people voted from Oct. 20 to Oct. 27, with 10 voting locations averaging 782 voters per hour.
Pearland’s early voting locations at Westside Event Center, 2150 Countryplace Parkway, and Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, Place 2 Courtroom at 2436 S. Grand Blvd. have seen 17,000 voters since Oct. 20. Westside has seen 145 voters per hour.
In the last Presidential election only about 7,000 people voted in Pearland during the same time frame, according to county records.
“It’s the biggest turnout I’ve ever seen, which is great,” said County Clerk Joyce Hudman. “Historically, the first week is always slow. But it’s been busy since day one.”
Early voting has been running smooth, Hudman said, except for some complaints from both Pearland locations due to receiving “too much help.”
“Judges and clerks are not trying to change votes. With the influx of new voters who haven’t voted before, they want to make sure they know how to use the equipment,” she said. “The Secretary of State has said you can assist voters, but you must ask first.
“It’s a gray area, but you can assist the voter. No laws have been broken.”
Sue Funkhouser, Brazoria County Democratic Party Chair, said that while she’s heard of workers being overly helpful, she doesn’t know if it was deliberate.
“A handful of people told me they couldn’t vote. The same people don’t realize they’re still registered in Harris County,” Funkhouser said.
If a voter is registered in another county, he or she may vote on a “limited ballot,” said Hudman, where one is eligible to vote in races that would apply to both counties.
“You have to do it at the main voting location in the county, and it has to be during early voting,” she explained.
A provisional ballot is offered if a voter cannot be found on the rolls, though it’s not guaranteed the vote will count. The ballot is sent to the voter registration office, and if the voter is found on rolls for the whole state of Texas, their vote counts. If not found, they are registered for future races.
Hudman recommended that voters only bring their driver’s license, but they may also bring a printout of the Secretary of State’s registration webpage for additional proof.
Brazoria County Republican Party Chair Yvonne Dewey said she has not heard of any voting problems, except for a possible machine error.
“There were reports early in the process that someone voted one way and the machine showed something else,” Dewey said. “But that’s not possible. When they do testing for machine programming, it’s a long and tedious process. It was probably much ado about nothing.”
In late September, the voting machines were tested using 3,000 ballots in every way possible, said Hudman. This Logic and Accuracy Testing came out 100 percent correct.
“If there were any problems, we would have found them then.”
Countywide, more than 47,000 people voted from Oct. 20 to Oct. 27, with 10 voting locations averaging 782 voters per hour.
Pearland’s early voting locations at Westside Event Center, 2150 Countryplace Parkway, and Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, Place 2 Courtroom at 2436 S. Grand Blvd. have seen 17,000 voters since Oct. 20. Westside has seen 145 voters per hour.
In the last Presidential election only about 7,000 people voted in Pearland during the same time frame, according to county records.
“It’s the biggest turnout I’ve ever seen, which is great,” said County Clerk Joyce Hudman. “Historically, the first week is always slow. But it’s been busy since day one.”
Early voting has been running smooth, Hudman said, except for some complaints from both Pearland locations due to receiving “too much help.”
“Judges and clerks are not trying to change votes. With the influx of new voters who haven’t voted before, they want to make sure they know how to use the equipment,” she said. “The Secretary of State has said you can assist voters, but you must ask first.
“It’s a gray area, but you can assist the voter. No laws have been broken.”
Sue Funkhouser, Brazoria County Democratic Party Chair, said that while she’s heard of workers being overly helpful, she doesn’t know if it was deliberate.
“A handful of people told me they couldn’t vote. The same people don’t realize they’re still registered in Harris County,” Funkhouser said.
If a voter is registered in another county, he or she may vote on a “limited ballot,” said Hudman, where one is eligible to vote in races that would apply to both counties.
“You have to do it at the main voting location in the county, and it has to be during early voting,” she explained.
A provisional ballot is offered if a voter cannot be found on the rolls, though it’s not guaranteed the vote will count. The ballot is sent to the voter registration office, and if the voter is found on rolls for the whole state of Texas, their vote counts. If not found, they are registered for future races.
Hudman recommended that voters only bring their driver’s license, but they may also bring a printout of the Secretary of State’s registration webpage for additional proof.
Brazoria County Republican Party Chair Yvonne Dewey said she has not heard of any voting problems, except for a possible machine error.
“There were reports early in the process that someone voted one way and the machine showed something else,” Dewey said. “But that’s not possible. When they do testing for machine programming, it’s a long and tedious process. It was probably much ado about nothing.”
In late September, the voting machines were tested using 3,000 ballots in every way possible, said Hudman. This Logic and Accuracy Testing came out 100 percent correct.
“If there were any problems, we would have found them then.”
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