Meetings on countywide voting this week

The first of two public meetings on countywide voting, under which voters would be able to vote at any Hays County polling place on election day, will be held Wednesday, Mar. 27, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at San Marcos Fire Station #5, 100 Carlson Circle at River Ridge Park. 

The second will be held Thursday, Mar. 28 at VFW Post 6441, 401 Jacob’s Well Road, Wimberley during the same hours. 

The Hays County Commissioners Court, the San Marcos City Council and the board of trustees of the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District have all voted approval of the change from the current necessity of voters to find their individual precinct for election day voting. Before it can be enacted in Hays County, all the county’s jurisdictions that hold elections must sign off. 

“The public will have an opportunity to suggest polling locations and ask questions about the new program,” Hays County Elections Administrator Jennifer Anderson said. “We want to do everything we can to encourage people to vote and make it easier for them. With these vote centers, even on election day you can cast a ballot at any vote center location in Hays County — whichever one is closest to you at work, school, or while out running errands.”

Anderson said she hopes to have the program in place in time for the November 2019 election. She noted that while different types of elections call for different numbers of polling locations, she does not expect a ma- jor change in the number of polling locations for each of those elections. Anderson will also form a committee made up of political party representatives and political subdivision planners to help deter- mine polling locations.