Commissioners Vote To Extend Early Voting Hours In East, South Austin [UPDATE]

AUSTIN, TX -- In a unanimous vote, Travis County Commissioners voted to extend early voting hours in five locations that weren’t open during the standard 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. time frame available in most of the city.

As Patch first reported on Feb. 17, some polling sites in East Austin and southeast part of the city -- home to a large working-class, low-income population segment -- weren’t available during the normal 12-hour period granted elsewhere for early voting.

It later turned out there were a total five polling sites with truncated hours, including one that opened as late as noon and another that closed as early as 5 p.m. Community advocates complained about the limited accessibility to voting in their neighborhoods, prompting the elections director to suggest those facing difficulties (experiencing “heartburn” as he phrased it) contact the political parties to see if they might dispatch transportation to a site elsewhere in the city.

Judge Sarah Eckhardt stepped in instead, calling for a rare Sunday “special voting session” to vote on extending the hours. Which they did, unanimously, except for commissioner Ron Davis who was not in attendance.

It’s what community activists wanted, but the remedy came as early voting winds down. The newly extended hours at the affected sites will be in effect for the last three days of early voting for the upcoming March 1 primary.

The county clerk explained that implementation of extended hours won’t occur until Wednesday given the need for a 72-hour notice required until the action can take place in accordance to state law. Scheduling the Sunday meeting itself had to delayed until Sunday given the same notice requirements.

However, extended hours will be in effect for future voting (as the elections director previously told Patch in a telephone interview).

At the special Sunday meeting that took place at 3:30 p.m., commissioners (minus Ron Davis who didn’t attend) voted to extend the voting hours at the following polling sites:

Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center at 2608 Gonzales St.

Carver Branch library, 1161 Angelina St.

Ruiz branch library, 1600 Grove Blvd.

Howson branch library 2500 Exposition Boulevard.

Austin Area Urban League, 8011A Cameron Rd.

The extended-hours schedule was the sole item on the Sunday agenda.

Despite the hastily staged nature of the rare commissioners court meeting staged on a Sunday, members of the affected communities packed the gathering to air their concerns about the shortened hours.

While grateful for the court’s action at fixing the discrepancy, residents aired concerns over the lack of uniform hours across the board -- especially in their neighborhoods.

Before the vote was taken, Travis County Clerk Dana Debeauvoir explained the shortened hours fiasco was attributable to a convergence of budget cuts with miscommunication between county and city staff members to implement uniform hours throughout the city prior to the current early-voting election cycle.

“We have had a budget cut issue with the City of Austin for some time now, where the facilities that we use -- that are mostly libraries but also recreation centers -- they cut the hours and number of days that are available for membes of the public.”

Despite the limited hours of operation offered at some traditional voting sites, the county clerk said she met with City Manager Marc Ott some four or five months ago to exempt the facilities from budget-driven shortened hours during elections.

Concurrently, Debeauvoir explained, city council members also voted to extend the hours and have scheduling uniformity across that board citywide.

But city staff didn’t implement the desired changes -- the implementation of uniform hours -- quickly enough, the clerk said.

“I think that’s where the miscommunication happened,” Debeauvoir said. “City staff did not realize at the time, and what we would have fought harder for, is they wanted it done sooner rather than later. Staff didn’t really understand the policy had changed; that’s where the criss-cross in communication occurred.

“We are more than happy to step in, help the other elected officials get their policy implemented sooner than later, and that is why we are gathered here today.”

But residents still voiced their disappointment and anger. To a person, every speaker addressing commissioners happened to be Hispanic -- dramatically illustrating the population demographics of the neighborhoods for whom they spoke.

One speaker cited the U.S. Constitution in expressing shock that shortened hours at some locations occurred at all. Another invoked his family’s proud military history, members of his family fighting to ensure democratic ideals. Another cited modernity, saying polling places shouldn’t be limited well into the 21st century.

