Democracy Wins — Record Voter Turnout

Letter to the Editor

by Roxanna Deane, President
League of Women Voters of the Comal Area

A record number of voters cast their ballots in Comal and Guadalupe counties before Tuesday’s General Election. The New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung reports: “Unofficial totals from the county elections office after early voting ended at 7 p.m. Friday indicate 78,464 of 116,019 registered voters — including 70,481 in person and 7,983 through the mail for a 67.63% turnout. Guadalupe County tallied 58,234 in-person votes and mailed 6,752 for a 64,986 total and 58.11% turnout.” For Comal County, this total is more than all the votes cast in the 2016 General Election.

The League of Women Voters never supports or opposes political candidates or parties. But we can take this opportunity to declare Democracy the winner. Democracy is best when everyone participates and all voices are heard.

LWV works to give voters the information they need to make informed choices. This year has been no exception. Since early voting began, 8,726 people have visited lwvcomal.org to find voting information and view the Voters Guides. Almost 4,500 people have viewed the candidate forums posted on our YouTube channel. Vote411.org has seen a record number of users.

l haven’t seen any problems with voting in our two counties and I expect this to continue on Election Day. Both election offices have worked diligently to ensure that voters can safely cast their ballots. Remember that Comal and Guadalupe use voting centers, and county residents may choose any location to cast their vote.

If you do see or hear of a problem, please contact Election Protection. Go to 866ourvote.org to chat online or dial 866-OUR-VOTE. Assistance is available in Spanish (888-VE-Y-VOTA), Asian languages (888-API-VOTE), Arabic (844-YALLA-US) and ASL (video call—301-818-VOTE). Disability Rights Texas (888-796-VOTE) is available to address voting concerns specific to persons with disabilities.

For so many reasons this election is like no other and election night is also likely to be different. We should not expect all election results to be called or announced on Election Day as in previous elections, and that is okay. A delayed result with an increased number of mailed ballots means the system is working as it should to ensure the integrity of our election process. A complete and accurate ballot count is more important than a fast ballot count. All voters should remain calm and patient as they wait for the final results.

Roxanna Deane, President
League of Women Voters of the Comal Area