Parker County Democrats held a celebration on April 30, on the west lawn of the Parker County Courthouse Square, to commemorate President Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office. We also held a canned food drive for Manna Storehouse and Center of Hope…and drank ICED TEA. Here are some photos from the event:
Our Republican friends even cared enough to come protest…all two of them:
See below. This listing is for Parker County offices, Weatherford city propositions, and options for Peaster and Brock ISDs.
State Representative, District 61
Phil King - 34,198 - 72.72%
Charles Randolph - 11,278 - 23.98%
Parker County Sheriff
Rep - Larry Fowler - 35,633 - 76.61%
Dem - Joey Blanton - 10,891 - 23.39%
County Commissioner Precinct 1
Rep - George Conley - 6,157 - 63.42%
Dem - Clint Hall - 3,018 - 31.08%
Lib - Tom Clayton - 534 - 5.50%
County Commissioner Precinct 3
Rep - John Roth - 8,790 - 75.12%
Dem - Nita Smith - 2,911 - 24.98%
Parker County Transportation Bond
For - 24,603 - 58.82%
Against - 17,223 - 41.18%
Weatherford College Bond
For - 13,949 - 33.14%
Against - 28,144 - 66.86%
City of Weatherford Local Option Election
Proposition 1—The legal sale of mixed beverages in restaurants by food and beverage certificate holders only.
*FOR 5,921
AGAINST 3,038
Total Votes 8,959
Proposition 2—The legal sale of all alcoholic beverages for off-premise consumption only.
*FOR 5,093
AGAINST 3,889
Total Votes 8,982
Peaster ISD Bond
For 39%
Against 61%
Brock ISD
Place 1
Marty Ivey 52.1%
Scotty Duvall 47.9%
Place 2
Charlie Lawrence 42.4%
Earl McGee 57.6%
Place 5
Cheyenne Fuchs 19%
Jason Phillips 33.9%
Kent Hull 47.1%
If you’re waiting until November 4 to cast your ballot, here are some things you should know before you head to your polling place. Some of this information is specific to Parker County, but the rules generally apply to all Texas counties.
1. Get there on time. Polls in Parker County will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are in line by 7 p.m., you must be allowed to vote. If you run into trouble, call the Democratic Party office at 817-594-8683.
2. Leave your campaign t-shirts at home. Polls are nonpartisan areas. You are not allowed inside the polls wearing t-shirts, buttons, hats, stickers or anything supporting a candidate - presidential or otherwise. If you simply MUST wear your Obama shirt on Election Day, bring a pullover to the polls and wear it while you are casting your vote.
3. “Cheat sheets” like the sample ballot from the Parker County Elections Office are allowed inside the polls. Some people may be handing out literature at least 100 feet away from the door of the poll site, and you are allowed to accept this material - but you should put it in your pocket before you enter the polls.
4. Cellular phones must be turned off inside the polls.
5. No recordable devices are allowed inside the polls - no picture taking, audio recording or anything else.
6. Check your ballot. The electronic voting machines we use will allow you to review your choices before you push the red “Cast Ballot” button. Check and double-check that you voted correctly in all the races you wished to vote in. If you cannot find a particular race, DO NOT cast your ballot and then ask for help. Call over a poll worker BEFORE casting the ballot and they can help direct you to that race. Once you push Cast Ballot, it’s too late.
6. Once you cast your ballot, you should see an image of a waving American flag. This confirms that your vote was successfully recorded. Check for it before leaving your booth!
7. Bring some form of voter ID to the polls. This can include your voter registration card, your driver’s license, a utility bill, a student ID, a Sam’s Club card…whatever. As long as it has your name and address on it, you’re covered. The only things that cannot be used for ID are a Social Security card and a credit card with your photo on it.
8. Please be patient. There may be long lines at some precincts, but we are working even as we speak to staff each poll site with enough workers to make things go as quickly as possible.
9. If you have moved within the last 30 days and have not updated your registration, you may come to your old polling place in Parker County to vote. This applies whether you have moved within Parker County or moved from Parker to another county. You will be asked to fill out a Statement of Residence card before voting - it takes about 2 minutes to complete.
