Voters slow to the polls

Although candidates for office up and down the ballot are urging voters to take advantage of early voting for the March 1 Democratic and Republican primaries, very few Travis County voters had cast ballots as of Tuesday night. During the first two days of early voting, 5,211 Democrats and 2,366 Republicans had voted. That’s a total of 7,577, or less than 1 percent of the county’s registered voters. Early voting continues through Feb. 25, though polls will not be open next Monday, Presidents Day. A list of polling locations can be found on the Travis County Clerk’s website. So far, the Ben Hur Shrine Center at 7811 Rockwood Lane has attracted the most voters. Democrats are sending out emails asking their supporters to help call eligible voters to get out the vote, provide rides to the polls and answer questions about mail-in ballots. The Austin Monitor did not hear back from the Travis County Republican Party about its efforts.