Brazos County commissioners have adopted a resolution where the Secretary of State’s office will be asked to allow voting at any location in the county starting this November.
Tuesday’s unanimous vote did not include setting locations for the general election. That’s after commissioners held a public hearing Monday night where there were opponents to closing a voting location in north Bryan. Opponents to closing the G.W. Williams Tabernacle on Waco Street included county commissioner Irma Cauley.
Click below for comments from Irma Cauley:
County clerk Karen McQueen says a committee recommended reducing the number of voting locations from 36 to 25. McQueen says members of the committee included representatives of the Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian parties, the local NAACP, the Hispanic Forum, the two cities and two school districts, the county judge, and the county’s voter registrar.
While the number of locations will be reduced, McQueen plans to use the same number of election workers, voting machines, and e-poll books.
McQueen says commissioners will take final action on locations in time to submit an application to Austin by an August 20th deadline.
The tabernacle has been home to Bryan precincts 25, 62, 64, and 81. McQueen says voter turnout at that location was 11.6 percent in 2014 (122 of 1,051 registered), 5 percent in 2012 (51 of 1,009 registered), and 21 percent in 2012 (216 of 1,023 registered).
Click below for comments from Karen McQueen, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver: