By Kristina Faulkner
(File Photo: Sarah Self-Walbrick/The Hub@TTU)
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused controversy among Americans over the safest and most secure way to vote during this year’s election.
Lubbock residents took these precautions into their own hands by having a record-breaking turnout for early voting.
Dorothy Kennedy, elections administrator for the Lubbock County Elections Office, said Lubbock had more than 50% of its registered voters show up for early voting.
“We had a great turnout in early voting because the governor had given us six extra days due to COVID-19,” Kennedy said. “And they allowed mail ballots to be returned in person during this time.”
According to elections office data, Lubbock County had 183,505 registered voters for 2020’s election; within the first week of early voting, about 45,873 Lubbock residents showed up to cast their ballot.
Kaylee Roach, a senior at Texas Tech University, from Hico, Texas, said she was excited to participate in voting for the first time and thinks the early voting process was convenient for her, considering she was registered outside of Lubbock County.
“I’m from a small town, so there weren’t many lines when I went,” Roach said. “It was pretty easy; I went home about a week early so the lines weren’t that long.”
According to VoteTexas.gov, students who are attending a college or university away from home could vote early by mail if they claimed a parent or guardians address during registration or by requesting an early voting ballot application off their website.
Many Lubbock residents found early voting to be their best option when avoiding lines but due to COVID-19, many felt it was also the safest way to prevent a further spread of the virus.
Regis Nkrumah, a Lubbock resident, said he participated in early voting when crowds were lesser and space was available for social distancing.
“I wanted to keep up with social distancing, and I felt the easiest way to do that was when people weren’t actually in a rush to vote,” Nkrumah said.
According to the Texas Tribune, 9.7 million people casted their ballot during early voting; 5.7% voted by mail.
Kennedy said there is a large population in Lubbock that either chose to receive a mail-in ballot or have voted with one in the past.
“We have people who choose mail-in ballots that are 65 and elder, disabled, out of the county, or confined in jail,” Kennedy said. “I think COVID-19 bumped up the number of mail ballots but we had a number of people that had a mail in ballot and turned around and decided to come and vote early in person.”
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