Runoff begins amid uncertainty
WASHINGTON — Texas opens its polls Monday amid the most vicious spike in COVID-19 cases that the state has seen yet for a runoff election that officials say is a much-needed practice run before November’s hotly anticipated presidential election.
Texas is one of only four states that declined to loosen laws to allow more people to vote by mail to slow the spread of the coronavirus, so elections officials say they’ve spent the last three months crafting safety plans and
buying supplies to make sure it’s safe to vote.
The secretary of state released a lengthy checklist for voters suggesting, among other things, that they wear masks and bring their own hand sanitizer and pencils.
It also suggests washing hands before and after voting and urges voters with symptoms of COVID-19, including cough, headache or sore throat, to ask to vote curbside. And those who actually get sick can request an application for an emergency early voting ballot due to sickness or physical disability.
Harris County officials, meanwhile, released a 23point plan earlier this month that includes allocating polling machines to locations based on turnout, extending voting hours and improving a website showing wait times at polling places. Bexar County poll workers will be equipped with masks, gloves, face shields and gallons of hand sanitizer. Voters will be able to pick among gloves, finger sleeves and pencils to cast their ballots.
Still, nobody knows what to expect in what would ordinarily be a sleepy summer runoff,
which typically see turnout in the low single digits. The 2012 Republican Senate runoff between former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz was the last time that more than 1 million voters cast ballots in a runoff.
The coronavirus surge comes as officials are urging people to stay home, and fear of getting the virus could well suppress turnout even further. But the election also comes on the heels of mass protests over police violence and systemic racism, and the runoff is the first opening in Texas for voters to channel frustrations over it all to the ballot box, so elections officials are bracing for a larger than usual turnout.
“With the political climate where it is and with the numbers skyrocketing now with the virus, we just don’t know what to expect,” said Jacque Callanen, Bexar County elections administrator. “We just don’t know what human nature is going to do, how they’re going to handle it.”
Masks preferred
Texas has resisted calls to expand mail-in voting amid the outbreak, even as Democrats and civil rights groups sued to force it to do so. A Texas Supreme Court ruling essentially leaves it up to voters to decide if they qualify to mail in their ballots.
The law allows those with a “sickness or physical condition that prevents the voter from appearing at the polling place” to use mail-in ballots, in addition to people over 65, people traveling outside the county during the election and people confined to jail. Applications to vote by mail must be received by county elections officials by July 2.
Elections officials are urging everyone who can to vote during the state’s lengthened early voting period, which lasts until July 10, to avoid big lines on election day, July 14.
And they have one request for voters: Please wear a mask.
“This is a time where we have to leave emotions and politics outside and just do what’s right for everybody,” Callanen said.
The marquee race is the Democratic runoff to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Both candidates — former Air Force pilot MJ Hegar and longtime state Sen. Royce West — have hammered Cornyn in recent weeks over his response to police shootings and the coronavirus.
A surge in turnout driven by anger over police violence and racism could boost West, who would be the state’s first African American U.S. senator, but who has trailed behind Hegar in polling and fundraising throughout the campaign.
Both campaigns are planning get out the vote efforts that include calling and texting voters. Hegar’s campaign is planning a virtual tour. West’s campaign has sent mail-in ballot applications to voters who are eligible to vote by mail.
Trial run for November
Voters in Fort Bend County will pick a Republican candidate for what is expected to be among the most closely watched congressional races in the nation, to replace U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, a Republican who is retiring at the end of the year. Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls and Kathaleen Wall, a longtime GOP donor, are vying for the nomination to face Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni, who came within 5 points of beating Olson in 2018.
It’s one of 15 congressional races across the state voters will settle in the runoff, including picking between Democrats Pritesh Gandhi and Mike Siegel, who are vying to challenge U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican whose district stretches from Austin to Houston.
Voters in San Antonio will pick between Republicans Raul Reyes and Tony Gonzales in the race for retiring U.S. Rep. Will Hurd’s seat. They’ll face Gina Ortiz
Jones, a Democrat who nearly unseated Hurd in 2018.
And there are a slew of state legislative races on the ballots, as well.
Elections officials across the state hope to avoid the long lines that have made national headlines in states that have held primaries during the outbreak, including Kentucky’s recent elections. They expect that will be easy, given the expected low turnout in the runoff. But they’re preparing for anything.
Harris County has said it has increased the number of voting machines available and is planning to open more polling sites for the runoff, 57 for early voting and 109 on election day.
“We’re hiring most of our poll workers back because we want the judge and clerks and teams to get a feel for who’s going to be at the door, who’s going to disinfect, who’s going to take a break and have others step in,” said Yvonne Ramon, elections administrator in Hidalgo County and president of the Texas Association of Elections Administrators.
“We need them to try protocols,” she said. “For us this is a great opportunity to practice what we know will be in place for November.”