Early voting slow but ‘going well’
Early voting has been slow but problem-free for the March 1 Democratic and Republican primaries, according to election officials in Burnet and Llano counties.
“Early voting is going well,” said Cindy Ware, Llano County Elections administrator.
She described it as steady, though a little slower than the first days of early voting for the 2020 primaries. Early voting began Monday, Feb. 14, and ends Friday, Feb. 25. Primary election day is Tuesday, March 1.
“We have, as of yesterday (Thursday, Feb. 17), 160 fewer voters than in 2020,” she added.
In Llano County, the total voter turnout was 1,157 as of Thursday with 903 in-person voters and 254 mail-in ballots.
In Burnet County, officials recorded 1,960 voters as of 8:06 a.m. Friday, Feb. 18. Of those, 1,658 were in-person and the remaining were mail-in.
Ware said the number of mail-in ballots for Llano County was down from two years ago. Election officials received 254 mail-in ballots after the first four days of early voting this year compared to 605 over the same period of time in the 2020 primaries.
Another difference between this year and 2020 is that state legislators changed the mail-in balloting process, requiring voters to include an identification number on the mail-in ballot application that matches the one on their registration. Not everyone can remember which identification they used, and a higher number of applications than usual are being rejected this election cycle. The state also curtailed election officials from sending out mail-in ballot applications unless a voter requests one.
Those interested in voting by mail must have their application into their county’s elections office by Friday, Feb. 18. It must be received by that time, not postmarked.
Also as part of the new state law, the Texas Secretary of State’s Office has created a Ballot by Mail Tracker. This allows voters to track their vote-by-mail application or the ballot itself.
EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS
BURNET COUNTY
- Burnet County AgriLife Auditorium, 607 N. Vandeveer in Burnet
- Joann Cole Mitte Memorial Library (also known as the Bertram Library), 170 N. Gabriel St. in Bertram
- Granite Shoals Community Center, 1208 N. Phillips Ranch Road
- Courthouse South Annex, 810 Steve Hawkins Parkway in Marble Falls
Locations are open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 18-19; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, Feb. 22-23; 7 a.m.-7 p.m Thursday, Feb. 24; and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25.
All polls are closed Monday, Feb. 21, for Presidents’ Day.
Visit the Burnet County Elections website for sample ballots and more information.
LLANO COUNTY
- Llano County Library, 102 E. Haynie in Llano
- Kingsland Branch Library, 125 W. Polk St.
- Quail Point POA, 107 Twilight in Horseshoe Bay
The Llano County Library early voting hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, and Tuesday-Friday, Feb. 22-25.
Hours for the other two locations are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, and Tuesday-Friday, Feb. 22-25.
All polls are closed Monday, Feb. 21, for Presidents’ Day.
Visit the Llano County Elections webpage for information.