10. Whatever you do, DON’T try to rationalize not going to the polls - because in an election as important as this one, well, there just isn’t a good excuse.
If you don’t want to spend Election Night watching CNN in your living room…come and watch the results roll in with us! We’ll be having a watch party at Jorge’s Mexican Restaurant on Santa Fe Drive at 7 p.m. on Nov. 4. We’ll enjoy refreshments, watch the news networks, and cheer our candidates on to victory!
If you can’t come right at 7, that’s OK. Many of us are working at the polls or doing other election activities, and we’ll be late too.
See you there!
Things are looking good for Democrats. Obama is up in the polls. As I type this, a CNN anchor is pointing out several former tossup states that are now light blue. But it’s not time to put on your party hat.
Not yet.
As Obama has said many times over the past few days, we must run at full speed all the way to the finish line. We cannot slow down until the polls close on November 4. But the good news is, you don’t have to put your life on hold to help out. In fact, just 10 minutes of your time can make a huge difference in this campaign. With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of five things you can do - right now - in just a few moments.
1. Make calls to swing states. If you’re on Obama’s e-mail list, you’ve no doubt received plea after plea to do this. If you haven’t yet done it, I’m here to tell you - it’s incredibly easy. Just click this link to get started. You’ll start off with a list of about 15 voters, and most calls can be knocked out in mere minutes. Ever a procrastinator, I waited until today to start making these swing-state calls. Now I wish I had started sooner.
2. Make calls in Texas. Just as Obama needs callers in Ohio and Pennsylvania, our state and local candidates need support here in the Lone Star State. If you’re interested in calling within Parker County, click this link to see a list of our Democratic precinct chairs. Call yours and ask how you can help. Whether it’s calling voters, distributing signs or working the polls, there will be a task for you to do. Trust me.
3. Put a campaign sign in your yard. We have a few Obama-Biden signs and many for our local candidates. Call the Democratic Party headquarters at 817-594-VOTE to claim yours. Setting up a sign may seem insignificant, but each one increases the legitimacy of our candidates. The same goes for wearing a button or putting a bumper sticker on your car.
4. Go vote.
5. Donate. Visit ActBlue and hand out a little cash to the Democratic candidate of your choice. They take donations of as little as $1.
It can happen to the best of us. Maybe you recently moved to Parker County and weren’t able to register to vote by the Oct. 6 deadline. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stay at home on Election Day. There is a special, obscure method of voting - a limited ballot option - that could allow you to cast your vote here anyway.
Here’s how it works: A “limited ballot” means you won’t be able to vote for everything on the regular Parker County ballot. But you will be able to vote for the items in common between the Parker County ballot and the ballot in your former county. Let’s say you moved here from Harris County, Texas. Your limited ballot in Parker County would give you the chance to vote in the U.S. Senate race, the presidential race, and the other statewide races, like railroad commissioner and Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice. But you wouldn’t get to vote for county commissioner, county attorney or any Parker County races, because the ballots in Harris County don’t include those.
The Texas Election Code doesn’t state how recently you must have moved in order to take advantage of the limited-ballot option. It just says that you should be registered and eligible to vote in the Nov. 4 election in your former county, and NOT otherwise eligible to vote in Parker County.
Another caveat: This method, apparently, only works if you have moved within Texas. If you have moved here from out of state, you may be able to vote what is called a “presidential ballot,” either by mail or in person, in your former state. Contact your former state’s Secretary of State office for more information. Not all states have this option, but some do. People who have moved away from Texas within the 30 days prior to November 4 can also do this, by contacting the elections office in their former Texas county.
Oh, and one more thing: Limited ballots must be voted only within Texas’ early-voting period. So you can’t come to the elections office on November 4 to vote a limited ballot. You must do it between Oct. 20 and Oct. 31, 2008, and it must be done at the county’s main early-voting site. For Parker County, that would be the courthouse annex on Santa Fe Drive in Weatherford. They close at 5 p.m. every day.
