By Laura Bray
For the “Progressive Views” column, Boerne Star, March 2, 2024
The early voting period for the 2024 Primary Election closed on Friday. If you didn’t vote early or send in your ballot by mail, you have one more chance to vote on Tuesday, March 5. Polls will be open from 7am-7pm. Kendall voters may vote at any of the eleven Voting Centers. You can find a list of polling locations on the website of the Kendall County Elections Office (KCEO).
Here in Kendall County, we have one of the best election departments in the state. Elections Administrator Staci Decker and her staff provide thorough training of all election workers, and the staff is very organized and detail-oriented. You can rest assured that your vote will be recorded and counted accurately and that the voting machines are secure.
Texas holds an “open primary.” According to BallotPedia, “An open primary is any primary election in which a voter either does not have to formally affiliate with a political party in order to vote in its primary or can declare his or her affiliation with a party at the polls on the day of the primary even if the voter was previously affiliated with a different party.” Unlike some states, where you declare your party when you register to vote, Texas has no such requirement. A voter “declares” their party affiliation by choosing which Primary to vote in—either Democratic or Republican. When you visit your polling place (or when you request your ballot-by-mail), you will tell the voting clerk which Primary you want to vote in. Once you’ve voted in one party’s Primary, you cannot vote in the other party’s Primary or runoff election. Voters will see only the candidates for the Primary of their choice—in other words, if you vote in the Democratic Primary, your ballot will not include any Republican candidates.
The League of Women Voters (LWV) hosts a non-partisan website, www.vote411.org, that lists all the candidates that will appear on your ballot. The candidate profiles include answers to questions the LWV poses to all candidates.
The KCEO website has useful information on Voter ID requirements and how the vote is secured. Generic sample ballots are also available for both parties.
After the Primary, the Kendall County Democratic Party (KCDP) will hold its County Convention on Saturday, March 23 from 12:45-2:30pm at the Hampton Inn Boerne (34935 IH-10). Anyone who voted in the 2024 Democratic Primary may attend the Convention and vote on Convention business. If you are a Democrat and want to see your local and state party’s influence grow, participating in the convention process is a fantastic opportunity to make your Democratic Party stronger.
That Saturday, your fellow Democrats from all over Kendall County will come together to learn more about taking action to support Democrats here at home. We will vote on important issues facing our party. We will elect delegates to advocate for our county’s needs. And we will hear from some of the Democratic candidates who will appear on the November ballot.
Why do Texas Democrats hold conventions? Every two years, Democrats (and Republicans) hold a state Party Convention. At this year’s State Convention, delegates will elect members of the Democratic National Committee and national delegates to the Democratic National Convention (August 19-24, Chicago). The Texas Democratic Party (TDP) assigns each county a number of delegates proportional to the number of votes that Beto O’Rourke received in 2022. For the 2024 State Convention, Kendall County will send sixteen delegates.
At every state convention, Democrats write a Party Platform, update Party Rules, and pass resolutions on various topics of public policy or party affairs. Additionally, there are general session speeches by our elected officials, candidates, and national figures. There are lots of interest group caucuses and training sessions.
We need all local Democrats to vote in the Democratic Primary, so we can field the strongest slate of candidates for the November General Election. For more information on our activities, call our office at 830-331-1243 or visit www.kcdems.us.
Laura Bray is Chair of the Kendall County Democratic Party. The Texas Democratic Party contributed to this column.
