Liberty County voters have been showing up at the polls, and County Clerk Lee Chambers is hoping a storm system expected Tuesday, Nov. 3, will not discourage residents from casting their ballots on Election Day.
So far, 19,014 residents have voted in person during early voting. Another 429 mail-in ballots had been received by the early voting ballot board as of Thursday, Oct. 29, bringing the combined total to approximately 19,443 votes.
With just over 60,000 registered voters in Liberty County, roughly 32 percent have already participated in the election.
Chambers is hoping to see turnout reach 45 percent, or approximately 27,000 voters. She believes the county could finish with somewhere between 25,000 and 28,000 votes, although the weather could play a role in how many people make it to the polls Tuesday.
Election workers are already preparing for the final day of voting.
“They are delivering equipment today and setting up all the locations,” Chambers said on Monday, Nov. 2.
Despite her concerns about Tuesday’s weather, Chambers said she is pleased with the number of people who have already voted, especially considering that there are no contested countywide races on the ballot.
“There is no county judge, county clerk or JP race on the ballot,” she said, referring to the absence of contested races for those offices. “So this is a pretty amazing turnout.”
Several county officials, including Chambers and County Judge Jay Knight, are on the ballot but face no opposition.
Even if the county reaches Chambers’ 45 percent goal, more than half of Liberty County’s registered voters will not have participated in the election.
What’s on the ballot?
There is plenty for voters to decide Tuesday, even without competitive countywide races.
The ballot includes races for U.S. senator, U.S. representative for District 9, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner and railroad commissioner.
Voters will also choose candidates for the Texas Supreme Court, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, State Board of Education, Texas Senate District 3 and Texas House District 18, along with other judicial positions. There is one contested race for Tarkington ISD Board of Trustees.
Two special elections could also have a significant impact on residents in parts of Liberty County.
In the City of Liberty, voters will decide whether to dissolve the Liberty Community Development Corporation and redirect its dedicated half-cent sales tax to the city’s general fund. If approved, the city’s general sales tax would increase from 1 percent to 1.5 percent, but the overall sales tax rate of 8.25 percent would remain unchanged.
Voters in the Hull Fresh Water Supply District will consider a proposition that would authorize the district to levy an operations and maintenance property tax at an unlimited rate. The money could be used for maintaining and improving district facilities, equipment, infrastructure and other operational expenses. The proposition is identified on the ballot as a tax increase.
Mail-in ballots and special voting circumstances
Chambers said the election office is continuing to receive mail-in ballots. She said ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, to be counted under the deadline.
She also praised the post office for working with election officials to make sure ballots arrive in a timely manner.
Another approximately 100 people have taken advantage of limited voting, which is available to registered voters who recently moved into Liberty County from another Texas county but have not yet transferred their voter registration.
These voters can cast ballots in races for which they remain eligible, including statewide and certain federal races, but cannot vote in county-specific contests for which they are not registered.
Limited voting was available only during early voting at the Liberty County Elections Office in Liberty. It will not be offered on Election Day.
Chambers said voters who have registration issues on Election Day may be offered provisional ballots. Those ballots are reviewed individually to determine whether the votes can be counted.
Don’t forget your photo ID
Anyone planning to vote Tuesday should make sure they have an acceptable form of identification before heading to the polls.
Texas accepts seven forms of photo ID:
- Texas driver license
- Texas personal identification card
- Texas handgun license
- Texas election identification certificate
- U.S. military identification card with photo
- U.S. citizenship certificate with photo
- U.S. passport book or card
For voters ages 18-69, an otherwise acceptable ID may be expired for up to four years. Voters ages 70 and older may use an acceptable ID that has been expired for any length of time.
Residents who do not have and cannot reasonably obtain one of the approved photo IDs may complete a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and present supporting documentation, such as a voter registration certificate or utility bill.
Those who cast provisional ballots because of an identification issue have six calendar days after Election Day to present the required identification to the county voter registrar. Written instructions will be provided explaining what they need to do.
Where to vote Tuesday
Election Day voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Several precincts have been consolidated, so voters should check their polling locations before leaving home.
- Pct. 1 – Consolidated with Precinct 2
- Pct. 2 – Moss Hill United Pentecostal Church, 127 Highway 105 East, Moss Hill
- Pct. 3 – Hardin Community Center, 414 CR 2010, Hardin
- Pct. 4 – First Baptist Church of Devers, 106 Avenue A, Devers
- Pct. 6 – Consolidated with Precinct 11
- Pct. 7 – Consolidated with Precinct 20
- Pct. 8 – Dolen Baptist Church Gym, 10078 FM 787, Dolen
- Pct. 9 – Hi-Way Tabernacle, 108 CR 2250, Cleveland
- Pct. 10 – St. Anne’s Catholic Church Hall, CR 622 and FM 686, Eastgate
- Pct. 11 – Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 3730 FM 160, Raywood
- Pct. 13 – Hull-Daisetta Community Center, 410B Main St., Daisetta
- Pct. 18 – Consolidated with Precinct 19
- Pct. 19 – Jack Hartel Administration Building, 318 San Jacinto St., Liberty
- Pct. 20 – Cleveland Civic Center, 210 Peach Ave., Cleveland
- Precinct 21 – Kenefick Southern Baptist Church, 3536 FM 1008, Kenefick
- Precinct 22 – Dayton Community Center, 801 S. Cleveland St., Dayton
- Precinct 23 – Santa Fe Administration Building, 1680 CR 3549, Cleveland
- Precinct 24 – Westlake Fire Department, 8704 FM 1409, Westlake
- Precinct 25 – Consolidated with Precinct 9
- Precinct 26 – Consolidated with Precinct 20
- Precinct 30 – Consolidated with Precinct 22
- Precinct 31 – Plum Grove City Hall, 9485 Plum Grove Road, Plum Grove
Curbside voting is available at all polling locations. This is for people who qualify for curbside voting and it is not available to every voter. Anyone needing curbside assistance may call 936-253-8050.
The election results will be posted on the County’s Election website: https://www.co.liberty.tx.us/page/liberty.elections
Bluebonnet News will be at Liberty County election headquarters Tuesday evening to provide readers with the latest election results and updates. Local results may not be available until all polling locations have closed and election equipment has been returned to election headquarters in Liberty.
Readers should also keep in mind that Liberty County’s results are only part of the picture. For statewide and federal races, votes from counties across Texas must be counted before the final statewide results can be determined.
For the latest election coverage, visit BluebonnetNews.com or follow the Bluebonnet News Facebook page throughout Election Night.