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Whoever wins the May 3 city council and school board elections will know exactly who voted — and who didn't. |
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But they won't know whether or not you voted for them.
A lot of voter information is public, such as who is registered, who votes, and when and where they vote. Anyone can view the mail-in ballots and early votes already cast in the current Dallas City Council and Dallas ISD school board elections.
What they can't know just by looking at voter lists is how you vote.
Here's why this is important: Every candidate, campaign worker and anyone else invested in these local elections is tracking the turnout. They are looking at the names and addresses of who is registered to vote, who the active voters are based on prior elections, and whether you've already voted.
Once the results are final and the new elected officials are sworn in, they will know whether or not you voted. And because local elections have low voter turnout (historically, less than 10% of registered Dallas voters decide who wins), just a few votes can determine who wins a race.
So casting a vote in an election — especially in a local election — is a power play. You're telling your future council member, school board trustee and anyone else spending money or block walking to support a campaign that you are someone to be reckoned with because you take the time to help choose the person to make decisions that impact you and your neighbors.
Top: The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center is the early vote center in South Dallas. It is open today and Tuesday, April 28-29, from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. On Election Day — next Saturday, May 3 — 422 vote centers will be open in South Dallas and throughout the county, and voters can take their pick of where to cast their ballots. Photo by Jeffrey Ruiz |
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Above: This map of South Dallas precincts shows early voting totals as of Sunday, April 27 and the percentage of registered voters who have cast ballots. Source: Dallas County Elections Department
South Dallas is choosing between six candidates to elect a District 7 city councilmember to represent neighbors at City Hall. So far, 142 people have cast ballots during early voting, out of 13,833 registered South Dallas voters.
More than 13,000 people who could decide who will represent them at City Hall have so far opted not to weigh in.
So what do you need to know in order to vote?
Do you need to verify your voter registration? Find an early voting location near your workplace? Look at your sample ballot? Compare the candidates? You can find all of these resources and more in our Dallas Voter Guide, dallasfreepress.com/vote.
Is there anything else you need to know? Are you ready to vote? Let us know by answering these three quick questions!
See you at the polls, South Dallas! |
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