High voter turnout is expected, with 18,812 people already casting ballots during the county’s early voting. This compares to 4,064 who participated in early voting in the 2004 primary election.
Polling places across the county will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Voters should come prepared in order to make the process move more quickly, said Jana Henderson, Bell County election clerk.
“I would expect it to be really busy on Tuesday,” Henderson said in a previous interview. “The easiest thing is if the voters come in prepared, with their card and everything out when they come in the door.”
This year’s registration card is orange, but voters can also bring a photo ID. If they have neither of those, they can bring something that shows proof of residency, such as a utility bill, Henderson said.
Voters will choose a Republican candidate to face Democrat Sam Murphey and Libertarian candidate Chris Lane in November in the race to replace retiring District 55 state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, R-Temple. The Republican candidates are John Alaniz, Mike Pearce, Ralph Sheffield and Martha Tyroch.
There are also two constable races: Incumbent Luis Cortez faces Lloyd Charping in Precinct 1, while incumbent Roger D. Laird and Gordy McQuire are on the ballot in the Precinct 2 race.
In Milam County, three Democrats are seeking the position of sheriff: David Earl Greene, Greg J. Kouba and Tommy Farr. Also in Milam, Democratic incumbent Kerry Spears faces off with W.W. “Bill” Torrey in the district attorney race. No Republicans are on the ballot.
Of course, today’s presidential race is drawing a lot of attention in Texas, with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in a close race with Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York for the Democratic nomination. U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas are on the ballot in the Republican presidential primary.
There are three initiatives on the Republican ballot:
-On immigration: Federal, state, and local officials should be required to enforce U.S. immigration laws in order to secure our borders. Voters will choose Yes or No.
-Photo ID: The Texas Legislature should make it a priority to protect the integrity of our election process by enacting legislation that requires voters to provide valid photo identification in order to cast a ballot in any and all elections conducted in the state of Texas. Voters will choose Yes or No.
-Controlling Government Growth: Every government body in Texas should be required to limit any annual increase in its budget and spending to the combined increase of population and inflation unless it first gets voter approval to exceed the allowed annual growth or in the case of an official state of emergency. Voters will choose Yes or No.
