Good morning. Today is Nov. 4, 2008: Election Day. Here in Travis County, voters will make selections for county, state, and federal government, including president of the United States. Some voters will also vote on propositions for the city of Austin and Austin Independent School District.
Throughout the day, we encourage you to go to The Austin Chronicle‘s Election Central, which contains important voter information and will be continually updated with breaking news, probably well past midnight.
Voters casting ballots today must do so in their neighborhood precinct. If you are unsure of your precinct number, it is on your orange voter registration card. If you cannot locate your card, look up your precinct via the Travis County Tax-Assessor’s website, and then find your polling place location via the Travis County Clerk’s website.
Williamson County voter info is here. Hays County info is here.
Polls are open 7am-7pm. Voters must verify their identity at the polling place. These are considered acceptable forms of identification: a voter registration card, driver’s license or any official photo ID, birth certificate, United States citizenship papers or passport, a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement or other official document that shows the name and address of the voter.
Remember: You cannot be denied a ballot. Cast a ballot no matter what. If an election worker tells you that your name does not appear on the rolls, and you believe this to be an error, then demand a provisional ballot. If the county later determines that your exclusion from the rolls was in error, your provisional vote will be counted.
Also: If you vote straight-party, do not then go through your ballot and check members of that party again. Doing so on the eSlate voting machines will actually cause your selection to be cancelled. If anyone tells you otherwise, report them to election officials or law enforcement authorities immediately. And remember, if anything about the election process confuses you, ask for help BEFORE you press the red “cast ballot” button.
All Capital Metro bus routes are free today.
This article appears in John McCain.