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Vote 2020 Newsletter: Your guide to voting early, plus presidential candidates target SA

(KSAT)

We are just a week away from a major milestone in the 2020 election cycle: Super Tuesday. It’s when the greatest number of states — 14 — hold primaries and caucuses in the presidential race, including Texas. More than 1,300 delegates will be dished out on that day alone.

So how has early voting turnout been so far? In Bexar County, more than 50,000 voters have turned up so far. That’s about 5% of Bexar County’s 1,131,650 registered voters. The Texas Tribune reports that more people typically vote early than on Election Day in Texas, but sometimes these early numbers can be misleading.

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If you want to vote before Super Tuesday and skip potential lines, you still have until Friday at 8 p.m. Election Day is next Tuesday, March 3. (Resources at the bottom of this newsletter.)

-Lexi

Sign up for this free, weekly newsletter here.

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TOP HEADLINES

Elizabeth Warren and Julian Castro will hold a town hall here in town on Thursday. Find out more about the event here.

Bernie Sanders made a campaign stop in San Antonio over the weekend at Cowboys Dance Hall. You can see video from his visit here.

A Spurs legend gets political. Tim Duncan endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg in an ad released last week.

Planning on waiting until Election Day to vote? VIA wants to give you a lift.

STORY OF THE WEEK: The busiest, slowest Bexar County polling places

(KSAT)

According to the Bexar County Elections Department, 33,478 people have voted in the Democratic primary and 21,745 people have voted in the Republican primary since early voting started. But some polling locations are seeing more action than others.

Here’s a look at some of the busiest and slowest polling locations in Bexar County as of last night.

Busiest locations

  • Brookhollow Library, 530 Heimer Road: 3,428 total votes
  • Maury Maverick Library, 8700 Mystic Park: 2,877 total votes
  • Great Northwest Library, 9050 Wellwood St.: 2,821 total votes

Slowest locations

  • Somerset City Hall, 7360 E. 6th St.: 220 total votes
  • Precinct 3 Satellite Office, 320 Interpark Blvd.: 461 total votes
  • Texas A&M San Antonio, 1 University Way: 495 total votes

So far, more people have voted in the Bexar County Democratic primary than have voted in the Bexar County Republican primary. The Texas Tribune has put together an early voting tracker showing that this follows trends observed in other big Texas counties.

A reminder

Voters can cast a ballot at any polling location in Bexar County during early voting or on Election Day. That is also the case for residents in Atascosa, Comal, Hays, and Kendall counties.

SOME BACKGROUND: Evolution of voter turnout in Bexar County

Voter turnout in Bexar County. (KSAT)

Voter registration in Bexar County has grown over the course of the past several years. When it comes to turnout, the biggest recent jump was during the 2008 primary, which marked the highest turnout ever for the county at 31.35%.

According to information from the Secretary of State’s Office, John McCain and Hillary Clinton received the most votes in Bexar County in 2008. A total of 273,820 votes were cast.

You can read more about how voter turnout has evolved in Bexar County here.

MUSINGS & THOUGHTS FROM MYRA & STEVE

Each week, KSAT anchors Myra Arthur & Steve Spriester will sound off on the election news/other random thoughts that are on their minds.

Myra's Musings (KSAT)

Have you voted early?

I haven’t yet, but I plan to. As I debate which polling place to go -- which, I’ll be real, will largely be based on what errands I have to run before work that day -- I’m intrigued by the people who have already cast a ballot. The numbers of people, anyway.

The Texas Tribune has a great breakdown showing that the percentage of Bexar County voters who have, so far, voted early in the Democratic primary already equals the total percentage of Bexar County voters who hit up the polls during all of early voting in the 2012 presidential primary. The Tribune says Republican Bexar County voters are lagging behind 2012 early voting totals, as of day six of early voting in 2020.

Now check this out: in the 2016 primary, Republican and Democratic voters saw the closest margin in Bexar County since 1992, as we reported on KSAT.com. I’m no analyst and I’m not here to spell out what the numbers mean, but I find the stats worth noting.

As long as your vote gets rolled into the numbers -- that’s the most important thing. And mine. I’ll pick up the dry cleaning after.

Spree Thoughts (KSAT)

We are one week from finding who will win the state, and make no mistake, this primary season Texas is a player.

I see it every newscast, the people that want to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for president are making their voices heard on the San Antonio airwaves. At least some of them.

Mike Bloomberg is pushing “all in” on this presidential game of poker on Super Tuesday. He is betting heavily that states like Arizona, California, and yes, Texas, will give him the momentum he needs to win.

Super Tuesday is the biggest day for all the candidates, but not all of them can afford the cost of advertising on television. Bernie Sanders’ campaign closely followed with ads after Bloomberg, Tom Steyer is heavily invested and Elizabeth Warren just bought some ad time.

The airwaves are heating up. We won’t have to wait long to find out the victor.

FROM OUR FRIENDS

Texas early voting tracker: Here’s how many Texans are voting early in the 2020 primaries | The Texas Tribune

Presidential campaigns have raised nearly $4 million in San Antonio area -- and spent more than that on TV ads here | San Antonio Express-News

What to expect at tonight’s Democratic debate in South Carolina | Vox

THINGS TO WATCH

The Democratic presidential candidates will take the stage to debate in South Carolina Tuesday night, just days before the state’s primary this weekend.

Once again -- you’re running out of time to vote early in the primary elections. Bexar County voting locations are open until 8 p.m. every day this week.

ICYMI on the News at 9

(KSAT)

Money: It’s Personal -- The home buying series

Every Tuesday on KSAT News at 9, we offer up easy-to-understand financial advice in our consumer series, Money: It’s Personal. Most recently, we finished a four-part series on the home buying process. You can watch all four parts now on KSAT.com/Newsat9.

The News at 9's "Money: It's Personal" segment is bringing you a four-part series on home buying for the next four weeks. (KSAT)

RESOURCES

What you need to know about voting in the Texas Primary Elections on March 3

2020 Democratic March Primary ballot for Bexar County

2020 Republican March Primary ballot for Bexar County

Watch: News at 9′s 2020 primary election preview


About the Authors
Steve Spriester headshot

Steve Spriester started at KSAT in 1995 as a general assignments reporter. Now, he anchors the station's top-rated 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts.

Myra Arthur headshot

Myra Arthur is passionate about San Antonio and sharing its stories. She graduated high school in the Alamo City and always wanted to anchor and report in her hometown. Myra anchors KSAT News at 6:00 p.m. and hosts and reports for the streaming show, KSAT Explains. She joined KSAT in 2012 after anchoring and reporting in Waco and Corpus Christi.

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