AUSTIN, Texas — The lines at most polling locations across Austin on Tuesday were steady but slow, without much of a wait at all.
- 15 percent of Travis County went to the polls
- Many who did said they wanted to perform civic duty
Even with a free drink being offered for people sporting an "I Voted" sticker at a local bar, about 15 percent of the 804,000 registered voters in Travis County cast ballots in Tuesday's election, including both early voting and day-of voting, according to figures tweeted out by the Travis County Clerk's Office.
According to the Travis County Clerks Office, as of 6:45 p.m., over 68,000 people have voted.
"I think it's terrible," said Sandy Paik.
Paik said she was just the 43rd ballot cast at her polling station, and that was after her site had been open for nearly four hours.
Poor turnout is typical in an off-year election, especially without a national or statewide office on the ballot. Several people, including Paik, said while she always voted, it was Austin's Proposition A, which would require sports and entertainment venues to pay property taxes, got them to the polls.
"Those issues and institutions are near and dear to my heart," said Paik. "I just wanted to make sure my voice was heard about those."
Every person we interviewed said what motivated them to get to the polls was the deisre to perform their civic duty.
"If you're given a platform to use your voice, you should use it at every opportunity," Aaron Haughton, who cast his ballot at Northwest YMCA said.
"I think it's important to be an involved citizen," said Katy David. "I think a lot of people are just sitting around and complaining about the way things are and not doing anything about it."