Election time for a new president is coming closer, in fact it is November 4.

This is a sobering time. Whether you vote Democrat, Republican or Independent, this is one you should take seriously. In fact, Nancy Byers, Elections Clerk at the Ellis County Elections, says, “We know this is going to be the largest turnout in an election that Ellis County has ever had!”

You must be 17 years and 10 months old to register and you must be 18 years of age by election day. You must register to vote in the county in which you reside and you have to be a citizen of the United States. Finally, you must not be convicted of a felony, or if you are a felon, you must have completed all of your punishment. The last day to register for the presidential election is Monday, October 6.

Byers said, “Italy ISD is having a rollback election on October 11 and the last day to register for that election will be this Thursday, September 11. A rollback election is when you vote to roll back the tax rate on property or some other reason. It can be used to raise or lower taxes.”

Your postmark must be stamped September 11 for the roll back vote, if you are mailing the voters registration to the office. Please mail to the following address:

Ellis County Elections
106 S. Monroe
Waxahachie, TX 75165

Please remember to mail your application to the Waxahachie Elections Office or your registration may be reviewed too late.

To register is easy. You can go online and visit www.sos.state.tx.us or call Nancy or any of the helpful people at the Ellis County Elections at 972-923-5195 and they can answer any questions you might have. Byers explained, “There is a lot of information on the above website and we (Ellis County Elections) have a link under Departments tab, Elections. It has the polling locations for all early voting and election day polls and times.”

Byers has some tips for Ellis County voters and would love to talk to you about the disabled voting or college student voting. There are even special rules for voters out of town. Explanations about specialized elections for different cities can be read on the site.

Byers said, “The city of Waxahachie is also having an Optional Liquor Election on our November ballot and that will be for City of Waxahachie registered voters only. This is to try and legalize the sale of beer and wine for on and off premises consumption.”

November 5 should be an interesting day in 2008. If you are eligible, be an active part of the future.