Travis County Commissioners Court
September 19, 2006
Item 42
We have the county clerk with us consider and take appropriate action on the November 6 joint, general and special elections.
>> good average, county clerk. I would like to pass out a summary of what I think we're going to see for mobile voting, early voting and election day. There are only four changes that we're bringing to you, one in mobile voting and one in early voting and two for election day, but I thought you might like to see it in light of the larger picture. And let's quickly run through these. For the early voting one, we would -- great thanks to south congress h.e.b. They've let us back on the property following an incident that was invoipt behavior by petition signature gathers, although we had nothing to do with it, that's what happens when those sorts of things -- when people are treated that way. And so they did listen to us and they are going to let us back in, but they did warn me that in the future they have with this site -- they are talking about making improvements to the store and enlarging it, perhaps, so we may have an issue in the future with not being able to use that site and I wanted to give everybody a heads-up now because if we are able to do something else in the nearby area, that is going through change and renovation, let's think about that. Across the street or something --
>> this is a temporary building, correct?
>> it is, a temporary building for h.e.b. But potentially the whole thing would be suggest down and we would have no place to put our trailer.
>> across the street we just bought property --
>> yes, ma'am.
>> a big old parking lot where we could maybe be a drive through --
>> we want to think about that and about the crosswalks and all of that, but we are not finished with this issue. Y'all are really supportive of the retail program and let's face it, if you want to reach the voters and get the bos bank for the buck, going to where the voters are has proven to be the most successful hands down. But I appreciate you keeping up and keeping access to the locations, and that is not a small or simple task and you know how it is and those of you who do, I appreciate your help. Moving through the list, we have a change on one of the mobile voting locations for Monday October 30, sue -- assuming that the court approves today, the proposal is for us to be at fleuger hall and the budget and teams and programs is all set to do that. The way we try to work the mobile program is for years there have been small trade-offs among the Commissioners to try to have a balanced program. Every complitioner has been in-- Commissioner has been involved in this over the years. But in this particular one, though, I had to make a tough decision but it was already so jammed packed and I had been asked for so much that I didn't have much wiggle room, but one of the locations for mono, October 30 could be moved because we were coming back there as an ea location day -- election day polling place, so we moved for the Monday mobile voting day period at the east rural -- I believe this is the correct name, the east rural community center there and then stay there for election day, okay, now, questions -- I know I'm going to get hit --
>> no one nowfed notified me, I'm just hearing this for the first time today.
>> that is because I miss the decision yesterday right after the funeral --
>> what kind of impact is this going to have and me not knowing about it, and then moving it from precinct one to two, and what is the justification of doing that?
>> okay. There have been slight trade-offs for years for the mobile voting program. The permanent program we've tried to keep at these locations and it's these certain ones but mobile has already shifted a bit with our population trends. Commissioners the reason I thought this might be okay is because manar is a commuter community. And I know we have a group that lives out there, but a lot of our people commute back and forth and they are able to take advantage of a lot of other early voting locations. They need something convenient and large enough to accommodate the community on election day and that that rural center has beenability, it -- been built, it does a great job of doing that. And we have a huge and diverse population out in that Round Rock area, more than 20,000 people move in and we are not really reaching there. So that was why I made the decision, and I apologize if you're angry with me --
>> I'm not angry, but the point is --
>> but that's the decision I made and y'all are welcome to take it or not. Here is one more thing that I would like to offer to the court, though. I don't think most people don't realize that y'all do far and above more than that is require bid law, and so when people ask more of you I think they need to put it in the context of you do more than any other county in the entire state of Texas.
>> I want to refrain from the statement that I'm angry --
>> okay.
>> I'm just concerned because number one I wasn't notified and if there was a trade-off I would like to know the justification. Someone asked me, Commissioner, what is the heck is going on and blah, blah, and I have no answer for them. That is what kind of got me a little bit as far as we not knowing and what is the magnitude of the trade-off.
>> okay.
>> at the senior citizen outreach over there and I just want to make sure that folks are not -- well, aren't available to do what they need to do at that location, because it is an outreach for seniors in the area. And that is my concern. I wasn't notified to see if we could work something out and maybe satisfy both ends --
>> my apologize for my schedule being a lot out of control yesterday. It's been fast and furious and I've been called on to make decisions at the last minute but I did not get answers from the locations in a timely manner. And my apologizes to you, I meant no disrespect to your office and I made this decision at the last minute after really, really struggling with it, so you're hearing about it at the same time that everybody is. And of course you have the opportunity to roll this over to the next week if you want. I would encourage to you vote on it to put it to bed, but if you don't feel comfortable with this, take your option to investigate among yourselves.
>> well, do we have the time to deal with the options? If we don't we just deal with what you recommend --
>> you have another week, sir. I understand, that's okay.
>> would this be a good time announce the previous Friday as to that date there is a mobile voting location in mayar, and maybe we say it would have been there last Friday, so you would have had two back-to-back things and when I talked about fleugerville being underreceiverred -- underserved and in terms of that I did not make any suggestions. But it was not in proportion for the population out there. Kind of the tipping point we got to out in the four points area with all of a sudden so many people living in and out river place and the park and steiner that we had to respond with a bigger voting location. Fle, -- fleugerville is there, and it's growing by leaping and bounds and we had nothing east of the post office, in that corridor, and it's going to get even worse when the roads open up out there.
>> Commissioner, thank you for pointing out what I should have pointed out already to Commissioner Davis, we are there on the Friday before. I did not make this decision lightly or think that this was going to pull resources away. I felt like this was a balanced judgment.
>> let's go to the next one, please, and we'll come back to you if you want --
>> no, that's all right, judge, I think that time is of the essence. I just want to give an explanation and make sure if there is an available alternative I would just like, you know, but, go ahead.
>> I'm sorry for my slowness in getting to you.
>> that's all right.
>> and last one, election day, there are two changes. One of them is the preference so fleuger hall for election day versus the center, and so now we are going to work that out and look at that hall, and then precinct 320, the judge really didn't like the idea of the elementary school and so we are going to move to the river in the hills church, and thanks to them, and the judge thinks there will be more space and more parking for voters.
>> on the e-day notice, it's known as fleugerville hall.
>> other changes? We've already approved the others. On these four, Commissioner Davis, you read on all four?
>> yes, but if dana can come up with anything for next week on this here particular situation, I would welcome in, but if not day dana, if you feel this is the best you can do --
>> I would not have come here with this for you if I didn't think that it would be the best I could do, but I'll be visiting with you in the next day or two --
>> that's all right, thank you. .
>> any more discussion? Behavior? That passes by unanimous vote. Thank you for your patience today, too, dana.
>> thank you.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, September 20, 2006 10:25 AM