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October 16, 2009

Early election balloting begins October 19

By Rich Flowers News Editor

Henderson County voters joins the rest of the state, November 3, casting ballots on 11 propositions in the 2009 Constitutional Amendment Election.

Early balloting runs October 19 through Oct. 30, at the Henderson County Courthouse, Seven Points City Hall and Chandler Courthouse Annex. Courthouse voting will be, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5. p.m.. Seven Points and Chandler voters cast ballots from 8 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. with an 11:30 to 12:30 break for lunch.

Election Administrator Denise Hernadez said the election will be the first in which the county will use new electronic poll books that will help poll workers qualify voters.

“They have to write down a lot of information, so hopefully the new poll books will help them cut down on that time,” Hernandez said.

The electronic poll book serves the same function as a paper book, Hernandez said, providing each voting box with a list of registered voters eligible to vote at that location.

“It’s supposed to be able to qualify that voter within about 45 seconds to a minute,” Hernadez said. “Sometimes the old system can take up to five minutes to qualify a voter.”

The amendment election will give workers a chance to get some experience on the equipment before the 2010 primary, just six months away.

“A good thing about the poll book is it holds the entire county,” Hernandez said. “If someone goes to the wrong precinct on election day the election worker can direct them right then and there to the right one. It will come up on the screen with the correct address to that polling place.

Unlike November 2008, when Hernandez office was required to provide machines and handle the vote count for several entities deciding local questions, this year the load is lighter.

“All we have is a local option election in Payne Springs and election day voting for the Mabank Independent School District,” Hernandez said.

Early voting for MISD will be conducted at locations within the district.

“They will only come to our polling places on election day,” Hernandez.

A few of the propositions are getting the bulk of the attention around the state. Proposition 11, which according to the Texas Secretary of State office, would “prohibit the taking of private property for transfer to a private entity for the purpose of economic development or to increase tax revenues. The amendment would also limit the legislature's authority to grant the power of eminent domain in the future unless it is approved by a two-thirds vote of all the members elected to each house.”

Proposition 2 would amend the constitution to authorize the legislature to provide for the taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property's value as a residence homestead, regardless of whether the property may have a higher value if it were used for other purposes.

Proposition 4 would amend the constitution to authorize the legislature to provide that the governing body of an emergency services district may serve terms not to exceed four years.

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