If the trend holds over the last two days of early voting on Monday And Tuesday, more people will vote in the June 13 Runoff Election than voted in the May 9 General Election. Voters are choosing between interim Mayor Ivy Taylor and former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte for mayor, and District 7 residents are choosing between incumbent Councilmember Cris Medina and challenger Mari Aguirre-Rodriguez.
After six days of early voting, 42,798 people have voted. At that rate, the final early vote will exceed the 52,859 early votes cast in the first round. Only 97,697 people, 12% of the city’s 693,925 registered voters, participated in the May 9 General Election.
The highest runoff turnout in contemporary city elections occurred in 2005 when Phil Hardberger defeated Julían Castro for mayor, and the winners of two council seats were decided in the runoff. 129,991 people, or 18.8% of registered voters, turned out. That election also drew a higher turnout in the runoff than the first round of voting.
At the current rate of voting, more than 100,000 people will vote in the June 13 runoff, improving turnout by a few percentage points at most. Although the city’s population has grown from 1.2 million to more than 1.4 million from 2005-15, the number of registered voters is about the same.
Polls will be open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m Monday and Tuesday, and from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on June 13. Click here for early voting locations. Voters must show a Texas driver’s license, passport or other legal identification with their photo.
Over eight days of early voting in the May 9 General Election, 52,859 votes were cast. That represented 62% of the 85,378 total votes cast. A little more 12% of the city’s 693,925 registered voters participated in total.
Once again, the Northside early voting locations are attracting far greater number of voters than the inner city locations. Click here for the early voting poll site totals through the end of voting Saturday.
“We’re happy that these numbers are going up, we are ahead of the first election,” said Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacquelyn Callanen. “(It’s) a healthy jump. That’s terrific. We’re really pleased with that.”
Library polling location.
Related Stories:
#SAvotes…Sorta. What It Means to Have Low Voter Turnout
Susan Oliver Heard: Vote for Leticia, ‘It Makes a Difference to This One’
Tommy Adkisson: The Case for Mayor Ivy Taylor
Tensions High Between Taylor and Van de Putte at TPR Debate
Taylor and Van de Putte Tangle at UTSA Forum