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Clean Water Action director points out ballot error

Monday, October 19, 2020 by Jo Clifton

David Foster, Texas director for Clean Water Action, keeps up with news from the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District. For the Precinct 4 seat on the board, his organization has endorsed candidate Christy Williams, who is running against incumbent Bob Larsen. But Foster and his wife were surprised – and concerned – when they received their mail ballots from Travis County, which included that race. Foster lives in Precinct 5, which is represented on the board by Craig Smith. Smith and several of his neighbors also received mail ballots with that race on them. On Friday, Foster told the Austin Monitor that when he and his wife called the Travis County Clerk’s Office to ask what they should do, a volunteer told them they would be receiving new, corrected mail ballots. Two other voters who live in Smith’s district went to the early voting location at the South Austin Recreation Center and both of them got electronic ballots that showed the race between Williams and Larsen. Precinct 2 Director Blayne Stansberry, who serves as president of the BSEACD board, said Friday she was surprised to hear that the error had not been corrected before early voting started. She said she had been assured that the problem had been corrected as of Wednesday. She called the Monitor Friday evening to say a technician had been dispatched to the South Austin Recreation Center to fix the problem. However, she said Travis County and the district are aware of the problem and that they will simply not count votes cast by voters who live outside the boundaries of Precinct 4.

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