If you are unsure whether you qualify to vote a limited ballot in Parker County, call the elections office at 817-598-6185. Even if you are sure, it might be a good idea to call them anyway, so they can prepare for you to cast your ballot. A limited ballot takes a little bit of prep work, since they have to verify that you are actually registered in your old county.
So don’t despair if you failed to register by the Oct. 6 deadline - there may still be hope for you!
Democrat Joey Blanton is seeking to unseat incumbent Larry Fowler for the office of Parker County Sheriff.
Blanton has a long and distinguished record of public service, including 20 years with the Indiana State Police. During his time there, he logged 10 years as a trooper and another 10 years as a district line command supervisor, retiring as an assistant district commander who was responsible for 5 counties in the state. Blanton also served 23 years with the United States National Guard. As a guardsman, he was deployed to the Middle East and also helped with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005.
Blanton says his deep feelings of responsibility to his community compelled him to seek the office of sheriff.
“I’m running basically out of my sense of duty and patriotism,” Blanton says. “That’s why I was a policeman for 20 years. I just feel like it’s my calling.”
As sheriff, Blanton plans to make traffic safety a priority in Parker County. The breakneck speed of the county’s growth means more cars on the road - and a greater need for a good, preventative traffic strategy.
“The number of crashes and severity of crashes has increased over the past 4 years,” Blanton says. “I want to reduce those crashes. I will put together a traffic safety plan that includes both an educational component and traffic enforcement efforts.”
Blanton also believes in being a sheriff who is accessible to local citizens. He aims to create a more transparent and open sheriff’s office, and to listen closely to the concerns of the people in Parker County.
“I recognize that I would be elected by the people, to serve the people,” Blanton says. “That’s my guiding principle. I want to have regular, open-door meetings with residents and community leaders to listen to their concerns. That way, I can assess what needs to be a priority.”
Blanton says his decades in law enforcement, as well as his expertise on crime and traffic matters, make him more qualified than his opponent.
“I’m better suited to manage and lead because of my time as a state trooper,” he says. “I’m more uniquely qualified to handle traffic matters. I believe in a community-oriented policing style, and I will adopt that type of style to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office.”
Blanton is currently a general manager with Myrmac Corporation. He lives in Parker County with Lori Blanton, his wife of 21 years, and their three sons, Joshua, Micah and Joel.
If you have questions about Blanton or his campaign, you may call him directly at 817-599-3485 or e-mail him at jmblab87@sbcglobal.net.
I’ve decided to type in the text of the sample ballot that I received from the Parker County Elections office. I am in Precinct 3, so I only have the items that are on the Precinct 3 ballot, and I’ve typed in a couple more that I know are on the ballot elsewhere. Not all of these items will apply to all Parker County voters. Official copies of the sample ballot can be obtained by stopping by the elections office at the Courthouse Annex on Santa Fe Drive.
To make this entry complete, I need information from the sample ballots of residents who live within the city limits of Weatherford, within Peaster ISD and within Brock ISD. You can contact me at jennifer.acosta@NOSPAMgmail.com (remove the “NOSPAM” part of the e-mail address) if you are part of any of these areas.
Official Ballot
Parker County, Texas
November 04, 2008
Instruction Text: Please use a black or blue ink pen to mark your choices on the ballot. To vote for your choice in each contest, completely fill in the box provided to the left of your choice. To vote for a write-in candidate, completely fill in the box provided to the left of the words “write-in” and write in the name of the candidate on the line provided.
To cast a straight party vote, choose the option to the left of the name of that party. Selecting a party automatically selects all candidates associated with that party. If you select a candidate associated with a party other than the straight-party selection, your vote for that candidate will be counted in that particular contest.
