http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews Answers to frequently asked questions about elections. Answers to frequently asked questions about elections. en-us http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9436 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9436 <p>The Election of November 4, 2008 will have lots of historical records to list and in Victoria there are some additional noteworthy firsts. </p> <p>This election is the first major election in the county when the number of people who voted during early voting exceeded the number of people voting on Election Day. There has been a continuing trend over the last ten to fifteen years for the number who vote during early voting to be a greater part of the total vote. It has risen from being less than 20% of the vote to being almost half in the 2004 General Election. In this most recent election 60% voted during early voting.</p> <p>The early voting total is made up of people who vote in person and people who vote by mail. We had the largest mail in request ever and over 93% of the ballots mailed were returned by Election Day. </p> <p>Basing our projections on past history I anticipated at least an equal number of voters for Election Day as voted during early voting. This would have given us more than 36,000 voters. But less than 12,000 came to the polls on November 4th giving us a total number of 30,163 voters in this election or 56%.</p> <p>Still that is better than four years ago when 29,000 vote and&nbsp;54% turnout. </p> <p>Thank you to all who participated in this election. I believe you will be to talk about your having been there for years to come. </p> http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9371 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9371 <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">Voting in the General Election is better than expected. People are turning out in record numbers across the state and in Victoria. We are keeping pace with the statewide average although a little behind in overall percentages. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">Those who voted during early voting found something they had not experienced before, a line of people waiting to vote. It&rsquo;s been accepted that you vote early to avoid the long lines on Election Day. Yet there before their eyes were people in a line where you did not have a line before. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">Voting is so important that most people braved the wait. I&rsquo;ve heard that in other places the lines have been so long that people had to wait more than an hour. In Victoria we have been working very hard to keep any wait at less than twenty-five minutes and many people vote in less than fifteen. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">Still there are those who glanced at the waiting voters, understood there would be a wait and decided to try it another time. Certainly every person&rsquo;s time is valuable but I think they should consider voting worth the wait. I try to encourage anyone who has gotten to the polling place to stay and vote. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">The turnout this year is not unexpected but it is certainly greater than years past. We have had elections where 72% of those registered voted but these are the exceptions and come only once every twenty years. This year may be the one in twenty because the Secretary of State is predicting a 70% state-wide turnout. I&rsquo;m leaning more of between 60% and 65% for Victoria. Please try to prove my prediction too low. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">I hope you vote in this election. It promises to be an historical event and your participation would make it greater. </div> http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9302 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9302 <p>For as long as we have been holding elections there have been rumors. The Internet only serves as an efficient tool to spread the rumors further and faster. </p> <p>Maybe you remember the old grade school game were someone whispers a story to the classmate behind them. The story has to travel around the room from one person to the next until&nbsp;the last person in the room must stand up and relate the story to the class. If you have a bunch of good kids who all have perfect hearing and can remember every word spoken to repeat it seconds later and the class is extremely small, you might have the same story at the end. Life is not like that and neither are rumors.</p> <p>You must first contend with the fact that not everyone listens well and they will hear only a portion of the original. Then they may not remember the whole story and must make up for what they cannot remember or didn't hear in the first place. Then the story can only be mangled when it reaches the last person.</p> <p>Now think about the guy in the middle who would rather create a new story because it sounds better than the original. Maybe he or she wants to get the last person in trouble for saying something bad. Now you will never get the original information but the story inserted in the telling which starts off as fiction. </p> <p>Rumors are nothing better than the passing of mis-information from one person to the next. On the Internet the stories will be changed to fit non-facts and un-truths (read this as lies). </p> <p>So please be very careful of accepting the rumors you hear, especially when they are spread with malicious intent. </p> http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9213 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9213 <div style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.3in">Every one is excited about this election and they all want to show their support for the candidates. People do this by putting out yard signs and wearing buttons and donning t-shirts. All of this is great. Wearing a t-shirt with your candidate&rsquo;s name means you believe in the person enough to let all those around you know your candidate is important. