Tight races in area show why each vote important
Anyone questioning how much their vote truly affects an election outcome may want to ask Jen Jencks.
In Galveston County, in a down-ballot race where 2,000-plus people voted, Jencks unofficially unseated incumbent Mindy Lakin for a spot on the Galveston Independent School District board — by just six votes.
When it comes to hyper-local races, one voter staying home or forgetting to mail in their ballot might cost a candidate an election. This most recent Election Day proves that; Galveston is not the only Houston-area county featuring extremely close races.
Garry Hershman retained his city council seat in the Patton Village in Montgomery County by only 10 votes; only 286 people voted.
Charles D. Minton won the mayoral race in the city of Shepherd in San Jacinto County by just 74 votes, with 470 votes cast. Debra Hagler, the city secretary for Shepherd, said a difference of 74 votes there is not a small lead — but it’s still significant.
“Voter turnout this year was substantial, probably credited to the governor’s race,” Hagler said. “We haven’t had hundreds of voters come out and vote in our elections, so to me, 74 votes is not a close election.”
Minton ran unopposed in Shepherd’s two previous mayoral elections — this time, his lead may have been slimmer were voter enthusiasm not so high.
In Fort Bend County, more than 200,000 voters cast their ballots. And still, a few races will be determined by razor-thin margins. That’s rare for countywide elections, said John Oldham, the county’s election administrator.
“I couldn’t tell you the last time we’ve had a race this close that was countywide,” Oldham said.
Surendran K. Pattel, a candidate for the 240th Judicial District judge, has only a 36-vote lead over his opponent. And Tyra McCollum, a candidate for County Court at Law 2, has a 55-vote lead over her opponent.
Because Fort Bend had so many voters, Oldham doesn’t expect the unofficial results to change dramatically once provisional and mail-in ballots are canvassed.
“My guess is that we are going to add 350 to 500 ballots to the total,” Oldham said. “Almost all of the ballots, even provisional, are related to ballots by mail. So typically, if one candidate gets the majority of ballots by mail on Election Day, or that’s what we report, they’re probably going get the majority of those extra ballots.”
According to the Campus Election Engagement Project, the school board is the link between the classroom and the community.
“Voting for school board members affects funding for programs like arts, music and sports, the school calendar and what time school begins and ends,” the report reads.
Which takes us back to Galveston County, where Jencks’ six-vote lead is awaiting final certification.
“Things can change with just one person,” said Wendi Fragoso, the Galveston County chief deputy clerk for elections. “We are also going to be looking at the provisional and late mail ballots that could be accepted that can change the race.”
This week, the county will canvas the rest of the votes that the board decides are worthy. “If one extra person votes, it could change the race,” Fragoso said.