The election is finally here and like most people I am glad to see this day come. Certainly the candidates are ready. The voters are too. The local, state and national media also now have the day at hand.

In the Elections Office we have been planning on this day for months and I don't mean just a few. Even as far back as last summer the discussions began in earnest about how do we handle the primary. A kind of kickoff are meetings in Austin with the staff of the Secretary of State. Issues related to legislative changes and the effect on voting are certainly important. But we also meet with our fellow election officials and listen to their concerns and plans for coming elections.

Almost as soon as the seminars are done in August the office is taking calls from potential candidates. Individuals who have been thinking about running for public office want to know filing dates and deadlines as campaign financial reporting. They need maps of the precinct and lists of polling locations. They also are looking for current lists of voters as well as lists of voters from past elections. Then they go off to plan their campaigns.

Even the process of conducting the constitutional amendment election is part of our planning. Since it is usually a smaller election we may try some small changes to see if we can improve our local procedures and methods of reporting.

We also try to anticipate how many voters will turn out for an an election. This time that has been as much guessing as actual formulas. Texas wasn't supposed to be important. Everything was supposed to be decided by "Super Tuesday", February 5th. We just weren't going to matter. We'll we all know how true that prediction has turned out.

If you vote today take a moment to thank the election workers at the polls. They have spent hours in training and reading and learning about the election process. They were up early and will there all day for voters.

Our planning for the day is done. Its now time for you to vote and for us to plan for how we are going to handle all the reports from this election while we get ready for the next.