Lubbock County is patting itself on the back because 5,460 people showed up in the first week of early voting for 17 state constitutional amendments. That’s 2.8% of 197,870 registered voters—so yes, technically more than zero, and apparently enough to “surpass” the turnout from 2011, the last time we got this kind of amendments-only snoozefest.
Daily counts look like someone slowly turning up a crockpot: 717 (Oct. 20), 928, 887, 975, 1,022, then the weekend slump—639 on Saturday and a majestic 292 on Sunday. Look, between church, pumpkin patches, and the eternal quest for a leveled driveway, we all have priorities.
For perspective, the high-water mark for an odd-year election was 2023: 17,301 early voters and 11,396 on Election Day, thanks to local stuff people actually felt in their wallets—bonds, charters, and the ever-thrilling question of who pays for what. This year? Seventeen amendments that read like fine print written by a bored accountant.
Early voting ends Oct. 31, Election Day is Nov. 4. If 2.8% is “droves,” imagine what 5% will be—a traffic advisory?
If democracy dies in darkness, does it also nap at 2.8%?
