Election Day called a ‘perfect’ time to vote
They waited in their cars in Montrose before stepping into the chilly fall morning air to vote. In Old Braeswood, some lined up in a neighbor's driveway to cast ballots in the garage of a home. Otherswere serenaded by a mariachi band outside an East End community center, where tacos and horchata were served.
Across the Houston region, hundreds of thousands of people turned out at local polling places to vote on a long-awaited Election Day. Harris County had seen historic voter turnout already, butmany had waited for Tuesday, perhaps out of habit, or because theywanted more time to decide.
And despite an acrimonious presidential campaign that saw tensions run high, the mood often felt festive. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner rode through Acres Homes in a horse-drawn carriage. WNBA players volunteered as poll workers at the Toyota Center. The Harris County Clerk’s office offered stickers showing the Houston skyline that said, “I Voted.”
The popular West Gray Multi-Service Center site did get a little rowdy when some said a car revved its engine, swerving near those holding flags and placards supporting President Donald Trump. Police Chief Art Acevedo stopped by to investigate a suspicious backpack left among the Trump supporters.
Max Fleischer, a 15-year-old-volunteer for Democrat Ann Johnson’s Texas House District 134 campaign, said the Trump contingent had been blasting messages through a bullhorn and setting off sirens in the morning.
That wasn’t the only conflict. Election Day voting got underway hours after Harris County Clerk Christopher Hollins closed nine of 10 drive-thru voting locations that had been used during early voting. A federal judge on Monday rejected a request from Republicans to invalidate 127,000 votes cast at them during early voting, but expressed doubt that nine of the tented sites complied with the Texas Election Code requirement that polling places be inside a building. That prompted Hollins to close all of the drivethru centers except Toyota Center to ensure no votes were later tossed.
No long line formed mid-morning as cars — taxis included — passed through the last remaining drive-thru at Toyota Center. But other voters such as 20-yearold Brian Soto reconsidered their plans because of the uncertainty. Soto went inside the Humble Civic Center to cast his ballot after seeing drive-thru tents in the parking lot sat empty.
Some had wondered how many people would even vote Tuesday after such a large early turnout. Officials said over 200,000 people in Harris County cast ballots in person on Election Day. More than1.34 million Harris County voters had cast ballots as of Thursday, breaking the county's record for total turnout.
At 8:30 a.m., an hour-and-ahalf after polls opened, lineswere short or nonexistent at most Harris County polling sites, according to the county's wait time calculator.
More than 100,000 Harris County residents had voted by 12:40 p.m. In neighboring Fort Bend, County Judge KP George said they were first in the state to surpass 70 percent voter turnout.
People had waited to vote Tuesday for all sorts of reasons. For Kaki Akin, 54, voting on Election Day was tradition. It made her feel like shewas part of something bigger, she said, arriving to the Rivershire Clubhouse north of Houston in Conroe.
For others, including Alejandro Gonzalez, Tuesday marked their first time ever to cast a ballot. A 63-year-old mechanic, Gonzalez became a U.S. citizen in 2012.
“I was so excited to do that,” Gonzalez said of casting his vote.
Jullianne Lee, a 22-year-old student at Houston Baptist University, had never voted in a presidential election, either. She joined the steady trickle of voters Tuesday at Smart Financial Centre in Fort Bend, eager to play her part.
She waited until Election Day to vote so she could read up on the candidates, she said.
David Fuller, 47, had considered not voting at all. Hewas “too damn busy” to vote early, he said. But he showed up Tuesday because his friends and coworkers had encouraged him to.
He pointed to the empty area in front of the Lone Star College Kingwood polling site, where a line of voters usually stemmed out of the entrance.
Said Fuller: “It looks like waiting for Election Day was perfect timing.”