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No Registration, No Vote
No Registration, No Vote 9/24/12
jsamp@cbs7.com
October 9th is the deadline to register to vote.
Election administrators tell CBS 7 that with the increase of population in the Permian Basin, they want to increase the awareness of getting registered.
Employees at the Ector County Elections Office are preparing for early voting by stuffing mail-in ballots in to envelopes.
They say Election Day is getting closer, but many new comers in west Texas may not get to vote if they are not registered.
“It's very important to register to vote here in Ector county,” said Lisa Sertuche Asst. Ector County Elections Administrator.
Ruth Sloan the Midland County Elections Administrator says its not just the presidential race on the ballot, but other important items like multi-million-dollar school bonds.
“People don't think of elections unless it's a presidential year,” she said, “All the schools have had an increase in their population.”
Sloan says there are a few challenges that comes with getting people to register. She says many people from out of state do not know registration rules.
“My staff will ask where they're from,” she said, “We've got people coming in from all over the United States.”
The state requires the voter to register 30 days prior to Election Day, which is why October 9th is the deadline.
Some administrators say even though there is a major population increase, many new comers will not register because they do not consider west Texas their home.
“A lot of them are here just to work in the oil field they aren’t claiming Ector County as a permanent address,” Lisa Sertuche said.
If you try to go to the polls without registering, then your vote will be counted as a provisional vote., even then it may not be counted.
"Technically no one could be turned away from voting," Sloan said, "However if we can prove that you were not registered to vote, it wont count."
According to Midland County you can give your hotel address or camp address and still qualify for voter registration.