Early voting in Hays County revealed a turnout that more than doubles early voting in 2017. 

As of Friday, 7,955 early voting ballots were cast countywide and 571 mail ballots were received, according to Elections Administrator Jennifer Anderson.

This year’s early voting turnout is approximately twice as high as the 2017 election.

According to previous reporting by the Daily Record, during early voting in 2017, 3,794 early voting ballots had been cast countywide, and 146 mail in ballots had been received. 

Off-year elections see considerably less participation than presidential and mid-term elections. During early voting in 2018, the Hays County Elections Office reported a total of 56,569 early voting ballots cast, including 145 ballots by mail. 

Ten amendments to the Texas Constitution and several local propositions and municipal elections will be on the ballot during this year’s election. 

In San Marcos, candidates are vying for San Marcos City Council Place 1 and Place 2. Maxfield Baker and Mark Gleason, both San Marcos Planning and Zoning Commissioners, are up for election for San Marcos City Council Place 1. Saul Gonzales, City Council Place 2 incumbent is facing a challenge from Lisa Marie Coppoletta and Devin Barrett.

Reminder: you can cast your ballot at any vote center in Hays County this year

This year on Election Day, registered voters can vote at any polling place in the county on Election Day, unlike previous years. 

Instead of being limited to one’s respective precinct, individuals may participate in the election by casting their ballot at any of the 36 vote centers in the county. 

On Nov. 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., voters may participate in this year’s Constitutional Amendment and Local Political Subdivision Election at the following locations: 

San Marcos 

• Brookdale Horizon Bay: 1720 Ranch Road 12, San Marcos 
• Calvary Baptist Church: 1906 North Interstate 35, San Marcos 
• Centro Cultural Hispano: 211 Lee Street, San Marcos 
• Dunbar Center: 801 Martin Luther King Drive, San Marcos 
• First Baptist Church: San Marcos 325 McCarty Lane, San Marcos 
• Hays County Government Center: 712 South Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos 
• Hays County Health Department/ Live Oak Health: 401 Broadway Street #A, San Marcos Promiseland Church: 1650 Lime Kiln Road, San Marcos 
• San Marcos Activity Center: 501 East Hopkins Street, San Marcos 
• San Marcos Fire Station #5: 100 Carlson Circle, San Marcos 
• San Marcos Housing Authority/ CM Allen Homes: 820 Sturgeon Dr., San Marcos 
• Sinai Pentecostal Church: 208 Laredo Street, San Marcos 
• South Hays Fire Station #12: 8301 Ranch Road 12, San Marcos 
• Stone Brook Seniors: 300 South Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos 
• Texas State University – LBJ Student Center: 301 Student Center Drive, San Marcos

Kyle 

• ACC Campus Hays 1200 Kohlers Crossing, Kyle 
• Chapa Middle School 3311 Dacy Lane, Kyle 
• Goforth Water Supply 8900 Niederwald Strasse, Kyle 
• Hays CISD Admin Building 21003 Interstate 35, Kyle 
• Hays Precinct 2 Office 5458 FM 2770, Kyle 
• Kyle City Hall 100 West Center Street, Kyle 
• Tobias Elementary School 1005 East FM 150, Kyle 
• Wallace Middle School 1500 West Center Street, Kyle 

Buda 

• Buda City Hall: 405 East Loop Street, Buda 
• Buda Elementary Upper Campus: 300 San Marcos Street, Buda 
• Hays Hills Baptist Church: 1401 FM 1626, Buda 
• McCormick Middle School: 5700 Dacy Lane, Buda 
• Southern Hills Church of Christ: 3740 FM 967, Buda 

Wimberley 

• Cypress Creek Church: 211 Stillwater Road, Wimberley 
• VFW Post #6441: 401 Jacobs Well Road, Wimberley 
• Wimberley Community Center: 14068 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley 
• Wimberley ISD Admin Building: 951 FM 2325, Wimberley 

Dripping Springs and Driftwood 

• Dripping Springs City Hall: 511 Mercer Street, Dripping Springs 
• Hays County Precinct 4 Office: 195 Roger Hanks Pkwy, Dripping Springs 

Austin:

• Belterra Centre: 151 Trinity Hills Drive, Austin 
• Driftwood Fire Station #2: 15850 FM 1826, Austin 
• Ledgestone Senior Living: 13152 Four Star Boulevard, Austin

New voting equipment:

This year when voters walk into polling places, they will see a new voting system: the Hart InterCivic Verity Duo system. The hybrid system combines touchscreen electronic voting and paper ballots, which provides a paper trail for post-election auditing. Likewise, voters will be able to double-check their selections on a printed paper ballot before casting their vote.

The Verity Duo machines offer a bilingual option, which allows voters to switch machines from English to Spanish. The paper ballot will likewise print in Spanish after the voter makes their selections. 

At each polling location, one machine will be ADA-accessible, according to Elections Administrator Jennifer Anderson. The ADA-accessible machines will offer sip-and-puff assistive technology, along with earphones and will be able to be wheeled out for curbside voting.

