Tuesday, April 14, 1998

Casting ballot today will pack heavier punch

Maybe you think you can't vote in today's runoff elections because you didn't vote in the March 10 primaries. You'd be wrong.

Here's how eligibility works. If you voted in the Republican primary, then you can vote in today's GOP runoffs for attorney general and two positions on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. If you voted in the Democratic primary on March 10, then you can't vote on the Republican side now.

But if you're a registered voter who didn't vote at all in March, then you're free to vote in today's three Republican runoff races. Just bring your unstamped voter registration card with you when you vote.

In today's Taylor County Democratic runoff for commissioner of precinct 2, the same principles apply. That is, if you're a resident of precinct 2 and voted in the Democratic primary in March, you're eligible to vote in today's runoff between Corky Cox and Buster Tarpley for the party's nomination as commissioner. If you're a precinct 2 resident who voted Republican in March, however, you can't switch sides at this stage of the game.

But if you're a registered voter of precinct 2 who didn't vote at all in March, then you can vote in today's Democratic runoff. Again, just bring your unstamped voter registration card with you when you come to vote.

For residents of Taylor County's precinct 2 who didn't vote in March but wish to vote today, one last note about eligibility: You can't vote in both Republican and Democratic runoffs. You have to choose one or the other.

The notion that most people won't follow up their initial support for a candidate by voting in a runoff is supported by dismal Taylor County early voting figures that show only 246 early Republican ballots compared with 3,355 in March. On the Democratic side, the commissioner's race drew a mere 23 early votes for a race that had a total of 1,105 participants on March 10.

Such low numbers mean the votes cast today will count even more, proportionately, than they did before - which should boost the resolve of those who might be wondering if they should bother themselves with marking a runoff ballot.

For your consideration, here is a quick recap of the Abilene Reporter-News editorial board's endorsements in today's runoffs:

Republican

Attorney general - John Cornyn

Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 1 - Mike Keasler

Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2 - Cheryl Johnson

Democratic

Taylor County commissioner, precinct 2 - Buster Tarpley