Jennifer Anderson, the Hays County elections administrator and voter registrar, said many more people will likely vote by mail in the county, but voters and election workers need to be protected for in-person voting.
In a presentation to the Hays County Commissioners Court on April 28, Anderson asked for a larger facility for elections to assist with social distancing. A few facilities used as polling locations, including schools and a senior facility, will be changed, too.
She also requested funding for safety supplies for workers and voters, a higher-capacity scanner and ballot printer, and help finding election workers.
As of April 22, Hays County has 143,586 registered voters, with 26,345 over the age of 65. Currently, only 3,931 are registered for mail-in ballots, which is 2.7% of the overall eligible voters. Another 61 indicated a disability to vote via a mail-in ballot.
In November 2016, 73,589 residents voted in Hays County, or 63.2%t.
Anderson said her team will be ready for a spike in absentee ballots, which had its highest count in Hays County in 2018 with 10,094. Anderson expects more than double that number in upcoming elections.
“If you know you have a physical condition that keeps you from going to a polling place, you should be applying,” Anderson said. “You have the right to do that.”
The next election is July 14, a runoff election that was postponed by Gov. Greg Abbott on March 20. The election for cities and schools originally set for May 2 was moved to the Nov. 3 general election. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is July 2 for the July 14 election.
Judge Ruben Becerra said some of the supplies needed to keep voters and election workers safe will likely be reimbursable expenses.
