Texas Secretary of State visits Walker County to promote voting

The Texas Secreatary of State visited Walker County on Oct. 11 to promote voting in adults and students.

Hope Andrade, the Texas Secretary of Stae, visited with Walker County election officials, including county Tax Assessor Diane McRae, to help prepare for the upcoming election.

"We have heard wonderful things about this county and the way things are run," Andrade said.

Andrade specifically promoted early voting and the benefits it comes with.

"In Texas, last year, we had a 60 percent early voting turnout in the state," Andrade said. "In the past, Texas hasn’t been the greatest in voter turnout but it’s time to change that."

Many pundits consider Texas to be a "red state" meaning it will swing toward the Republican party in the November 2012 election. Andrade said this shouldn’t keep people from going to vote.

"Your vote counts," Andrade said. "It saddens me when I hear people say ‘My vote doesn’t count.’"

She cited several examples of local elections where the decision of who became the officeholder came down tot he flip of a coin.

"The selection of our leaders shouldn’t depened on the flip of a coin," she said. "That’s not the way it should be."

She also said that all information to find out if someone is registered to vote, where to vote, and when can be found on the Secretary of State’s website. In addition, her office has released a free app so that all of the information is available on iPhones or Android.

It also allows users to remind their friends to vote on election day on Nov. 6.