Newbies

Maybe it was the debates, all the TV ads or the historic choice in this year's presidential election.

Whatever the reason, Ector County Elections Administrator Mitzi Scheible is seeing a record number of new voters, and her office is ramping into overtime to make sure everything's taken care of.

"I've been here 18 years, and I don't remember us having such a large turnout during registration," Scheible said Wednesday.

Monday was the last day to register to vote.

Scheible said the county's voter roll picked up around 2,000 new names this year, and she's waiting on more registration cards to arrive by mail. About 1,200 have been mailed out.

"I think it's wonderful that people want to vote," county Democratic Party chairwoman Bobbie Duncan said. "There has been so much complacency in the past. We've had the highest voter registration we've ever had."

Election workers are busy readying the county's 242 voting machines for the first day of early voting Oct. 20.

And poll-worker numbers are looking good.

Scheible said she needs 72 bilingual workers this year and about 144 workers overall. Right now she has 131, with 71 bilingual workers. County employees will have the option of working the polls instead of their regular jobs on Election Day, so that may help.

"You have people who are nationalized citizens, and obviously if English isn't their native tongue, it's nice to have someone there who can communicate with them," said Shane Marler, county Republican Party chairman.

In 2005, the Department of Justice filed and quickly settled a lawsuit accusing Ector County of failing to comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Specifically, the suit claimed too few bilingual poll workers had been posted in the November 2004 general election. Ector County fielded 21 Spanish-speaking poll workers in the election, but a federal formula based on the number of Hispanic surnames in Odessa required 62 bilingual workers at the time.

Scheible said Ector County will be "under judgment" by the DOJ until 2011. Department representatives will continue to monitor local elections and follow up with paperwork.

"They're keeping watch over us," Scheible said. 

HOW TO HELP:

>> If you'd like to help this year by being a poll worker, especially if you're bilingual, call the county elections office at 498-4030. The county needs one more bilingual worker to man a polling place in Gardendale and nine reserve bilingual poll workers in case someone doesn't show up.

EARLY VOTING:

Ector County Courthouse Annex, 1010 E. Eighth St.  

>> 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 20-24.

>> 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 25.

>> 1 to 6 p.m. Oct. 26.

>> 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 27-31.

Other locations - Lowe's Supermarket, 7528 W. University Blvd.; Presidential Museum, 4919 E. University Blvd.; Odessa College Sports Center, 205 W. University Blvd.; MCH Family Health Center, 840 W. Clements.

>> 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 20-24.

>> 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 25.

>> 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 26.  

>> 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 27-31.

WHO'S RUNNING:

Contested races

>> Precinct 1 county commissioner: Linda Young Anglley (D) vs. Freddie Gardner (R).

>> Precinct 3 county commissioner: Dale Childers (R) vs. Barbara Graff (D).

>> Precinct 2 constable: David Lewallen (R) vs. Norman Witcher (D).

>> District 81 state representative: Tryon Lewis (R) vs. Elmo Hockman (Libertarian).    

Uncontested races

>> 161st district judge: John W. Smith (R).

>> District attorney: Bobby Bland (R).

>> County attorney: Cindy Weir-Nutter (R).

>> Sheriff: Mark Donaldson (R).

>> Tax assessor-collector: Barbara Horn (R).

>> Precinct 1 constable: Steven Brennan (R).

>> Precinct 3 constable: Dean Johnston (R).