Austin sees roughly 20 percent voter turnout in May special election
By Carissa Lehmkuhl
FOX 7 Austin
Poor weather 'dampens' voter turnout Saturday
While the weather kept some potential voters home, many still came out to have their voice heard Saturday.
AUSTIN, Texas - Though it may have dampened turnout, a very soggy Election Day didn't stop all voters from making it to the polls.
"I wish I would've gotten out here sooner but I'm just glad I got here and got it done," said Justin Cameron, an Austin resident. "At least the lines are a little shorter because of the weather."
According to the Travis County Clerk, 171, 243 ballots were counted this special election - including early voting. About 22 percent of eligible voters cast their vote.
"About 11 o'clock (on Saturday morning), 11,000 people came out and it seemed like it'd be a really great day," said Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir. "Then that all began to tank."
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FOX 7 Discussion: May special election results
A few of the props that were expected to pass got the support they anticipated, but there were some surprises in the ballots as well. Brian Smith, a political expert and professor at Saint Edward's University joins FOX 7's Carissa Lehmkuhl to go over the results.
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DeBeauvoir said she was hoping to be closer to 30 percent voter turnout and believes the weather may have been a contributing factor.
However, Brian Smith, a political expert, and professor of political science at St. Edwards University, considered the numbers to be positive.
"In this case, 20 percent is one of the highest turnouts we've had since the 1990s," said Smith. "In a mid-year, off-year, non-presidential election, that's incredibly high turnout."
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