As we approach Election Day, I want to share some things with you. Perhaps the most important is that we will be conducting a countywide vote center election this November. That means that on Election Day you will be able to cast your vote at any of the 45 polling places around the county. If you live on Galveston Island but work in Santa Fe, you can vote there. If you live in League City but you are in Crystal Beach you can vote at the Joe Faggard Community Center. YOU choose what polling place is best for YOU! But wait, it gets better! As you may know, League City is holding a joint election with us so the city council races and charter amendments will be on the same ballot as the Presidential, Senatorial, and other races. So no matter which polling place you choose on Election Day you will get your complete ballot, including the League City contests if you are registered in League City!
Another innovation: In the past, election workers have had to manually select your ballot when issuing you an access code to the voting machines. In this election cycle, the barcode from our electronic poll books will be scanned to issue your voting access code. This automatically assigns the correct ballot style with the result that there should be no wrong ballots and faster voting!
Finally, Commissioners Court passed a resolution last month that requires all the Election Judges and Alternate Judges to attend specialized election training. This has resulted in an increase in the proficiency of our election workers. We have seen a major increase in the number workers attending training with a jump from 50% to over 90%.
These are just a few of the things we are doing to improve the election process and the election services we provide you. Our goal is to make your voting experience a good one. Please remember that early voting runs from October 22nd – 29th and Election Day is November 6th. For information on voting locations, please visit www.galvestonvotes.org . See you at the polls!
Dwight D. Sullivan
Galveston County Clerk