Election Day for the City of Katy and Katy ISD Board of Trustees saw voter turnout numbers continue to remain historically low despite steady population growth in the area.

City election voter turnout reached an all-time high this year with 1,452 total votes cast for mayor Fabol Hughes and mayoral candidate Carol Adams combined. Council member Ward A Chuck Brawner and candidate Sandra Oliver Byrd received about 500 total votes combined, with council member Ward B Jimmy Mendez and candidate Betsy Proctor receiving an estimated 860 votes combined.

In addition, about 4,500 total votes were cast last month for KISD Board of Trustees Position 1 member Joe Adams and candidates Tim Dietz and Wayne Dolcefino. Rebecca Fox, school board president and Position 2 board member, ran unopposed and received an estimated 3,400 votes.

In a city with about 14,000 residents and a school district with nearly 270,000 residents within its boundaries, both entities saw only fractions of their voter base.

On a city level, more voters cast their ballots at the polls last month in the mayoral and council member Ward A elections than they had over the past seven years.

Mayoral and council member elections over the past seven years have seen anywhere from about 100 to 1,400 votes depending on whether a candidate is running unopposed or has a competitor.

Voter turnout in KISD board elections has historically fluctuated and reached a record high in 2012 with 5,283 votes cast for Sergeant-at-Arms Charles Griffin, who was elected to school board Position 7. In 2009, votes for positions 6 and 7 fell to an estimated 2,000 for each, and the following year's results for positions 1 and 2 each fell to a record-low in recent years below 1,800 votes.

KISD Board of Trustees President Rebecca Fox said about 15,000 people move to the Katy area each year, and the district has to accommodate an estimated 2,500 new students annually at more than 50 schools. She said although the district and city population are expanding rapidly, only about a few hundred more votes are cast during each election season.

Fox said voter turnout in recent years has been "very, very low and disappointing" in KISD board elections. She said the candidates and the district sent out communication and used social media methods more this year than any other to increase voter awareness, but did not observe an increase in votes.

The city, the district and election candidates use an array of techniques to inform the public of elections such as personal phone calls, walking through neighborhoods, email and letters through the mail. Fox said she suggested online voting as an easier means to receive public input for school board elections, but is not sure how feasible the idea would be in practice.

" I just want everybody to come and vote, and I want people to care," Fox said. "The school board wants a big turnout because that means we're doing what the voters want, we're doing what the people care about, and the people who like their values are the ones elected to office because our decisions are important and far-reaching."

Fox said it is important for residents to vote in local elections because both city and district officials make decisions that have a direct impact on important community aspects such as taxes, teachers and jobs.