Citing long lines, other issues, Williamson County to look for new voting sites

Williamson County officials said they will be looking for new polling locations after one voting site was swamped with a thousand last-minute voters on Nov. 8 and because of the possibility of losing schools as a place to vote across the state.

More than 1,000 people were still standing in line to vote at the Brushy Creek Community Center in Round Rock when the polls closed at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 during the midterm election, Davis said.

Texas state Sen. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, filed a bill in the Legislature that would prohibit voting at public school campuses citing safety concerns following the mass shootings in Uvalde, according to a news release from his office.

"Fifteen to 20% of our sites are public schools and if those go away overnight," Davis said, "I'm really going to need help in finding polling places."

The people who were standing in line at the Brushy Creek Community Center in Round Rock when the polls closed at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 did get to vote, Davis said. The results from the polling location were some of the last to be reported because of the flood of last-minute voters, he said.

The county had 99% of the votes counted by midnight but had some delays, he said.

One of those delays happened when the number of voters who had checked in to a polling location did not match the number of ballots cast, Davis said.

"We reviewed the paperwork submitted upon the presiding judge’s return and ultimately determined that there was only a discrepancy of one between ballots cast and voters checked in," he said.

Another site had neglected to print out a results tape at the polling place, Davis said.

"We had some new judges this time around and we will focus on training," he said.

County Judge Bill Gravell agreed with Davis that the county, which has 65 polling locations, needs more places for people to vote because of the crowds.

More:Bill Gravell wins reelection as Williamson County judge; incumbent commissioners also win

"Clearly in our future Wilco will have to add more voter locations," he said. "We consistently have the same problem at the Round Rock Randalls and it has nothing to do with the people who work there. It has to do with that it’s a very small space where people are voting."

Gravell said he also wanted the county to begin regulating the number of campaign signs that could be placed on county property. He said the large number of signs he saw at the voting site at the Jester Annex in Round Rock was "trashy."

"If we set that standard," he said, "cities might consider setting the same limit."

Commissioner Russ Boles agreed with Gravell, saying he saw around 300 campaign signs at a grocery store polling location in Round Rock.

There have been no affidavits submitted to the county alleging that there was fraud in the election, Davis said. The voter turnout for the Nov. 8 midterm election was 54.4% of all registered voters, or 226,679 votes.

The Williamson County Commissioners Court took action on other items at their Tuesday meeting, including:

• Approving the extension of a grant the county has received from the University of Texas (through the U.S. Department of Justice) to work on policy changes and community interventions to reduce disproportionate minority contact with the Williamson County Juvenile Justice System. As part of the grant, the county has formed a local task force of school, juvenile justice, law enforcement and community leaders who have begun analyzing 10 years of data (2010-2020) from the Williamson County Juvenile Justice System, according to the commissioners' agenda.

• Approving $1.3 million to buy 52 acres from Samsung for right-of-way for a new county road. The road will provide a straighter connection between FM 3349 and FM 973. It also will provide for a more efficient expansion of the county's road system if needed, said Bob Daigh, the county's senior director of infrastructure. The county was able to purchase the right-of-way at 25% below market value, said Daigh.

More:'Improved safety and mobility:' A new road is planned for south of Taylor's Samsung site

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Citing long lines, Williamson County to look for new voting sites