The Blanco County Commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday to oppose the elimination of the countywide polling program by the state legislature.
Blanco County has participated in the countywide polling program since 2023. The program allows any registered voter to vote at any voting location in the county, instead of having to vote at their specific precinct, during both early voting and on election day.
“There is a movement afoot to eliminate countywide voting,” said Blanco County Judge Brett Bray. “…It seems to be based on from the folks who generally want to do pencils and paper ballots. I personally think it’s a misguided attempt by the legislature, regardless of party, to lump Blanco Coun ty and Burnet County and Llano County in with Harris County. They’re two totally different animals.
“I personally view countywide polling as having been a success out here. It works out here and it’s a benefit to the citizens. I don’t know that it’s true everywhere in Texas, and…the legislature has a yeoman’s task trying to figure all that out.”
According to the resolution passed by the commissioners, the program “has contributed to increased voter turnout and a reduction" of provisional ballots in the county. Eliminating the program would cause “significant expenses” and impose “hardships for both the county and its constituents,” the resolution stated. To that point, Blanco County voters cast almost 1,800 more votes in the 2024 general election than they did in 2020.
Voters cast 8,576 ballots in the November 2024 general election, when the county wide polling place program was in place. There were 6,792 ballots cast in the November 2020 general election, and the countywide polling place program was not in effect.
“I think it benefits the rural counties quite a bit,” said Tommy Weir, Precinct 1 Commissioner. “There’s a lot of travel time between polling sites and it has definitely helped Blanco County.” The resolution stated that the commissioners believe “reverting to precinct-based voting would negatively impact the voting community, decrease voter turnout and potentially disenfranchise a significant number of voters, including those with disabilities.”
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the commissioners approved a resolution to make Feb. 22 George Washington Day in Blanco County.
Blair Rudy, a Blanco County resident who is a recent past president of the San Antonio Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, said the legacy of Washington still resonates “After two terms as president of the United States, in 1797, he decided not to run for a third term,” Rudy said. “When King George III was made aware of that information, he was just astounded. At that time, leaders never gave up control, never gave up power… “ We also, this last month, saw a peaceful transition of power of our legislative and executive branches of our national government.” That legacy of peaceful transition that Washington began still lives on today.
Rudy, who was dressed in period regalia, also thanked the commissioners for their yearly resolution honoring Washington.
The commissioners also:
- Accepted $4,084.91 in tax sale excess proceeds from Carrie Pickering with the Linebarger Law Firm. The firm also distributed funds to Blanco ISD, Blanco County ESD #2 and the Blanco-Pedernales Ground water Conservation District.
- Appointed Lyndsay Guthrie and Lisa Petri as members of the Blanco County Child Protection and Family Advocacy Board.
