Tepid Morning Turnout for Police Chief Runoff Election

SAN ANGELO, TX — A casual inspection of about a third of the 18 voting stations from 8 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. showed low voter turnout.

At TxDOT, 4502 Knickerbocker Rd., the first polling location we visited, there were no voters at 8 a.m. Candidate Travis Griffith had decorated the polling location well, and we saw him putting the finishing touches on the sign displays 100 feet from the entrance, as required by law.

At St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, 2506 Johnson Ave., there were no voters. We saw three voters at Southgate Church of Christ, 528 Country Club Rd., and none at the Bus Depot, 506 N. Chadbourne St.

There was one exception. More than a half dozen voters were at the Southside Recreation Center, 2750 Ben Ficklin Rd. at E. Avenue Y. One voter approached me while I was standing next to an old Chevy Avalanche with a 4x4 sign for Griffith in the bed.

“Is this where we go to vote? Well, not for that guy,” she said, pointing at the Griffith sign in the bed of the Avalanche. “I’m with Mike.”

Over at MHMR, 1501 W. Beauregard Ave., a father and his son were waving Griffith signs at passing motorists. One passing pickup honked as a sign of approval.

Still, we counted only three voters at MHMR in about 15 minutes.

There are 18 voting centers, and two are located outside the city limits in Christoval and Grape Creek. If the pace continues, you can estimate 10 voters per hour per voting center, or 180 voters per hour. This could place the Election Day turnout at around 2,200 votes.

We will check other voting centers this afternoon.