Thousands of voting machines to be delivered to polling sites

Moving companies will deliver machines throughout county

SAN ANTONIO – When voters show up to the polls Tuesday morning in Bexar county, their votes will be cast on thousands of machines at over 300 different voting sites.  Preparing for what could be a historic day was no easy task.

Bexar County officials had to make sure they got the right machines to the right places and ready to receive votes.

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"We've been getting ready for this all year long, slowly but surely. As the year progressed, we just got more and more busy," said Joe Camacho, Bexar County elections operation coordinator. "I know what's coming I know the stress I know the excitement in it."

Among the preparations was bringing in eight moving trucks from Square Cow Movers. Camacho's crew was up at dawn, ready to roll locked-up carts, that looked a lot like cages on wheels onto the trucks to get the machines delivered.

Each cart carried from six to 10 machines, depending on the need at a particular site. They also included signs and a power cord. The trucks carried 15 carts for each trip.

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Some sites needed tables and chairs for the workers, so those were supplied those as well.

The trucks were set to make 130-140 deliveries a day over a 2 1/2-day period.

The drivers had their routes mapped out before they arrived at the warehouse.

"We get a scheduled list from them. We line it up and we make sure that every cart that they have on their list is loaded into that truck," Camacho said.

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Camacho gave the drivers a little pep talk before they hit the streets.

"(I) stressed to them how important this day is," Camacho said.

"No matter how big or how small, it's just key they we stay on top of things," said Hector Aguilar, the moving company's operations manager and one of the drivers.

The drivers headed out with two-man crews to deliver to schools, churches and community centers, which added to the logistical planning, since some of those places open and close at different times.

"A lot had to do with time frames -- trying to get to certain locations at certain times before they close," Aguilar said.

Aguilar was asked if he ever stopped to think that he could have the future of his country in the back of his truck. "All the time," he said with a chuckle.

Watch this story on KSAT's 5 o'clock news Monday.


About the Author:

David Sears, a native San Antonian, has been at KSAT for more than 20 years.