Elect Yantis Green

The abrupt resignation of San Angelo’s former Mayor, back in May, has created some headaches for San Angelo residents, city council members, and especially the Tom Green County Elections Administrator and her staff. The San Angelo City budget for this year did not include funding for a Mayoral election this November which has forced the City and the Elections Office to scramble to find ways to reduce the cost of the election.

The November election normally would be for Texas Constitutional Amendments approved by the legislature, which require voter approval, and for school districts that hold trustee elections in November. The proposed solution seems straight forward; consolidate polling locations across the county and share the cost with school districts that hold trustee elections. The problem – no school districts in Tom Green County hold trustee elections in November of odd numbered years. Water Valley and Christoval hold trustee elections in November every even numbered year, so their next elections will be in November 2010.

On Tuesday, July 21, 2009, Tom Green County Commissioners voted to approve the proposed precinct consolidations presented by Elections Administrator Vona McKerley and San Angelo City Clerk Alicia Ramirez. The plan leaves voting locations open in Wall, Grape Creek, Water Valley, Veribest and Mereta. Surprisingly, the plan closes voting locations in Christoval and Knickerbocker.

I met with McKerely and Ramirez before the plan was presented and I attempted to tell them that many people in Christoval who would normally vote will not be able to do so because they will be required to drive 20 miles into San Angelo to vote on election day.

After talking to some of our friends and neighbors in Christoval and Knickerbocker, I came to believe that closing those locations was a mistake. Basically, the perception closing those locations creates is that voters in San Angelo, Wall, Grape Creek, Veribest, Mereta, and Water Valley are more important that those in Christoval and Knickerbocker. I don’t know how to explain to voters that you can vote at home if you live east of the San Angelo city limits, north of the city limits, and west of the city limits, but if you live in Tom Green County south of the San Angelo city limits, you must drive the 20 miles into San Angelo on election day, a work day and school day, the first Tuesday in November, to cast a ballot. That means that teachers, coaches and administrators in the Christoval ISD, who will be at work on election day from 7 am to almost 7 pm will not be able to vote. And retired residents who have voted in Christoval and Knickerbocker for decades will have to make a special trip into San Angelo to find and vote at Plaza Del Sol.

Elections Administration McKerley has done a great job and all the elections under her watch have been trouble free and well conducted. McKerley and Ramirez believe that the two weeks of early voting gives everyone in the county ample opportunity to vote. What I believe they don’t understand is that the retired folks in Christoval and Knickerbocker along with teachers, coaches and administrators don’t normally drive into San Angelo on week days. The early voting period does not include Saturdays, when most folks who live in the county make that once a week trip to town.

The result will be that many well meaning and dedicated voters who normally would vote on election day simply will not cast a ballot. That is not an acceptable situation. Granted, the Constitutional Amendment election typically has a low voter turnout. But still, we are voting on changing the Texas Constitution! I completely understand and agree with everyone in Christoval and Knickerbocker who feels slighted by this measure. The only good thing is that this is a temporary situation. The Christoval and Knickerbocker voting locations will be open once again for the March 9, 2010 primary elections for the November 2010 general election.

McKerley and her staff have done an outstanding job since she took over the elections office and I support and applaud her, her staff and their efforts. Let’s make sure that this is the last time closing voting locations in Christoval and Knickerbocker ever happens.