Blog

by Kevin Henning, KCDP Chair
for the KCDP weekly newsletter, January 26, 2020

Please vote in the Democratic Primary!

RECAP: The Democratic Primary is on March 3, 2020, with early voting running from February 18 to 28, 2020. Kendall County will have 11 voting locations as in past years. The county has been approved and just last week was confirmed by the Texas Secretary of State for countywide voting to continue. This means on election day, you can vote in any polling place. Information on voting locations and times are included in this newsletter.

You will need to determine who you will vote for in the Democratic Primary. The top line races like President, Senator and Congress will have lots of media information that is readily available but you also need to vote down ballot for offices like Railroad Commissioner, State School Board Member and the many Judicial Seats. The Hill Country League of Women Voters will have unbiased candidate information for you to review. Online organizations like Ballotpedia will also have valuable unbiased information on candidates and races. The San Antonio Express News will recommend candidates and supply a reason for their choice. It is well worth your time to check these sources out. Becky has included information on Texas School Board.

Part II

Now that you are registered to vote (deadline is February 3 for the Primary) and started your candidate research here’s some additional information you might find valuable. Many folks ask me how you become a Democrat? In Texas you do not register as a Democrat, Republican or Independent. That occurs when you vote in the Primary. If you vote in the Democratic Primary you are classified as a Democrat, if you vote in the Republican Primary you are a Republican. That’s one of the reasons it’s so important to vote in the Primary.

Also, you can get active in the Kendall County Democratic Party and become a volunteer. You can join Boerne Area Democrats and attend their meetings and events. On March 21, we will hold our County Convention, and you should plan to attend. Details on the convention will be coming soon.

Early voting is a great way to cast your ballot and avoid the rush on election day. This year we can early vote at the Kendall County Courthouse Annex at 221 Fawn Valley Dr. in Boerne beginning February 18. In past years we also had a day or two of early voting in Comfort. Unfortunately, thanks to Texas House Bill 1888 we will not have a Comfort early voting site. It was pushed through in the last legislative session by Republicans like our own Representative Biedermann and Senator Campbell. The bill was ostensibly to curb some minor abuses in school board elections. The real reason was to suppress the votes of young people on college campuses. The bill restricts the use of cost effective temporary early voting sites like Comfort. If we can take control of the Texas House next November, we can start reversing the heinous Republican agenda.

Remember when you go vote, by Texas law, you cannot use your cellphone in the voting booth. You can take paper notes, or better yet, a sample ballot that you have annotated with your selections. That will help speed up the voting process. Sample ballots will be available on our website, at our office and at the Election Office so please pick up a sample ballot before you go to the polling location.

Political signs and other electioneering is not allowed within 100 feet of the polling location and you are not allowed to wear political clothing, badges or insignia when entering the polling place.

If you are handicapped or find it difficult to physically to enter the polling place, you can curbside vote by calling the Elections Office at 830-331-8701. Also, folks over 65 years old, those who are disabled, or out of the county can use a mail in ballot. Finally, we will have drivers available to take folks to the polls if they need a ride, contact KCDP a day or two prior to when you want to vote.

Remember, it is time to make our presence known so when you go vote, in the Primary don’t hesitate to politely announce:

“I’m a Democrat and I want to vote in the Democratic Primary.”