HUNDREDS
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF TEXANS-- GETTING OUT EARLY, TO DO THEIR CIVIC DUTY...
WITH JUST OVER -20- DAYS UNTIL
THE ELECTION -- CHECK OUT THE LONG LINES WE
SAW-- OUTSIDE POLLING PLACES
IN TRAVIS COUNTY, ON THE FIRST
DAY OF EARLY VOTING.
THIS
THIS IS
THIS IS VIDEO FROM THE "ARBOR WALK" MEGA CENTER IN NORTH AUSTIN - WHERE YOU CAN
SEE, THE LINE WRAPPED AROUND THE
BUILDING, AND DOUBLED BACK IN
THE PARKING
LOT..
MORE THAN -35-THOUSAND PEOPLE
CAST
CAST BALLOTS IN PERSON IN TRAVIS COUNTY TODAY. THAT'S MORE THAN WE SAW ON THE
FIRST DAY OF EARLY
VOTING
VOTING IN
VOTING IN 2016. BUT ELECTION OFFICIALS SAY-- TODAY'S VOTING DIDN'T COME
WITHOUT A FEW PROBLEMS.
PATTRIK PEREZ IS LIVE AT THE BEN
HUR SHRINE IN NORTH AUSTIN -- WHICH SAW SOME OF THE
LONGEST LINES TODAY..
PATTRIK?
PATTRIK?
PATTRIK? QUITA, THE TRAVIS COUNTY CLERK
TOLD ME AT ONE POINT TODAY -- PEOPLE WAITED NEARLY
TWO HOURS IN LINE BEFORE
VOTING AT THIS LOCATION.
THERE WERE ALSO SOME REALLY LONG
LINES AT OTHER
PLACES.
THE CLERK TELLS ME THE TURNOUT
WAS MUCH BIGGER
THAN THEY HAD EXPECTED.
"I ACTUALLY WAITED A LITTLE OVER
AN HOUR." "FOR ABOUT AN HOUR."
IT WAS A COMMON SIGHT AT MANY OF
THE 37 EARLY VOTING
POLLING LOCATIONS IN TRAVIS
COUNTY.
LONG LINES FILLED WITH PEOPLE
EAGER TO CAST THEIR
VOTE.
"WOULD YOU LIKE SOME WATER?"
THIS GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS HELPED
PASS OUT WATER AND
SNACKS TO KEEP PEOPLE EXCITED.
"JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD
IDEA TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
WHO
ARE STANDING IN LONG LINES HAVE,
YOU KNOW, SNACKS AND
WATER TO KEEP THEM COOL AND SO
THAT THEY CAN STAY IN LINE AND
ACTUALLY VOTE TODAY WHEN THEY
WANT TO VOTE."
THE TRAVIS COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE
SAYS MORE THAN 32-
THOUSAND PEOPLE VOTED ON THE
FIRST DAY OF EARLY
VOTING.
"WE KNEW THAT TODAY WAS A BIG
DAY. IT'S BIGGER THAN WE
THOUGHT."
THIS HIGH TURNOUT -
MEANT THE COUNTY'S ONLINE WAIT
TIME MAP WAS A
LITTLE MISLEADING.
THE SCALE ONLY WENT UP TO "OVER
20 MINUTES" - BUT
THAT COULD MEAN AN HOUR OR
MORE...
"I AGREE THAT IF WE HAVE AN HOUR
LINE, IT'S NOT HELPFUL TO TELL
VOTERS THAT IT'S MORE THAN 20
MINUTES. THAT'S NOT HELPFUL." BY
THE END OF THE DAY - COUNTY
LEADERS
LEADERS
CHANGED
CHANGED IT TO BE MORE PRECISE - WITH RED NOW MEANING MORE THAN 51 MINUTES..
INSTEAD OF
MORE THAN 20.
AND AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS --
THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH
THE BALLOT SCANNERS -- WORRYING
SOME PEOPLE
THAT THEIR VOTE WON'T BE
COUNTED.
TRAVIS COUNTY CLERK DANA
DEBEAUVOIR SAYS THERE'S
NO NEED TO WORRY.
"WE ACTUALLY SCAN IT. THEY GET
TURNED OVER TO THE BALLOT BOARD
AND THE BALLOT BOARD MAKES ALL
THE DECISIONS ABOUT IT. AND ALL
WE NEED IS AN AFFIDAVIT FROM THE
POLLING PLACE THAT SAYS,
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED."
DANA
DANA SAYS
DANA SAYS MANY OF THESE POLL WORKERS ARE NEW -- SO SOME OF THEM HAD FIRST-DAY
JITTERS.
BUT SHE SAYS THE PROCESS SHOULD
BE A LOT SMOOTHER
MOVING FORWARD -- NOW THAT THEY
HAVE REPEATED
THE STEPS MULTIPLE TIMES.
AND
AND QUITA
AND QUITA -- I ALSO ASKED DANA TODAY WHAT SHE'S FOCUSED ON NOW THAT EARLY VOTING
IS ALREADY
UNDERWAY.
SHE SAYS HER OFFICE IS WORKING
TO RECRUIT MORE POLL WORKERS FOR
ELECTION DAY. THEY STILL NEED
ABOUT THREE TO FOUR HUNDRED MORE
PEOPLE..
THANKS, PATTRIK.
THANKS, PATTRIK. LONG LINES AND BIG DELAYS SEEMED
TO BE THE THEME OF THE DAY.
THIS IS WHAT VOTERS DEALT WITH
IN BUDA.
HAYS COUNTY HAS -12- EARLY
VOTING LOCATIONS.
IN SAN MARCOS-- IT APPEARS A
MAILBOX
OUTSIDE THE POST OFFICE WAS
BROKEN INTO.
A CITY SPOKESPERSON TOLD US--
FOR NOW, PEOPLE
WILL HAVE TO GO INSIDE TO DROP
OFF MAIL.
THE U-S- POSTAL SERVICE HASN'T
RELEASED ANY
DETAILS ABOUT THE INCIDENT JUST
YET.
YET.
YET. SOME
YET. SOME VOTERS IN LEANDER STOOD IN
THIS LINE FOR MORE THAN TWO HOURS TO VOTE TODAY...
WILLIAMSON COUNTY ELECTION
OFFICIALS
OFFICIALS SAY THEY DEALT WITH SOME TECHNICAL ISSUES EARLY ON.
IN THE END-- MORE THAN 22-
THOUSAND WILLIAMSON
COUNTY VOTERS CAST BALLOTS
TODAY.
THAT'S A -26- PERCENT INCREASE
FROM THE FIRST DAY
OF EARLY VOTING IN THE 2016
NOVEMBER ELECTION.
THE COUNTY HAS -19- EARLY VOTING
LOCATIONS.
LOCATIONS. IF YOU NEED HELP FINDING EARLY
VOTING LOCATIONS IN YOUR COUNTY--
YOU CAN FIND A LIST OF THE
POLLING SPOTS ON OUR
WEBSITE-- KVUE -DOT- COM
--SLASH-- "VOTE TEXAS."