Straight Party
_ Republican Party
_Democratic Party
_Libertarian Party
President/Vice President
_John McCain/Sarah Palin (REP)
_Barack Obama/Joe Biden (DEM)
_Bob Barr/Wayne A. Root (LIB)
_Write-In
United States Senator
_John Cornyn (REP)
_ Richard J. (Rick) Noriega (DEM)
_Yvonne Adams Schick (LIB)
United States Representative, District 12
_Kay Granger (REP)
_Tracey Smith (DEM)
_Shiloh Sidney Shambaugh (LIB)
Railroad Commissioner
_Michael L. Williams (REP)
_Mark Thompson (DEM)
_David Floyd (LIB)
Chief Justice, Supreme Court
_Wallace B. Jefferson (REP)
_Jim Jordan (DEM)
_Tom Oxford (LIB)
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 7
_Dale Wainwright (REP)
_Sam Houston (DEM)
_David G. Smith (LIB)
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 8
_Phil Johnson (REP)
_Linda Reyna Yanez (DEM)
_Drew Shirley (LIB)
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3
_Tom Price (REP)
_Susan Strawn (DEM)
_Matthew L. Eilers (LIB)
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4
_Paul Womack (REP)
_J.R. Molina (DEM)
_Dave Howard (LIB)
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9
_Cathy Cochran (REP)
_William Bryan Strange, III (LIB)
Member, State Board of Education, District 11
_Patricia “Pat” Hardy (REP)
_Bruce Beckman (LIB)
State Senator, District 30
_Craig Estes (REP)
State Representative, District 61
_Phil King (REP)
_Charles William Randolph (DEM)
_Richard W. Forsythe, Jr. (LIB)
Justice, 2nd Court of Appeals District, Place 2
_Bill Meier (REP)
Justice, 2nd Court of Appeals District, Place 7
_Terrie Livingston (REP)
District Judge, 43rd Judicial District
_Don Chrestman (REP)
District Judge, 415th Judicial District
_Graham Quisenberry (REP)
District Attorney, 43rd Judicial District
_Don Schnebly (REP)
County Court at Law 2
_Ben Akers (REP)
County Attorney
_John Forrest (REP)
Sheriff
_Larry Fowler (REP)
_Joey Blanton (DEM)
Tax Assessor-Collector
_Marjorie King (REP)
County Commissioner, Precinct No. 3
_John Roth (REP)
_Nita Smith (DEM)
County Commissioner, Precinct No. 1
_George Conley (REP)
_Clint Hall (DEM)
_Tom Clayton (LIB)
Constable, Precinct No. 3
_Glen Praytor (REP)
Parker County Bond Election
Proposition
The issuance of $80,000,000 tax bonds for road construction and improvement within Parker County
_For
_Against
Parker County Junior College District
Proposition
The issuance of tax bonds in the amount of $96,250,000 to construct and equip school buildings for Weatherford College of the Parker County Junior College District and levying an ad valorem tax in payment thereof.
_For
_Against
A few days ago, Cindy McCain said that Barack Obama is running “the dirtiest campaign in American history.” I wonder what she thinks of this mailer from the Missouri Republican Party?
Note the placement of the “bomb” quote on the first page and the placement of Obama’s photo.
Daily Kos has a story about what happened when a Missouri resident picked up the phone and called the party on their despicable tactics at this link.
Early voting has begun in Parker County, Texas. It began on Monday, in fact. I went down there yesterday to cast my vote and there were already plenty of people waiting in line. Even with the wait, the whole experience was pretty quick and easy. Plenty of elections officials were on hand to help voters with the electronic voting machines.
If you have not voted yet, I urge you to do so before the actual Election Day rolls around. You’ll be rewarded with a shorter wait time, and you won’t have to worry about leaving work on time to make it to the polls on November 4. You can vote at any of the early voting locations in Parker County. Just be cautious if you live in Azle, however - if you’re a Parker County resident, make sure you’re voting at a Parker County polling site and not at a Tarrant County site. For early voting locations, click this link.
Voters across Texas have already turned out in record numbers to vote during the early voting period. More than 8,500 voters showed up on the first day in Bexar County, and Harris County has already served about 40,000 voters - twice the number of voters that showed up on the first early-voting day in 2004. Dallas County saw 23,000 voters on Monday alone.
This is an awesome turnout, considering that Texas is far from being a battleground state and neither of the candidates have spent much time here lately. Let’s keep up the momentum till the end.