Countywide voting gains district’s OK; Cantu shuts down dispute

Hays County’s application to participate in the Texas Countywide Voting Program got support from the San Marcos CISD board of trustees Monday night.

The trustees voted unanimously to approve a resolution supporting the county’s application for the program, which would allow voters to cast ballots at any voting site in the county on Election Day instead of only at their assigned precinct.

“This would be similar to early voting,” Assistant Superintendent for Business and Support Services Karen Griffith said, “where also on Election Day you can go to any of the voting sites.”

At the board’s agenda prep meeting last week, some trustees expressed concerns about switching to the countywide system. Griffith had sent Hays County Elections Administrator Jennifer Anderson an email with the trustees’ questions, and Anderson responded. Anderson addressed concerns about whether the county’s voting software would be able to handle the new system (she said it would), what SMCISD voters in other counties would do (likely vote in locations closest to them, Anderson said, though voting locations are not yet established), and whether the county would provide countywide voting services in May, which is when the school district holds elections (it will, Anderson said). 

Trustee Kathy Hansen asked if the change would involve any extra costs for the district, and Griffith said it would not. 

In other election-related business, the board approved an order canceling the elections for Single Member Districts 4 and 5 and declaring the unopposed candidates — Kathy Hansen and Clem Cantu — elected to office. The motion passed unanimously.

At the start of the meeting, Cantu, president of the board, made an attempt to quash a personal dispute between two trustees, citing social media posts alluding to issues between the trustees. Board member Miguel Arredondo had made posts referring to a “racist” colleague and also posted a photo of a letter from a law firm representing trustee Hansen requesting that Arredondo remove his “untrue statements” about Hansen from social media and to “cease and desist from making such untrue statements in the future.”

“As board president, I will not tolerate any comments or presentations which would be in violation of our board operating procedures,” Cantu said at the beginning of Monday’s meeting. “... The dais will not be used as a platform to deal with those issues.”

Cantu stated that the trustees are there to represent the taxpayers of SMCISD and make sure the district’s children are getting the best education possible.

“My expectation is that the two trustees having personal issues will have time to resolve those issues by submitting to a mediation by our next meeting,” Cantu said.