Early voters flocking to the polls

A lot of Austinites apparently woke up on Thursday morning and decided it was time to vote. With 14,660 voters casting ballots on Thursday, the early vote total stands at 121,077, or 18.56 percent of those registered in Travis County. The number will probably be even higher today, which is the final day to vote early. At the most popular place to vote, the Randalls at Braker and MoPac, nearly 1,500 voters cast ballots Thursday, bringing the total for that location to 12,055. Another popular spot was the Randalls at Brodie and Slaughter in District 5, where 300 more voters cast ballots on Thursday than on Wednesday. The overall total at that location is 7,328. The Dan Ruiz Public Library at 1600 Grove Blvd. in District 3 had its best day this early voting season, with 190 people casting ballots. Still, the total there is only 1,231. However, it’s easier to cast a ballot at the grocery store and pick up some dinner than it is to stop at the library where you might not otherwise have business. We can anticipate that there will be at least as many, and probably more, voters casting ballots today, so it might be wise not to wait until the last minute. Tuesday is Election Day, of course. In May 2012, the last time Austinites elected a mayor and Council members, only 10.7 percent of the electorate participated. So, assuming those voting early get that far down on the ballot, this election might already be considered a success.