Tagged: 2012 Primaries

Last Day to Vote Early

Today is the last day to cast your ballot early in the primary runoff election.

You can click here to find a list of early voting locations in Travis County. Most locations close at 6 p.m. The polling place at the Travis County Offices on Airport Boulevard is open until 7 p.m.

Less than three percent of registered Travis County voters have cast a ballot so far.

Election Day for the primary runoff is Tuesday. On Election Day you’ll only be allowed to vote at your precinct.

Colorado Shooting Victim Remembered in Austin

A funeral for the former Austinite killed in the Aurora movie theater massacre will take place in Austin today.

Texas Primaries Results

Last night’s Texas primaries resolved several high profile contests, while sending other races to a runoff.

Near the top of the Republican ballot, beneath Mitt Romney’s win in the Presidential primary, the race for U.S. Senate carries on. Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst came up short of a plurality, meaning he will face off against former Texas solicitor general Ted Cruz in a runoff.

U.S. Rep.  Lamar Smith easily prevailed in his primary, despite opposition from Internet activists.  And on the Democratic side, longtime Austin U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett won handily in newly drawn Congressional District 35.

Update 11:33 p. m.:

Challenger Jana Duty has unseated incumbent John Bradley, garnering 55% of the vote.

Original Post:

Early voting results are in for Williamson County, where the Republican primary race for District Attorney is arguably the one to watch.

Challenger Jana Duty has 53 percent of the vote compared to incumbent John Bradley’s 47 percent. Less than 700 votes separate the candidates. A little more than 1,500 votes were tallied in early voting.

Duty has made Bradley’s handling of the Michael Morton case a central plank of her campaign.

She told YNN last night: "The policies and procedures have to change because those procedures that was in place 25 years ago in the Michael Morton case, are still in place today,” Duty said. “We have to have an open discovery policy, we have to have fairness."

In Texas House District 47 covering western Travis County, incumbent Paul Workman handily won his Republican primary.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Workman bested Ryan Downton, 67 percent (9,644 votes) to 33 percent (4,782). 

Looks like it could be bad news for incumbent State Senator Jeff Wentworth, whose District 25 covers part of Austin.

With just under eight percent of precincts reporting, Wentworth is locked in a three-way battle with challengers Donna Campbell and Elizabeth Ames Jones. Wentworth has locked up 36 percent. Campbell and Ames Jones have secured 32 percent each.

A former railroad commissioner, Ames Jones resigned her post in February to run in the state senate primary. Clashes between Wentworth and Ames Jones, including the former’s lawsuit against the latter, and an anti-Wentworth website squatting at jeffwentworth.com  reflect the tough tenor of the campaign.

Efforts by some Internet activists -- including I Can Has Cheezeburger? CEO Ben Huh -- to unseat the author of the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act have fizzled. Austin Congressman Lamar Smith has trounced his two primary challengers, all but locking in the Republican nomination. 

With results still trickling in, Smith had secured 79 percent of the vote. Tea party activist Richard Mack had 13 percent and software engineer Richard Morgan had 8 percent. The Associated Press has declared Smith the winner.

While the writing’s on the wall in the Travis County D.A.’s race, it appears that’s not the only county race where early voting tells the tale.

In the race for Travis County Sheriff, incumbent Greg Hamilton handily leads challenger John Sisson in early voting, 71% (11,825) to 29% (4,799).

Sisson tried to make an issue out of Hamilton’s participation in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions at the jail.