Local News: Election Could Bring Record Numbers

Election Workers Expect a Record Turnout
By Matthew Watkins

From the Bryan-College Station Eagle

Aside from the candidates, perhaps no one in Brazos County will work harder on Tuesday than Karen McQueen.

The county clerk will arrive at work by 6 a.m. and likely won't leave until well after 11 p.m., she said.

McQueen, along with scores of full-time employees and hundreds of election workers, will monitor the polling places during the day and count votes at the Brazos Center in the evening.

All the preparation work can be stressful, she said.

"I am surviving so far," she said on Monday afternoon, but acknowledged that her busiest time was yet to come.

McQueen is working her sixth presidential election, but said she has never seen turnout as high as this year. More than 34,500 people voted early during October and she said she thinks the vote count locally might surpass 70,000.

The 42 polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and McQueen said that between four and eight workers will be stationed at each location to work and monitor the process.

Voters should expect lines especially during high-traffic times, McQueen said.

"What we have been saying is don't wait until 6:30," she said. "Try to go during odd hours. Don't wait and go after 5 unless you have to."

To make the process move more quickly, voters should bring an ID and a voter card, McQueen said, however, only a driver's license is needed to cast a ballot. Voters whose name does not appear on the rolls but who think they should be eligible can cast provisional ballots that will go through a special review process before it is counted.

At the top of the ballot is the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama, a Democrat, and John McCain, a Republican.

Texas voters will send either John Cornyn, a Republican, or Rick Noriega, a Democrat, to the U.S. Senate. Incumbent Democrat Chet Edwards is facing Republican Rob Curnock for the District 17 U.S. Representative seat.

The most heated local race is for district attorney: Incumbent Bill Turner, a Democrat, is being challenged by former district judge Rick Davis, a Republican. Some voters in the northern part of Brazos County will vote in a closely contested state representative seat between Tim Kleinschmidt, a Republican, and Donnie Dippel, a Democrat.

College Station voters will vote on six separate bond proposals totaling $110 million and one charter amendment. For more information, go to www.theeagle.com/local/CS-hopes-to-pass-bonds.

Published Tuesday, November 04, 2008