BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — Bexar County elections personnel are extending their office's hours on Saturday, Sunday and Monday in a final push to get residents registered to vote ahead of the Monday deadline.
On Friday, Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said 1.28 million people had registered to vote so far, an increase from the last presidential election in 2020. That year, 1.19 million people registered.
"I believe it is a result of the efforts that the county has made to make sure people's voices are heard on this November election," Sakai said.
One strategy the county utilized this year included contracting Civic Government Solutions (CGS), a nonpartisan company, to send voter registration forms to identified residents who had recently moved into county limits. The move garnered criticism from state officials, and resulting in a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against the county.
That lawsuit is still pending.
"What we did in order to register voters was valid and legal," Sakai said. "It is my understanding that the hearing at this process, the case, is now being asked to be moved to federal court. We will hopefully get a decision from federal court as to whether they're going to take up this case in their court system."
CGS sent 210,000 voter registration forms to residents, according to the contract.
"Obviously we're not taking, nor am I saying, that this particular nonpartisan vendor takes all the credit (for the increase in registered voters)," Sakai said. "You have candidates and campaigns that are also registering voters. But I think as a collaboration and as a collaborative effort and a coordinated effort, we have increased the vote. And I think that's significant."
The county is still waiting on data from CGS, which will provide analysis on the effectiveness of their efforts.
"I'm expecting CGS, the nonpartisan vendor, to come back and say, 'Judge, these are the voters that we think registered as a result of our mailout,'" Sakai said. "Then we'll look at that. If they did what they said they would do and we have a significant increase of registration as a result of this initiative, I would see that we would do this on some regular basis. Not maybe every election, but maybe every presidential election."
In the meantime, Bexar County is trying to get as many voters as possible prepared to go to the polls.
"I would be tickled pink if we had 100% participation," Sakai said. "There are elections that will have a lot of political consequence. That's the reason why I want the public, (why) I want the voters to understand they have the power to express their voice on those issues that are important to them."
The county is also trying to make sure the sanctity of the election process is protected.
"My office has had direct conversations with the Office of Emergency Management and the sheriff's department to make sure that Ms. (Election Administrator Jacque) Callanen's office and herself are protected, and that if she makes the calls for assistance, that they be prompt and they provide whatever assistance she needs," Sakai said. "And obviously, on Election Day, we'll have to make sure that the polling sites are also protected, too."
That includes protecting against cyberattacks, should they occur on Nov. 5.
"We have to also be ready for any cyberattack that may happen. And that's why the Office of Emergency Management is involved, and we have to just be prepared to protect our voting system in that Election Day," Judge Sakai said. "I will tell you for the Bexar County Information System, BCIT department, cybersecurity is one of the biggest expenditures we are spending on our IT side, is how do we protect our whole information system, including elections."
Extended hours to register to vote in Bexar County are as follows:
- Saturday, Oct. 5: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 6: noon to 4p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 7: 8 a.m. to 7p.m.
To register to vote in Bexar County, download and print a voter registration application from the Bexar County Elections website at bexar.org/elections and return it to the Voter Registration Office at 1103 S. Frio, San Antonio, TX 78207.
Voter registrations may also be dropped off at the same address.
There is also a voter registration application card online at the Texas Secretary of State’s website, which voters may download, print and sign to be returned by mail or hand-delivered to the Bexar County Elections Department on South Frio.
Voter registration applications are also available at any public library, high school or government office. You can also check your registration status by visiting the Bexar County Elections Department website.