By james art Lubbock County election officials are gearing up for what they expect to be one of the busiest elections here in recent memory, preparing to open new polling places and adding equipment to increase efficiency during early voting and on the day of. the elections.
Americans will go to the polls on November 5 to elect a new president. Early voting in Texas runs from Oct. 21-Nov. 1. In Lubbock County, some voters will have the opportunity to elect their county commissioner, weigh city and school bond proposals, and even decide whether to allow the city to annex their neighborhood.
Lubbock County Elections Administrator Roxine Stinson told the Avalanche-Journal she is predicting a potentially record turnout this November, largely driven by the county’s growth during a presidential election year.
“The county has grown. This county is really growing,” Stinson said. “Presidential (elections) turn out a lot more voters than other elections.”
Stinson said more than 196,000 registered voters live in Lubbock County, with about a thousand voter registration applications still pending.
“So I’m looking at 140,000 to 145,000 showing up, maybe more,” Stinson said. “I’m expecting about 72 or 73 percent (turnout).”
But with increased voter turnout, Stinson said, voters can expect to wait in line to vote.
“I think it doesn’t matter if you vote early or on Election Day, you’re going to be waiting in line. And I don’t think it’s going to matter which polling place you go to,” Stinson said. “I’m asking people to be nice and kind to each other and have a little patience.” Just understand that there will be lines because of the turnout we expect for this election.”
The authorities hope that the new systems, additional polling stations will increase efficiency
In an effort to streamline the voting process and bring the county in line with recent legislative changes, Lubbock County is introducing some new technology to its polling places this November.
Polling station officials will use new “Poll Pads” to check voters at the polls. The new iPads and related equipment will replace the old computer-based electronic voting system, which election officials say will save voters time before casting their ballots. The actual voting machines and ballot scanners will remain unchanged.
“It’s faster. That’s definitely one of the things we like about Poll Pads,” said Karin Kruse, Lubbock County election systems specialist. “It’s going to be more efficient, and that’s what we’re looking for, to be able to get voters verified and do that in a timely manner.” It eliminates several steps for them.”
“We want to keep these lines as short as possible,” she continued. “The rest of the process will remain the same. … The only thing that changes is the registration process. This will be much faster. It’s easier for the voter and it’s easier for the poll worker. “
Stinson said Lubbock County is also increasing the number of polling places for this election to 50, up from 38 last cycle. The move is in response to new legislation requiring more polling places for some counties, but Stinson hopes it will also help reduce voter wait times.
Even with the increased workload, Stinson said her office is well prepared and ready to go when voting begins.
“We have stamps, we have documents, cleaning cloths. We prepare and prepare the equipment, making sure everything is in good condition,” she said. “We’ve been working on this for a year or more.”
This article originally appeared in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock County expects record turnout for early voting, Election Day