CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Voter fatigue is a new term that's emerging as we get closer to election day. Voter fatigue, the element of social distancing and assuring a *lean and safe voting area could mean long lines.
By the looks of the just released sample ballots in Nueces county, the key will be preparation before casting yours.
"It's voter fatigue, the voters generally don’t keep up with what’s going on,” said Joseph Ramirez, supporter and employee of the Democratic party for more than 20 years. "I call it ballot fatigue. So, they may experience some ballot fatigue. We anticipate there's going to be ah a great turn out for this election.”
Former Nueces County Sheriff Jim Kaelin is now the Republican County Chair. Both individuals say this election could take a little extra time if a voter walks into the voting booth, unprepared.
“So, that's why we encourage people to vote early, that’s why they added and extra week to early voting so you'll have three weeks so that you don’t have to stand in a long line on election day as we used to do in the past,” said Kaelin.
Both also agree that key in this election year is education. Not as an issue, but as a tool to learn about the candidates and the other items on the ballots.
“You know we live in a fast society where people want to get things done quickly, the faster the better and they're just gonna swipe through and that’s what we're used to nowadays, you swipe you pick you go, you swipe you pick you go and I don’t know what information the voters are going into the booth with,” said Ramirez.
3News got a first a look at the Nueces County sample ballot. It includes every race from the president of the united states to mayor, council and school board members, del mar board of regents and some propositions. If you happen to vote absentee, this is like what you will receive in the mail.
When it comes to voting in person, the ballot will be a screen, about the size of an iPad. Unlike the paper ballot which fits several races, the voter in the booth will have to scroll using the wheel from one race to another. that is where the time issue will come in.
3News asked County Clerk Kara Sands, the county election official, how long she expects it'll take to cast a ballot, once inside the voting booth.
“Maybe it will take me about five minutes max,” said Sands.
The word of advice from all three of our interview subjects, is do your homework. Pick up or download a sample ballot for your prescient, study it and make your choices.
Then on election day you can even take that sample ballot into the voting booth to help you exercise your right with a speed.