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.3in">In Texas campaign signs line our streets and can be found in the back of pick-up trucks and on the sides of vans and cars. This is good for our community because it means the voters are trying to get the non-voters out to the polls. The more people who participate in the election, the more we have representative democray.</div> <div style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.3in">Once we get into the polls this campaigning is called electioneering. Texas does not allow electioneering within 100 feet of the entrance to the polling location. This means bumper stickers and signs may not be carried into the polling location, even if the bumper sticker is attached to a purse or someone's back. It also means campaign buttons and t-shirts may not be worn when you go vote. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.3in">I applaud the efforts of every campaign worker and candidate supporter. Getting more people into the voting booths is the best sign of a strong democracy. It is fine to believe in your party and your candidate. Just don&rsquo;t bring campaign materials into the polling location because electioneering is not allowed.</div> <div style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.3in">I&rsquo;ve heard the argument that most voters have already made up their minds and will not be swayed by a sign or button they see the moment they enter a voting booth. Still some people, being the undecided we hear so much about, are having a difficult time making a choice. Before they get within a 100 feet of the polling entrance campaigns can do all they wish, within decency, to convince the voter the worthiness of the candidate. Once the voter enters this area, they must be allowed to make this final decision without meddling or undue influence of a bystander.</div> <div style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.3in">If you support a candidate you are certainly welcome to vote, but we allow people who support other candidates to vote as well. Marking your choice on the ballot, free from interference and with the secrecy of the ballot preserved, is a primary responsibility of election officials. If you insist on wearing campaign materials into the polling location we will ask you to remove it or cover up. It is not because we don&rsquo;t support your candidate; it is because we are conducting a fair and impartial election. </div> http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9133 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9133 <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">Every election held in Texas utilizes Early Voting in Person. For the November 4, 2008 General Election early voting in person begins Monday, October 20^th and continues through Friday, October 31^st. The Elections Office, located at 111 N. Glass, will be open every day from 8 am to 5 pm, Mondays through Friday. On Saturday (October 25^th) the office will be open from 9 am to 5 pm and closed on Sunday. The office will also open from 7 am to 7 pm on the last two days of early voting in person, that is Thursday (October 30^th) and Friday (October 31^st).</div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">Early voting in person is open to all residents of Victoria County. It is a chance to cast your vote prior to Election Day. As this is a Tuesday election, people may not have a break during a workday to get to the polls. Because voting is very important, people should make the extra effort to vote in this important and historic election. Early voting is that opportunity.</div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">In addition to the Main Early Voting site at the Elections Office we will also be opening temporary branch early voting locations at the Pattie Dodson Health Center and the Victoria Mall. Hours of operation for these two sites will be 8 am to 5 pm on Friday, October 14^th and Wednesday, October 29^th. The Health Center and Mall will be open on Saturday (October 25^th) from 9 am to 5 pm. They will also be open from 7 am to 7 pm on Thursday (October 30^th) and Friday (October 31^st). </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">We all anticipate this election to have a greater than normal turnout. People who take advantage of early voting in person will not only ease the stress of Election Day polling locations but may spend less time in line to vote. Early voting allows anyone who is registered to vote at any early voting site. Typically the sites have multiple qualifying stations with computerized voter lists. This creates faster sign in and quicker access to the voting machines. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.2in">There will be several additional temporary early voting sites for this election. Quail Creek MUD office at 515 Chukar and DaCosta Volunteer Fire Department on Commerce St. will be open from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday the 25^th. Bloomington ISD Administration Offices will be open from 8 am to 4 pm on Wednesday (October 29^th), Thursday (October 30^th) and Friday (October 31^st). </div> http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9036 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/9036 <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">The Presidential Election is only a month away which means voter registration for this election ends Monday, October 6, 2008. If you are not registered, your vote may not count in this important election.