Early voting begins next week
By Bobby Horn Jr. and Randy Grider
news@casscountynow.com
Early voting for the Nov. 8 general election will begin on Oct. 24 and will last through Nov. 4.
Cass County Clerk Jamie O’Rand said that due to the success of multiple early voting sites for the March party primaries, the county will open two locations for early voting.
They will be at the Atlanta Independent School District Administrative Building, 106 W. Main St., in Atlanta and the Cass County Voting Building, 227 E. Rush St. in Linden. The polls will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Voters may cast their ballots in either Atlanta or Linden, regardless of where they live in the county. On Election Day residents must vote in their assigned precincts.
“All registered voters are encouraged to vote during these two weeks of early voting in order to avoid long lines during the main Election Day. For voter convenience, voters may choose which early voting polling location to cast their vote,” said O’Rand.
In addition to national and statewide races, in which all voters may participate there are races that are specific to certain geographical locations. Depending on where the voter’s address of record is, the ballot may look slightly different than other places in the county.
In much of the county, voters will decide whether to become part of the Texarkana College taxing district. Approving the annexation brings with it an ad valorem (or property) tax, which is currently at $0.11 per $100 valuation. The measure would allow students from the taxing district to save money, approximately $795 per semester – by paying in-district tuition. TC would also locate a new workforce training site in Atlanta that would offer truck driving, vocational nursing, welding, cosmetology and industrial maintenance/multi-craft certifications.
The annexation has been highly controversial. Many property owners say they are already paying enough in taxes. Proponents point to the fact that it will make educational opportunities more affordable and help residents obtain a better quality of life, in addition to making the area more attractive to industry.
In addition to the TC annexation issue, Atlanta voters will also cast ballots “for” or “against” the sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption within the city limits. The last local option election in Atlanta was in May of 2015, which failed with 289 voting against alcohol sales and 244 voting for it.
Some church leaders have been very vocal in their opposition to the alcohol measure, especially coming only 18 months after the last vote. Texas Petition Strategies was the catalyst in getting the local option on the ballot by obtaining the required number of local signatures. Some alcohol opponents fear an increase in alcohol-related accidents and an increase in crime. The Austin-based group counters that statistics actually show the opposite effect after a community goes wet, with DUIs and traffic-related deaths decreasing.
In Linden, voters will face two opposed races for the Linden-Kildare CISD Board of Trustees. Michael Whatley and Robby Johnson are running for Place 6, while Joshua Lane and Tracy Spaniol are seeking the Position 7 seat. Running for city council are Chuck Evans, Kenny Hamilton, Sue Morris Lazara and Jeannie O’Rear Stevens. The top three vote-getters will be elected to council.
Voters will also decide whether or not to allow L-K CISD to issue $7.9 million in bonds “for the construction, acquisition, renovation and equipment of school buildings in the district and the purchase of technology.” A “For” vote would allow the district to adjust the tax rate to pay for the bonds.
The Office of the Texas Secretary of State reminds voters to provide one of the following seven forms of approved photo ID:
Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
Texas personal identification card issued by DPS , Texas license to carry a handgun issued by DPS , United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph, United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph or United States passport.
Non-photo IDs acceptable are: valid voter registration certificate; certified birth certificate; copy of or original current utility bill; copy of or original bank statement; copy of or original government check; copy of or original paycheck; or copy of or original of other government document with voter’s name and an address (original required if it contains a photograph).
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