Last Day of Early Voting
Turnout low, strongest in West Lake Hills
By Lee Nichols, 5:00AM, Tue. May 10, 2011
Today (Tuesday, May 10) is the last day of early voting for municipal elections in Texas. Most polls open at 7am and close at 7pm tonight. Although several municipalities are having elections, voters may vote at any early voting location as long as it is in the county in which they reside. In Austin, three City Council seats are up for grabs.
According to the Travis County Elections office, turnout has been light – unfortunately, a predictable occurrence in local elections. Thus far, less than 3% of registered voters in the county have made it to the polls.
Heaviest turnout has been at the Randalls grocery in West Lake Hills (probably spurred by trustee and bond elections in Eanes Independent School District), with 2,254 voters in the eight days of balloting through Monday evening. Lowest has been at the Dan Ruiz Public Library in Montopolis, with only 88.
The county strongly encourages voting early because of the convenience of being able to vote anywhere in Travis; on Election Day, voters must cast their ballots in their neighborhood precincts.
The Chronicle has ongoing election coverage at Election Central.
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