day, November
Politics
iuedfrom/finrsday, November 1, 2001
THE BATTALION
Page 3A
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gden comments on Nov. 6 state election
Irazos County voter turnout usually low, Ogden says he expects it to be high
' ♦
COUKTNFY
STELZEL
exans are being called to the
|ng booths on Nov. 6 to decide
ither the Texas Constitution
will add 19
new amend
ments to its
current 390.
The
amendments
proposed by
the Texas
Legislature
vary: pro-
led amendment No. 13
icerns donating old school
ipment and property for
servation purposes, and
posed amendment No. 12
uld allow the legislature to
ke amendments to the con-
ution without holding a
idle-wide election.
|Karen McQueen, the Brazos
nty Clerk, is the public offi-
in charge of organizing the
dions for Brazos County.
Queen said voter turnout is
very low for an election
h as this, which will not
lude the election of any per-
to public office.
In an off year when it’s
•ma. Universe® low, we probably get less
till tryingtoaP 10 percent of the regis-
he site of tkr voters to cast their bal-
interviewsoffik McQueen said,
nows and as»Asof 10 a.m. Tuesday morn-
urist sites, si)« the clerk's office reported
' play and Iwut 200 voters.This number is
■te low when one considers
finance majoiP 1 the Brazos County voter
finitely be in jfegistration office currently
eing Wall 87,394 voters registered
id." 'iinhe county.
said the fireti
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ub will givel
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g students, f
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t A&M,”E\ait
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ib Saturday to
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Sen. Steve Ogden is the
Texas Senate representative for
the fifth district, which includes
Brazos County and 18 other
counties. According to the 1990
census, Ogden’s total district
population is 551,652, with
372,073 total registered voters.
During the 1998 general elec
tion in which Ogden was re
elected, 143,275 registered vot
ers cast their ballot, just one-
fifth of the total voting popula
tion for the district.
Ogden said he suspects that
the low voter turnout at elec
tions is because people are
busy and some of the items on
the ballot seem so minuscule
and unimportant that regis
tered voters do not have time
to learn the issues.
Nevertheless, Ogden said
that he expects voter turnout to
be higher during this election
due to the terrorist attacks of
Sept. 11.
“By going to the voting
booths, it would signify that we
are not taking this great country,
and privileges it gives its citi
zens for granted,” Ogden said.
Ogden said that voting, even
in a small election such as this,
is a good exercise in democracy.
“Particularly after the Sept.
11 attacks, it is important for us
to remember what we’re fight
ing for,” he said.
Ogden said it is very impor
tant for the students of Texas
A&M to participate in this
election as well.
“[The students of A&M ] are
of the voting age in Texas, and
these amendments affect all
Texans,” Ogden said.
The senator said that by
allowing the election to slip by
without casting one’s ballot,
the citizens of Texas are agree
ing to a general obligation debt
on behalf of the state of Texas
that is somewhere in the range
of 3.5 billion dollars.
1990s, when the student body
was a decisive voting force in
Brazos County.
“When student turnout was
high — when student political
interests were high — the stu
dents of Texas A&M usually
determined the outcome of the
vote in Brazos County,”
Ogden said.
During the 1998 general
COLLEGE STATION VOTING LOCATIONS
NOVEMBERS, 2001 ELECTIONS
EARLY VOTING: Thursday and Friday, from 8 a.m. to 0 p.m.
REGULAR VOTING: November 6 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
South Knoll School
College Station Conference Center
C.S. Municipal Court Bldg
Memorial Student Center
A&M United Methodist Church
College Hills Elementary School
Bright Light Baptist Church
Brushy Community Center
A&M Church of Christ
C.S. Public Library
Lincoln Center
C.S. City Holl Training Room
C.S. ISO Admin. Bldg.
College Heights Assembly Of God
Aldersgate Methodist Church
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
“As students, they [the stu
dent of A&M] are guaranteeing
the debt of the state of Texas if
they do not vote, and if these
bonds fail to repay that debt, the
burden falls onto the people in
the form of taxes,” Ogden said.
Ogden also spoke about the
large drop-off of A&M student
participation in state elections
since the late 1980s and early
1220 Boswell, College Station
1300 George Bush Dr.
261! -B Texas Ave.
Texas A&M
417 University Dr.
1101 Williams St.
1 1234 St Hwy 30
St Hwy 60 & Old James Rd.
1901 Harvey Mitchell Pkwy South
1818 Harvey Mitchel Pkwy South
1000 Eleanor
1101 Texas Ave.
1812 Welsh
4100 Old College Rd
2201 Earl Rudder Frwy S
1 200 Foxfire Dr.
ADRIAN CALCANEO • THE BATTALION
election. Prairie View A&M had
more student votes than A&M.
This fact says a lot about
voter turnout because A&M
Prairie View has a much smaller
student body. For Fall 2001, the
registrar’s office at Prairie View
reports a tentative numberoft
6,754 students; approximately
one-seventh of the number of
students currently enrolled at
A&M-College Station.
An amendment of particular
interest to the administration,
faculty, studenfs and staff of
A&M is proposed amendment
No. 5, which authorizes munici
palities to donate outdated or
surplus firefighting equipment
or supplies to underdeveloped
countries. Ogden said he does
not support this amendment.
“This amendment is not a
good idea because the equip
ment and supplies should be
donated to the Texas Forest
Service, an agency of Texas
A&M, because they fix the
items and give it to volunteer
fire department across the state,”
Ogden said.
He said this program is
much better than simply donat
ing the goods to countries such
as Mexico, which the amend
ment would allow.
Ogden said he does, howev
er, support proposed amend
ments 12 and nine. Proposed
amendment No. 12 eliminates
obsolete, archaic, redundant
and unnecessary provisions and
to clarify, update and harmo
nize certain provisions of the
Texas constitution. Ultimately,
this amendment may limit the
number of times voters will
head to the ballot box by allow
ing legislation to ratify consti
tutional changes.
Ogden said the amendment
is so narrowly defined, howev
er, that an infringement on
voter’s rights is not expected.
He said that this amendment
will only allow the removal of
such provisions currently in the
constitution that was originally
adopted in 1876.
“Some of the types of restric
tions that were put in the consti
tution in 1876 no longer make
sense or apply,” Ogden said.
Regardless, the amendment
will reduce the number of times
that Texans can vote on amend
ment issues, limiting Texan
voter rights and responsibilities.
Another amendment on the
ballot of particular concern to
Texas voters is No. 9. This
amendment would allow the
authorization to fill a vacancy
in the legislature without an
election if a candidate is run
ning unopposed in an election
to fill the vacancy.
Once again, this amend
ment would limit the voting
rights of Texans by prevent
ing write-in votes.
Ogden said he also supports
this amendment and that there is
no real possibility that the candi
date will not be elected if he or
she is unopposed.
He said, “I’ve never seen a
write-in win before. Not that it
couldn’t happen, but if they [the
candidate] is not organized
enough to file to run, then they
don’t need to be elected,” Ogden
said.
Positive and negative argu
ments can be drawn for all 19
amendments that will be placed
on the Nov. 6 ballot. Voter’s
guides have been sent to every
See Elections on page 4A.
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NTER
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ir you!
nents throu
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Great seats still available!
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order by phone: 845-1234
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