VOLUME 103, ISSUE 33
www.UniversityStar.com
WEDNESDAY
Defending the First Amendment since 1911
NOVEMBER 6, 2013
Voters choose: Bill Taylor 534 votes
Thom Prentice 247 votes
24.1%
Mason Murphy 398 votes
11.97%
19.28%
75.9%
68.75%
Lisa Prewitt 1,682 votes
Jude Prather 1,419 votes
John Casares | Staff Photographer
LISA JUDE PREWITT PRATHER Newcomer to city council claims Place 1
Council Place 2 incumbent wins re-election
By James Carneiro and Rebecca Banks The University Star
By Nicole Barrios, Kelsey Bradshaw and Traynor Swanson
Lisa Prewitt was elected to the city council Place 1 seat after receiving more than twice as many votes as her opponent, Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Bill Taylor. Prewitt received 1,682 votes, making up for 75.9 percent of the votes for Place 1, while Taylor received 534 votes , accounting for 24.1 percent. Taylor said he ended the night “disappointed” by his loss in the election. He hugged his children and thanked his supporters during the watch party at Rooftop on The Square after a majority of the poll results were released. Supporters were in disbelief, some saying they did not know how true the polling results were. Taylor said he will not participate in future elections but will continue to support future candidates with interest in San Marcos businesses and the university. Taylor said he hopes the community will strive to build a relationship between the campus and city’s businesses. “I’m 65 years old, and I don’t need to be running for office anymore,” Taylor said. “The people have spoken. This is the direction they want
Incumbent Jude Prather defeated opponents Mason Murphy and Thom Prentice for the San Marcos City Council Place 2 seat Tuesday night. Prather finished with 68.75 percent of the votes. Murphy followed with 19.28 percent, and Prentice earned 11.67 percent. Prather claimed his victory in the election before all eight precincts reported polling results and addressed the crowd, which included his father, wife and childhood best friend. “I think the campaign went well, but three months of campaigning is nothing like three years of governing,” Prather said. “The hard work comes next.” Prather ran on a platform supporting fiscal responsibility and improvement of streets, sidewalks and utility infrastructure. Prather has held his seat as Place 2 councilman since November 2010, according to the city’s website. Francesca Welsh, Prather’s campaign manager, said he had a “smooth” campaign this year. Welsh said she was able to balance his city council seat and county position as Veterans Service Officer while still running a functioning campaign.
See PLACE 1, Page 2
Lisa Prewitt, city council Place 1 elect, celebrates her victory over opponent Bill Taylor Nov. 5 at Railyard Bar & Grill.
Jude Prather, city council Place 2 incumbent, celebrates re-election with his father Val Prather Nov. 5 at Palmer’s Restaurant. Kathryn Parker | Staff Photographer
The University Star
See PLACE 2, Page 2
Mason Murphy
Thom Prentice
Bill Taylor
Kristen Lefebvre | Staff Photographer Bill Taylor, city council Place 1 candidate, checks election results Nov. 5 with his son Brian, daughter-in-law Julie and John Diaz, a former colleague. Taylor lost the election.
City, county elections see anticipated low voter turnout By Kristen Smith News Reporter
While less than 10 percent of registered voters in Hays County cast ballots in this year’s local elections, officials say the low turnout was expected. According to polling results, 8,490 Hays County voters headed to the polls Tuesday to choose city councilmembers and approve charter amendments and statewide policies. Joyce Cowan, Hays County elections administrator, said the county has 98,000 registered voters. About 3,100 voters in Hays County cast ballots during early voting and by “personal appearance,” and 3,000 more had voted on Election Day as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, Cowan said. Cowan estimated the county’s voter turnout to be about 8 percent this election season, which she said is normal. Lower numbers of registered voters tend to turn out at the polls in non-presidential election years and when
only constitutional amendments are on the ballots, she said. The number of student voters who cast a ballot usually reflects how many residents turn out to vote, according to outgoing Place 1 Councilwoman Kim Porterfield, who is also the community relations director for Texas State. “The freshmen have never voted before, and so oftentimes they are not registered at all,” Porterfield said. “There are groups like Associated Student Government and there are partisan groups like the College Democrats and the Young Republicans that have registration drives.” Students want to be represented like other residents, but sometimes feel more comfortable casting ballots in their hometowns, leading to a smaller number of San Marcos voters, Porterfield said. Students may also see voting in their hometowns as more convenient, Porterfield said. As
students become more involved with the city, they are more inclined to have their voices heard and want to vote, Porterfield said. Cowan said students often only want to head to the polls if there is an issue on the ballot they believe they could make a difference with. Younger people do not have as high of a voting rate as other age groups, but students and residents are not in different positions, Cowan said. “I’ve skipped elections because I don’t know either of these individuals,” Cowan said. “I haven’t read or I haven’t found information. We have to make our choices to go to the polls, and we have to understand what we’re going through.” Organizations such as the Hays County Democratic Party and the Hays County Republican Party try to increase voter turnout numbers with online efforts. Jon Leonard, secretary of the Hays County Democratic Party,
said for each general election cycle, the College Democrats at Texas State are able to register thousands of new voters on campus. He said registering voters is an “amazing effort.” “I believe a party can be out
there trying to get people to register, encourage them to vote, but primaries are rolling around the corner, and it may be Nov. 5 today, but March 4 will probably be here before we know it,” Cowan said.
Kathryn Parker | Staff Photographer Pablo Palmonio votes at the Dunbar Recreation Center Nov. 5.