On the afternoon of June 10, near the intersection of Throckmorton Street and Cedar Springs Road, Dallas Voice polled eight pedestrians about participating in this Saturday’s mayoral runoff election. Practically every citizen has Oakley vs. Leppert on the brain. But if you’re not already registered to vote, you can’t cast a ballot: The registration deadline was May 17.
As of May 12, there were 1,180,621 registered voters in Dallas County. Last month, only 130,313 ballots were cast, and of those, only 71,467 placed ballots for Dallas’ mayoral election.*
The early voting for the runoff election ran June 4-12. This weekend, we’ll find out if Dallas elects a gay mayor. And we’ll soon have unofficial totals about those who bothered to participate in the runoff.
* Unofficial final results from the May 12 election were obtained from the Dallas County Elections Web site.
ELECTION DAY
Saturday, June 16. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. To check precinct locations, call the Dallas County Elections Department, 214-819-6300 or visit dalcoelections.org
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Who: Jennifer L. McEvoy
Occupation: Barista
Been in Dallas: Two years.
Current neighborhood: Oak Lawn
Registered voter? Yep
Did you vote in the May 12 election? No
Guess how many voters participated in last month’s election: Not enough, most likely.
Planning to vote in the mayoral runoff election? Yes
Will you be early voting? No
Runoff issue that matters the most: Crime
Casting ballot for: Ed Oakley
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Who: David Wilkins
Occupation: Student
Been in Dallas: All my life.
Current neighborhood: Lake Highlands
Registered voter? Yes
Did you vote in the May 12 election? Yes
Planning to vote in the mayoral runoff election? Yes
Will you be early voting? Yes
Runoff issue that matters the most: I’m just voting because it’s my civic duty.
Casting ballot for: Ed Oakley
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Who: Veronica L. Hernandez
Occupation: Stripper
Been in Dallas: Two years.
Current neighborhood: Carrollton
Registered voter? No.
Guess how many voters participated in last month’s election: 30,000.
If you could have exercised your right to vote, an issue that matters is: Gay rights.
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Who: Daniel Burgess
Occupation: Corporate communications manager.
Been in Dallas: Two years.
Current neighborhood: North Dallas
Registered voter? Yes
Did you vote in the May 12 election? Yes
Guess how many voters participated in last month’s election: 73,000
Planning to vote in the mayoral runoff election? Yes
Will you be early voting? No
Runoff issue that matters the most: Trinity River project
Casting ballot for: Ed Oakley
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Who: Robert Ornelas
Occupation: Staffing coordinator
Been in Dallas: Eight years.
Current neighborhood: Oak Lawn
Registered voter? Yes
Did you vote in the May 12 election? No
Planning to vote in the mayoral runoff election? Yes
Will you be early voting? Yes
Runoff issue that matters the most: Equality
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Who: Melody Temple
Occupation: Registered nurse.
Been in Dallas: 11 years.
Current neighborhood: Plano
Registered voter? Yes
Did you vote in the May 12 election? No
Guess how many voters participated in last month’s election: 42,000
Planning to vote in the mayoral runoff election? Yes
Will you be early voting? No
Runoff issue that matters the most: Misuse of funds.
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Who: Bobby Heredia
Occupation: Banking services
Been in Dallas: 20 years.
Current neighborhood: East Dallas
Registered voter? Yes
Did you vote in the May 12 election? Yes
Guess how many voters participated in last month’s election: A low number.
Planning to vote in the mayoral runoff election? Yes
Will you be early voting? No
Runoff issue that matters the most: Education
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Who: Robert Tesson
Field of occupation: Real estate
Been in Dallas: 10 years.
Current neighborhood: East Dallas
Registered voter? Yes
Did you vote in the May 12 election? Yes
Planning to vote in the mayoral runoff election? Yes
Will you be early voting? No
Runoff issue that matters the most: Crime
Casting ballot for: Ed Oakley
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, June 15, 2007.