On Friday, a surge of 18,884 Travis County residents made their way to the polls to vote, the highest total of the early voting period, bringing the early voting grand total to 93,100. Add in the 5,560 mail-in ballots county officials have received, and that makes 98,660 who have cast their vote before Election Day, or 17.76% of Travis' 555,579 registered voters. Using the conventional wisdom that Election Day numbers are usually double those of early voting, a 50% turnout is not an unreasonable expectation, good numbers for a nonpresidential year.

Remember, Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polls will be open 7am-7pm. Voters must vote in their neighborhood precinct. Do you know your precinct number? It's on your voter registration card. If you've lost your card, look up your registration info here: http://www.traviscountytax.org/showVoterNameSearch.do or call the county tax assesor at 854-9473. Then, locate your precinct location here: http://www.co.travis.tx.us/county_clerk/election/20061107/polls.asp. You must take some form of ID that includes your address, although it does not have to be a photo ID. Registered voters can vote with a voter registration card; driver’s license or any official photo ID; birth certificate; United States citizenship papers or passport; or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, or other official document that shows the name and address of the voter.

[EDIT: Mary Beth Harrell's campaign says it has been notified that KNCT has reversed the decision detailed below, and will air the episode of NOW on Monday evening at 8pm. Also, the complete episode may be viewed anytime on NOW's Web site.]

KNCT, Killeen's PBS station, did a tremendous disservice to its Fort Hood-area viewership on Friday by refusing to show the NOW national political news program that focused on the Congressional District 31 race. The program did an excellent job profiling the two leading candidates, Republican incumbent John Carter and Democratic challenger Mary Beth Harrell, and how their views of the Iraq war are affecting their campaigns in this military-heavy district. Given that Carter has refused to debate Harrell even once during this campaign, it would have been a fine opportunity for District 31 residents to get educated on the race (funny – I always thought education was a core mission of public television). "[T]he Local PBS affiliate deliberately deprived the local community it serves the right to view the program," said Harrell's campaign in a press release.

I just watched the coverage of the Texas Congressional District 31 race on PBS's NOW, and it was quite impressive. A great example of how journalism with a viewpoint (make no mistake – any program founded by Bill Moyers is gonna be liberal) can still be evenhanded and not manipulative (see my complaints about HBO's Hacking Democracy).

"We're talking not so much about an election anymore, we're talking about an intervention. We're talking about getting these people to recognize reality." – Conservative columnist Andrew Sullivan, on PBS's NOW, about why he'll be voting Democrat on Tuesday

The federal court preliminary injunction barring Greg Abbott from prosecuting individuals found in possession of the mail-in ballot of another, but with the consent of that voter, has been lifted. The case was brought by the Democratic Party and other Texans, arguing that the law was overbroad and that Abbott was overzealously prosecuting people who were simply taking ballots to the post office for the elderly. Abbott contends he is cracking down on voter fraud by strictly enforcing the 2003 law.

In the past few days, we've received e-mails letting us know that former NATO General Wesley Clark is making a push for Texas Democrats, endorsing Mary Beth Harrell (Congressional District 31), Ted Ankrum (CD 10), John Courage (CD 21), and Chris Bell (governor). Just in case you were wanting his recommendation.

A by-no-means-comprehensive sampling of upcoming election related events (not including candidate election night parties, which we'll post on election morning).

Ted Ankrum House Party (Candidate for Congressional District 10)
TIME: Saturday, Nov. 4, 1:30pm-3:30pm
PLACE: Home of Walt & Aletha Snowden, 2705 Kerrybrook

Tejano Blues (A Democratic concert and rally)
When: Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7pm
Where: The Victory Grill, 1104 E. 11th
Who: Cyril Neville & Tribe 13, Omerta Ignored, and the Blues Specialists; Democratic candidates including gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell
How much: Free, but BYOB

(More events behind the "continue reading" link)

Crowds are decidedly mixed on this, the last day of early voting. At the Fiesta along I-35, and at the Pleasant Valley Albertsons, there's currently little or no lines. Elsewhere, at the HEB located on East Seventh Street, and Randalls on Ben White, anywhere from 25 to 70 people have been spotted in line.

As crowds will probably get worse when people get off work, you know what to do: Go vote now. Most polls close at 7pm, although Northcross and Highland Malls and Austin Public Library's Howson Branch are to be open until 8pm. For more information on early voting locations, visit the Chronicle's voting information page.

As we previously mentioned, the PBS newsmagazine NOW will put the microscope on Texas Congressional District 31 (which stretches from far north Austin, through Fort Hood, and up to Erath County) as a study of how the war in Iraq is affecting this year's election. Dist. 31 pits Democratic challenger Mary Beth Harrell, a military wife and mother of two active soldiers, including one in Iraq, against incumbent Republican John Carter, a staunch supporter of the war and President Bush. Here in Austin, NOW airs at 7:30pm on KLRU.

Lots of exposure for independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman today. At 8:30pm, he sits down for a chat with Evan Smith on KLRU's 'Texas Monthly' Talks, and at 10:35 he will appear on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS. Kinky was already making the TV rounds in New York this morning with an interview on MSNBC.

Also on KLRU, at 8pm Austin Now will profile three local political activists an issues facing the voters, and Austin Mayor Will Wynn will be interviewed concerning the municipal bond vote that is also on the ballot. And of course, old PBS standbys The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer (6pm) and Washington Week (7pm) will be loaded with election news.