VOTE HERE

   Travis County residents are not restricted to voting in their own precinct on Election Day. Instead, residents will be able to vote at any polling place in the county from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Travis County is one of 10 Texas counties that will use Election Day vote centers and the only one among the largest urban counties in the state, according to the Statesman.Travis County used the vote center system in the November 2011 election for the first time and received more positive feedback than expected, including a slight increase in voter turnout (1.4%), according to Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir. I think this system will be more convenient for anyone who has to drive to and from work on I-35 or MoPac because potential voters can cast a ballot near the workplace or anywhere they see a "vote here" sign. Voters will be able to focus more on who they will vote for, and worry less about making it to work on time or whether they will be able make it to the polls on time after work. Hopefully these vote centers will continue to increase voter turnout in Travis County and eventually become a statewide trend for future elections, and more importantly, Texas will no longer have one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the nation. Travis County is making Election Day easier to handle and making casting a ballot convenient enough to implement into one's daily routine, so I suggest potential voters take full advantage of what is being offered.