Gus Peña, a lifelong East Austin resident and former U.S. Marine, said he expressed concern about the shortened hours well before they took place and yet the issue wasn’t fixed in time for the early voting period.

“I also spoke to the mayor and city manager on this issue way before it got started when we realized there was going to be a shortening of hours in an area that is basically minority and people of color,” he said. “It should never have occurred. Our precious people deserve better justice than this.”

Peña mentioned that not only is he a former U.S. Marine, but his entire family has fought for this country -- starting with his father in World War I. In serving, they fought for the highest American ideals -- equal access to voting among those.

“Let’s fix this so it doesn’t occur any more,” he said. “Because everybody is not just disappointed. We’re angry. We have the right as Americans of Mexican descent.”

Ernesto Calderon was palpably upset: “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am to have to come before you on this issue. It’s not a new issue; it’s happened before. And we don’t want it to happen again.”

Peggy Vasquez, a lifelong Austinite active in her community -- including having served as a poll watcher in her community -- marveled that the controversy emerged well into the 21st century.

“I would just like to make sure when we have voting...everybody be on the same page and everybody have the same hours. That would alleviate all of us having confusion and having to be here on a Sunday.

It is, after all, 2016, she said: “It shouldn’t be that way. It’s 2016. We should all be on the same page and very organized.”

Eckhardt responded to the various speakers by agreeing with their assertions.

“You all are all absolutely correct,” Eckhardt said. “We should have uniform hours across the county for these votes. There’s no reason for different polling places to have a different level of access.”

Another speaker noted that those unable to vote given the shortened hours -- those operational hours inconsistent with their work schedules -- could collectively account for 500 to 900 lost votes that potentially could swing an election.

The vote to extend hours for the last days of voting -- and for future elections thereafter -- was then taken, the action met with spontaneous bursts of applause from those gathered.

To see video of the entire specially called meeting, click here.

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From Feb. 19:

EAST AUSTIN, TX -- Government officials conceded this week that mistakes were made in providing shortened hours in some early voting locations -- areas of the city where there is a large working-class segment comprising minority populations.

Patch was the first to report on Wednesday that a pair of polling places in East Austin -- one of only three such sites set up for early voting -- and a third in southeast Austin didn’t adhere to the normal 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. schedule available in other parts of the city.

An elections official explained in a telephone interview that the abbreviated hours were contingent on the selected sites’ availability, and the hours were published way in advance in alerting residents.

Regardless of that explanation, Travis County Commissioners Court has now stepped in. In a rare Sunday gathering, its members now will consider extending early-voting hours at the affected locations, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

The Travis County Elections Division also has weighed in: “When policy is not followed, it is up to elected officials to step in and make things right,” a statement from the office read. “Voters raised concerns about reduced hours at five early voting locations, and we thank them for calling attention to what now looks like a mistake.”

Patch first reported on a community outcry focusing on early-voting sites in East Austin and one on the southeast part of the city.

All told, there were five polling sites with truncated hours.

In a previous story, Patch detailed complaints from community advocates over the shortened hours. In the most extreme example, one polling site didn’t open until noon -- a full five hours after sites elsewhere in the city opened to accommodate registered voters’ schedules.

Closing times also were earlier than in the mainstream, with one site closing at 5 pm. -- to hours earlier than the tailored schedules in other parts of the city.

The controversy was heightened given the affected areas’ demographics and dynamics. East Austin and portions of South Austin have historically been working-class enclaves populated by a large minority base -- some of whom are low-income residents, others construction or service workers helping build the city or catering to diners or hotel guests -- whose schedules were optimal to avail themselves of the typical 12-hour voting window granted elsewhere.

In response to community outcry, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt called a meeting for 3:30 this coming Sunday in adherence to a 72-hour notice outlined in the Texas Open Meetings Act, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

At their weekend gathering, commissioners will consider extending the hours at affected voting sites for them to remain open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. next Thursday and Friday.