Apart from turnout, election runs smoothly
Despite scores of campaigners standing in front of voting precincts on Tuesday, holding signs and waving frantically to passing cars, turnout for the primary elections was lower than election officials had hoped.
"I had been shooting for (a turnout of) 22,000," said Roger Ortiz, administrator of the Cameron County Department of Elections & Voter Registration. "Now I’m just hoping we break the 20,000 mark."
The primary elections decide who will eventually face off in the Texas governor’s race, as well as who will have the Democratic and Republican nominations for a variety of local positions in the Nov. 2 general election. Close calls will result in April 13 runoffs.
There were no major problems during the primaries on Tuesday, Ortiz said.
"I’m pleased with how things ran, but you know we always look for better things," Ortiz said, referring to the turnout.
At the Cameron Park Centro Cultural, where a race between six Democratic Party candidates for Commissioner Precinct 2 left voters with tough decisions, center director Alma Rendon said she was glad the candidates had run a "clean race."
"I’ve been here for 15 years and seen a lot of politicians come and go," Rendon said, "and this was one of the cleanest and nicest campaigns we’ve ever had."
But while Rendon was pleased by the candidates’ decorum, she says it also may be one reason voters didn’t turn out in the numbers she’d hoped.
"We haven’t gotten mudslinging, so it also hasn’t been emotional," Rendon said. "People aren’t as invested in this race."
Still, many did make it out to the polls on Tuesday. Cameron Park resident René Garcia, 51, said he was committed to making sure his vote counted.
"It’s our duty to be as active in politics as we can and let our voices be heard," he said. Still, Garcia said he didn’t have much faith in the candidates on the ballot. "They all promise you everything when they’re running and then they forget once they’re (in office)."
Outside of Sharp and Burns elementary schools in Brownsville, campaigners gathered with signs and supporters, hoping to remind drivers of their candidates one more time.
Among the campaigners, one stood out in particular: Ernesto Gonzales, a Harlingen attorney, rode through town on a horse, covered in the colors of the American flag and holding signs for Migdalia Lopez, seeking re-election as judge of the state’s 197
"It’s a unique way to campaign," said Gonzales, who calls his horse Alamo.
As the votes were counted on Tuesday evening, Ortiz looked ahead to the November election with hopes of a better turnout.
Asked what he would say to local voters to encourage them to come to the polls, a weary Ortiz took a moment to think.
th District Court, and David Gonzales III, vying for the judgeship of Cameron County Court-at-Law No. 3.
"I think our right to vote is something that we all take for granted," Ortiz said. "We need more participation to get more notice from our state government. There are many men and women from this area who fight for our rights. We have to exercise those rights."
