Bexar County commissioners to discuss early voting plans next week

The non-profit organization MOVE Texas said universities are critical sites for young voters

SAN ANTONIO – The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all areas of life, including the upcoming November election.

In Bexar County, commissioners are planning to discuss early voting locations next week that will be safe for residents and allow for social distancing.

“We’re in talks with both our lady of the Lake and UTSA pushing to add those, even though we know on those campuses and campuses all over the country, student attendance and population is down because of because of COVID, but again, it’s still getting access to those folks,” said Justin Rodriguez, Pct. 2 county commissioner.

William “Frankie” Trynoski graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio and has voted there before.

“I voted there pretty much every year since I was a freshman there in 2013,” Trynoski said.

Trynoski said there are many reasons why he chose to vote at UTSA.

“I lived around the area and it was a place that I knew during early voting. You can vote anywhere in the county. It was a place I knew I could go and just cast a ballot. And it was very quick, simple and efficient,” Trynoski said.

The executive director of MOVE Texas, a non-profit that encourages people to vote, said the university is a critical location for young voters.

“It’s the largest campus in the city. And even right now, with UTSA to scale back, you know, its classroom situation because of COVID-19. There’s still upwards of 10,000 people that interact with the campus,” Trynoski said.

This year, mega sites like the AT&T center or senior centers are also being considered.

RELATED: How AT&T Center will transform to become mega voting site in Bexar County

“We’re also talking to the city of San Antonio about utilizing some of the senior centers here in our community. Those have been closed since the pandemic, since March basically, and a lot of those facilities are nice, large facilities where, again, we could accommodate social distancing and spacing,” Rodriguez said.

The deadline to register to vote is October 5, 2020.

MOVE Texas is partnering up with the Spurs for a drive-thru voter registration event. It’s set for Sept. 15th at the AT&T Center.


About the Authors:

Tiffany Huertas is a reporter for KSAT 12 known for her in-depth storytelling and her involvement with the community.