Saturday, May 10, 2008
SWOP homepage05/08/08-Hondo Anvil Herald-Record turnout reported during city's early voting
Pull quote that says reams about Hondo, Texas...
Voting ... is to decide to keep their current council members, who by all reports and indications have been very productive, or to replace one, two or all three of them with their challengers.
emphasis mine...
Record turnout reported during city's early voting
By William Hoover
May 8, 2008
Hondo Anvil Herald Correspondent
Mirroring national trends in this year’s presidential primaries, interest in the Hondo city elections is at an all time high, according to City Secretary Yolanda Benitez. This is the first council election to be held since the city adopted a Home Rule Charter, providing council members with three-year terms of office.
Benitez said more early votes were cast in this year’s municipal elections than in any election in the city’s history. At the close of early voting Tuesday, 949 early votes had been cast at City Hall and 171 mail-in ballots had been received, which means 1,120 Hondo residents cast ballots during just the early voting period. Hondo has 3,304 registered voters and over one third, or 1,120, decided to vote early. Saturday, May 10, is the official election day.
The early vote total alone exceeds past election vote totals, with early voting and Election Day voting combined. A stunning 131 people voted in the four-hour span on Saturday, which was more than any eight-hour day in the early voting period, according to the City Secretary.
“We worked our tails off Saturday,” said Benitez, who served as the Early Voting Clerk. Benitez received help with the throngs of voters from Sandy Rodriguez and Erica Rios, who both served as Deputy Early Voting Clerks.
To participate in the record setting election, and voice your opinion on how the city is being run, be sure to drop by Hondo City Hall on election day, Saturday, May 10. Ballots can be cast for the council candidate of your choice in city council chambers from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
Voting in the election, which has had a record breaking early vote, is crucial if a fair representation of the city’s electorate is to decide to keep their current council members, who by all reports and indications have been very productive, or to replace one, two or all three of them with their challengers. The council members elected this Saturday will be the first elected to the three-year terms provided by the city’s year old Home Rule Charter.
In Place 3, Terry Teague is the incumbent, and he faces both Chris Stiegler, a former councilman, and Virginia Gonzales.
The Place 4 incumbent, Sammy Nooner, is in a three-person race with Lucio Torrez and former city secretary, Bea Cervantez.
Two are seeking election to Place 5, where Mayor Pro Tem Ann-Michelle Long faces a challenge from Chavel Lopez.