On The Ballot:

State of Texas Constitutional Amendments:

Proposition 1 

The constitutional amendment permitting a person to hold more than one office as a municipal judge at the same time. 

— For — Against 

Proposition 2 

The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of additional general obligation bonds by the Texas Water Development Board in an amount not to exceed $200 million to provide financial assistance for the development of certain projects in economically distressed areas. — For — Against 

Proposition 3 

The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for a temporary exemption from ad valorem taxation of a portion of the appraised value of certain property damaged by a disaster. 

— For — Against 

Proposition 4 

The constitutional amendment prohibiting the imposition of an individual income tax, including a tax on an individual’s share of partnership and unincorporated association income. 

— For — Against 

Proposition 5 

The constitutional amendment dedicating the revenue received from the existing state sales and use taxes that are imposed on sporting goods to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission to protect Texas’ natural areas, water quality, and history by acquiring, managing, and improving state and local parks and historic sites while not increasing the rate of the state sales and use taxes. 

— For — Against 

Proposition 6 

The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to increase by $3 billion the maximum bond amount authorized for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. 

— For — Against 

Proposition 7 

The constitutional amendment allowing increased distributions to the available school fund. 

— For — Against 

Proposition 8 

The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the flood infrastructure fund to assist in the financing of drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control projects. 

— For — Against 

Proposition 9 

The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation precious metal held in a precious metal depository located in this state. 

— For — Against 

Proposition 10

 The constitutional amendment to allow the transfer of a law enforcement animal to a qualified caretaker in certain circumstances.

— For — Against 

City Elections 

City of San Marcos General Election, 

• City Council Place 1 — Maxfield Baker — Mark Gleason

City of San Marcos General Election,

• City Council Place 2 — Saul Gonzales — “LMC” Lisa Marie Coppoletta — Devin Barrett 

City of Kyle General Election, 

• City Council District 1 — Yvonne Flores-Cale — Dex Ellison City of Kyle General Election, 
• City Council District 3 — Amanda L. Stark — Robert Rizo 

City of Woodcreek General Election, 

• Mayor — Uncontested Race — Gloria Whitehead 

City of Woodcreek General Election, 

• City Council, at-large — Brent H. Pulley — Chrys Grummert — Charlie LeCompte 

City of Buda General Election, 

• Position 1 At-Large (Place 1) - Uncontested Race Declared Elected: Lee Urbanovsky 

City of Buda General Election, 

• District C (formerly Place 2) — Terry Cummings — Jeffery K. Morales 

School District Elections 

Wimberley Independent School District General Election, 

• Place 4 — Suzanne White — Will Conley 

Wimberley Independent School District General Election, 

• Place 5 — Uncontested Race — Joe Malone 

Hays County Emergency Services District No. 9 Special Election, 

Proposition No. 1 

Adding the area within the city limits and extraterritorial jurisdiction of the cities of Mountain City, Mustang Ridge, and Creedmoor, and the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the cities of Uhland, Austin, and Dripping Springs, to the extent those areas are within Hays County and not already within the boundaries of Hays County ESD No. 9, Hays County ESD No. 2 and North Hays County ESD No. 1, to the Hays County ESD No. 9, and that area assuming its proportionate share of the outstanding debts and taxes of Hays County ESD No. 9, if the area is added to the District. 

— For — Against 

Headwaters Municipal Utility District of Hays County Special Election, 

Proposition A 

Designating the Headwaters commercial defined area. 

— For — Against 

Headwaters Municipal Utility District of Hays County Special Election, 

Proposition B 

The issuance of $138,500,000 bonds for water, wastewater and drainage system facilities to serve the Headwaters commercial defined area and the levy of taxes in payment of the bonds.

— For — Against 

Special Election, City of Austin, 

Prop. A 

Shall a city ordinance be adopted that requires that a sale, lease, conveyance, mortgage, or other alienation of Cityowned land for any existing or future youth, recreational, or professional sports facility or any existing or future entertainment facility be approved by a supermajority vote of council (9 of 11 members) and also be approved by the voters at an election for which the City must pay; requires that any site development permits and variances related thereto be approved by a supermajority vote of council (9 of 11 members); requires that site development permits and variances related thereto be approved by the voters at an election for which the City must pay, if the sale, lease, conveyance, mortgage, or other alienation of City-owned land for the facility has not already obtained voter approval; requires that the facility post payment and performance bonds and pay ad valorem taxes, or payments equal to the amount of ad valorem taxes; and requires that all information concerning such sale, lease, conveyance, mortgage, or other alienation shall be disclosed to the public? 

— For — Against 

Special Election, City of Austin, 

Prop. B 

Shall an ordinance be adopted that prioritizes the use of Austin’s Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue by continuing the City practice to spend 15% of the Austin Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue on cultural arts and 15% on historic preservation, limiting the City’s spending to construct, operate, maintain, or promote the Austin Convention Center to 34% of Austin’s Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue, and requiring all remaining Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue to support and enhance Austin’s Cultural Tourism Industry to the potential exclusion of other allowable uses under the Tax code; and requires the City to obtain voter approval and public oversight for convention-center improvement and expansion costing more than $20,000,000? 

— For — Against