A public hearing was held by the Liberty County Commissioners Court on Tuesday to consider moving permanently to voting centers throughout Liberty County. Elections Administrator Klint Bush explained to commissioners that he has received an overwhelming response from Liberty County citizens in favor of the voting centers.
Approximately 322 persons responded to a survey conducted by the Elections Administration Office. Respondents were asked about their voting habits, such as when they voted and the manner in which they cast their ballot.
“We asked the voting public what they wanted, and out of the 322 responses, only two people were against voting centers. The two against it are seasoned citizens who said they don’t like change,” Bush told commissioners.
The responses also identified how and when voters cast their ballot. The vast majority of those polled – 61.49 percent – stated that they voted when they were traveling to or from work, the vast majority voting during early voting.
Bush said his office was happy to see a record turnout of voters in the November election – 49,404 people.
“That’s 59.99 percent of all registered voters for Liberty County. My goal was 60 percent,” he said.
The general election in November, which included city and school elections that were delay from May due to COVID, and the presidential election, was one of the most challenging elections to date, so Bush feels confident in the abilities of his staff and the poll workers.
Bush said that he and others intentionally tested the system to see if a voter could cast a ballot at multiple locations, but he was pleased to find the system worked as promised and no duplicate votes were allowed.
“I am satisfied with how it worked. We had an overwhelming response that the public likes vote centers. The Republican Party has signed onto it as well as the Democratic Party,” he said. “We have stakeholders from all demographics in favor of it.”
Tuesday’s hearing was not the final next step in making voting centers permanent. Bush must now submit an application to the Secretary of State for final approval.