Hays County Commissioners Court Proclaims March As Election Worker Appreciation Month

Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – The Hays County Commissioners Court has proclaimed March 2019 as Election Worker Appreciation Month to thank the many residents who help ensure that the voting process runs smoothly and is available to all.

The proclamation reads in part: Election workers provide a tangible link between the voting public and the election process. Election workers dedicate long hours, serve their fellow citizens with distinction and provide an invaluable service to their communities.

Ida Miller with the Hays County League of Women Voters told the Court that voters have turned out in record numbers in recent elections.

“Election judges and clerks make this possible, and the League of Women Voters wishes to recognize their work … without their service voters could not exercise this fundamental right,” Miller said.

Miller also noted that election workers say they participate because they value the right to vote.

Jennifer Anderson, Hays County Elections Administrator and Voter Registrar, thanked her staff and election workers, noting that in Hays County there are many experienced, willing volunteers unlike in some counties. She called out several who have been working polling places for more than 20 years, including Mary Salinas, who is full time in the Elections Office during elections, Jo Burdette, Judy Dunn, Art Millecam, Rose Brooks (who has served more than 40 years), and Penny Krug.

“Back in the day, election worker Mary Salinas showed up at a church on Old Bastrop Highway and no one had opened the building, so she and her husband set up TV trays outside and conducted the voting process,” Anderson said, showing a black-and-white photo taken of the election workers’ innovation.

Voters in Hays County turned out in record numbers in recent years, many choosing to vote early. From 2012 to 2018 early voting increased from 39.6 percent to 46.6 percent, “and we don’t see that trend stopping this year. We look forward to higher numbers in the 2020 election,” Anderson said.