</div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">Voting requires an individual to be a qualified voter. A qualified voter is one who is registered to vote. To register you must be a United States Citizen, you must also be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day, and you must be a resident of the county. If you have been convicted of a felony, you must complete the terms of sentence before you can re-register. A court may not have found you to be mentally incapacitated. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">If you move from an address at which you were registered you must change your voter registration to this new address. If you were registered in another county and have moved here, you must re-register in your new county. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">Every one is entitled to vote but there are conditions which must be followed by both you and me. You must submit the application to register and must show up at the polls. I must certify the voter registration list for the election and must not allow those who are not qualified access to the ballot box.</div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">To register, go by the Elections Office at 111 N. Glass and complete a voter registration application no later than 5 pm, Monday, October 6, 2008. </div> http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/8973 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/8973 <div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">In Texas we have long used a voting method which has become very popular across the United States. It&rsquo;s called voting by mail. Other states have embraced this concept and in the State of Washington everyone votes by mail. Texas didn&rsquo;t create voting by mail but we have used it well over the years.</div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">In Texas voting by mail does have some restrictions. Those who wish to vote by mail must be registered and must meet at least one of the following criteria. They must be 65 years of age or older, or they must have a disability which prevents them from going to their polling place, or they must be confined in jail and not be finally convicted of a felony or them must be absent from the county during early voting in person and on Election Day. If you meet one of the criteria you may request that a ballot be mailed to your current address. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">To apply for a ballot by mail you must make a written request. You may contact the Elections Office and request an application to vote by mail be sent to your current mailing address. You may also go online to <a href="http://www.vctx.org/elections">www.vctx.org/elections</a> and select MAIL BALLOT. Print the form and mail it to the Elections Office. For those who are currently away from Victoria, you may FAX the form to our office. You may not fax the form if you live in the county. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">You may also write a letter requesting a ballot by mail for the November 4, 2008 General Election. The letter must include your name and current registered address in Victoria County. The letter must also include the mailing address where the ballot is to be mailed and the reason you are requesting the ballot by mail. You may include your Voter Registration Number and your voting precinct number. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">For individuals who are requesting the ballot be mailed to an address other than their registered address you must provide information as to the reason it is not being mailed to your registered address. Sometimes this can be as simple as absent from the county but it could also be that the person is living in with a relative or in an assisted living community. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">Contact the Elections Office at <a href="mailto:elections@vctx.org">elections@vctx.org</a> for more information or call 576-0124. &nbsp;</div> </div> http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/8883 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/8883 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">This topic is very important as we approach the deadline for voter registration changes and updates. The last day to register to vote for the Presidential Election is Monday, <st1:date w:st="on" year="2008" day="6" month="10" ls="trans">October 6, 2008</st1:date>. There are qualifications for those wishing to vote and the first is you must be registered. To registered you must be; a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years old on or before <st1:date w:st="on" year="2008" day="4" month="11" ls="trans">November 4, 2008</st1:date>, a resident of the county and not have a felony conviction or been declared mentally incapacitated by a court. </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Your registration is connected to your residence which determines the jurisdictions on your ballot. Certainly we are all residents of the nation and of this state but there are districts, counties and precincts within the state which have different elected officials. </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">If you need to make a change or you need to update your registration you must do so before the deadline. The most common of these is a change of address. Your current residence may no longer be the same as when you originally registered to vote. In this case you should