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Election Day draws near
By Heather M. Smith, Staff Writer
The 2008 election season kicks into high gear as early voting and Election Day approach.
Collin County residents will vote on almost 20 different positions ranging from local government officials to the national level. Among the election categories are U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Sheriff, County Tax Assessor-Collector, and various other positions for judges and justices.
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 6; applications must be postmarked on this date by 5p.m. To register to vote, residents can complete the online form at http://www.co.collin.tx.us/elections and follow the link to voter registration information. Residents must be at least 17 years and 10 months old to register. Voter registration is effective 30 days after the application is received. Currently, Collin County has 403,465 registered voters with a current population of 748,060 according to North Central Texas Council of Governments.
Residents can vote anywhere if they vote during early voting, which begins on Oct. 20 and runs through Oct. 31. If they choose to vote on Election Day, Nov. 4, voters will be required to vote in their predetermined precinct. Seals said “about 60 percent of the people will vote early to avoid standing in lines for hours.”
If residents have special needs, stations will be equipped to handle them. As of January 2006, every polling station must have one DRE for voters to use. A DRE, or direct recording electronic device, is a paperless, computerized voting unit; it allows residents to vote directly on the system. Voters with disabilities will be allowed to use headphones or other devices to vote independently and secretly.
In order to qualify for voting by mail, voters must meet any one of the following conditions. If they expect to be absent from the country during both early voting and Election Day, if there is a disability, if they are 65 or older, or if they are confined in jail, excluding conviction of a felony.
Residents of Collin County will get the chance to meet the Candidates on Oct. 4. The League of Women Voters of Plano/Collin County and Richardson are hosting the event at the Schimelpfenig Library from 2p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The public forum will include, among others, Tom Daley, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Representatives, Benjamin Westfried, Libertarian candidate for State Representative, and Jean Power, the Democratic candidate for Collin County Commissioner, precinct four.
As Election Day nears and the race for President, Senate members, and Justices heats up, Collin County residents can stay informed through local political events, such as the Meet the Candidates in Plano. Election Day is less than two months away, Seals advises vote and vote early.
Residents are also invited to email questions they would like to ask of the candidates to hsmith@acnpapers.com.
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