update your registration information now or your opportunity to have your vote counted may be lost. </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">It is your responsibility, if you wish to vote, to inform the voter registrar of changes in registration information. A change to your driver&rsquo;s license information is not enough if you fail to have the new information forwarded to the voter registrar. A change of address delivered to the US Postal Service is not enough if you fail to forward that information to the voter registrar. </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">We want every qualified individual to have the opportunity to vote in this election but &ldquo;qualified&rdquo; means properly registered. </font></p> http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/8827 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/8827 <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While there is much on the news about the presidential race you should also be aware of the local races.You have seen the political signs. Local candidates are running. They want your vote. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">The local contested races are Commissioner for Precinct Nos. 1 &amp; 3 and Constables in Precincts 1, 3, and 4. Allan Ramirez and Kenny Spann are running for Commissioner in Precinct No. 1 and Gary E. Burns and Ron Reyna are running for Commissioner in Precinct No. 3. Stacey Martin and Richard Castillo are running for Constable Precinct No. 1. Kenneth Easley, Jr. and Robert Rodriguez are running for Constable in Precinct No. 3. John G. Miller is running for Constable in Precinct No. 4 and has a write-in opponent.</div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">There are several unopposed candidates for public office for which everyone in the county may vote. These include; Joseph P. (Pat) Kelly for District Judge, 24^th Judicial District, Kemper Stephen Williams for District Judge, 135^th Judicial District,&nbsp;T. Michael O&rsquo;Connor for Sheriff,&nbsp;and Rena Scherer for County Tax Assessor/Collector.</div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">James Calaway. Constable Precinct No. 2 is unopposed candidate for precinct public office.</div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">In Bloomington ISD there are five positions on the Board of Trustees up for election this November. Place 1 is an un-expired term with Diana Garcia Cano, Eloy DeLaRosa, John Ellsworth, Eva Hinojosa and Kathy K. Moses all seeking this office. Place 4 has Bacilio Cantu and Dewaye Janis vying for the office. Place 7 has David Hoffman and Felix Salinas both seeking election. John Cranfill is unopposed for Place 5 and Joe Canales, Jr. is unopposed for Place 6. </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">In addition Bloomington ISD has am $8 million bond proposition on the ballot.</div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in">Quail Creek MUD also has a proposition on the ballot to increase maintenance fees for street lights, homeowners association and volunteer fire department.</div> http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/8720 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/gmatthews/8720 <div>The last day to file an application for a place on the ballot has passed. The State of Texas, Secretary of State has certified the election for all but presidential / vice-presidential candidates. The Bloomington Independent School District and the Quail Creek Municipal Utility District have provided information to be on their ballot. </div> <div></div> <div>There will be three Federal offices, President and Vice-President, United States Senator and United States Representative, District 14. </div> <div></div> <div>The State of Texas has both state-wide and district offices. The state-wide offices are; Railroad Commissioner, Chief Justice - Supreme Court, Justices -Supreme Court - Places 7 &amp; 8, Judges &ndash; Court of Criminal Appeals &ndash; Places 3, 4 &amp; 9. The district offices include; Member &ndash; State Board of Education &ndash; District 2, State Representative &ndash; District 30, Justice &ndash; 13^th Court of Appeals District &ndash; Place 6, and District Judges for the 24^th and 135^th Judicial Districts.</div> <div></div> <div>The Victoria County has county-wide offices of Sheriff and County Tax Assessor-Collector. The precinct offices for Victoria County are; County Commissioners &ndash; Precincts 1 &amp; 3 and Constables &ndash; Precincts 1, 2, 3, &amp; 4. </div> <div></div> <div>Bloomington Independent School District will have five trustee positions and a bond proposition for $8 million. Trustee Place 1 is an un-expired term. Trustees for Places 4, 5, 6 &amp; 7 are regular terms.</div> <div></div> <div>Quail Creek Municipal Utility District will have a proposition to increase a monthly fee by $3.50 for each residential customer. </div> <div></div> <div>As this is a General Election you will be able to vote a Straight Party ticket for one of the following parties; Republican, Democrat or Libertarian. If you make the selection of Straight Party you may vote in any office for a candidate of a different party and your vote will count for that individual and for the party candidates in all the other offices. The Straight Party casts votes only for Federal, State, County and Precinct candidates. It does not extend to School or Mud Districts. </div> <div></div> <div>You may check our web site at <a href="http://www.vctx.org/elections">www.vctx.org/elections</a> and go to the Coming Elections link and then to the Joint Election link. From there you can look for the candidates running for each office. </div>