Tag: Election

Election Day Updates

At this time Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has 227 votes and President Donald J. Trump has 213 votes. Both candidates need at least 270 votes to win. We are still waiting to see the results from the following states:

By Marissa Greene

10:22 a.m. CDT — At this time Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has 227 votes and President Donald J. Trump has 213 votes. Both candidates need at least 270 votes to win. We are still waiting to see the results from the following states: Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Mail-in ballots and absentee ballots may affect the results of these states and the overall election results. 

Election results by county: 

In Travis County, Joseph R. Biden Jr. received 432, 062 votes. Donald. J. Trump received 159,907 votes, according to the New York Times. 

In Williamson County, Joseph R. Biden Jr. received 142, 457 votes. Donald. J. Trump received 138,649 votes, according to the New York Times. 

In Hays County, Joseph R. Biden Jr. received 59,213 votes. Donald. J. Trump received 47,427 votes, according to the New York Times. 

In Bastrop County,  Donald. J. Trump received 20, 486 votes. Joseph R. Biden Jr. received 15,452 votes, according to the New York Times. 

2:14 a.m. CDT — Tony Gonzales, Republican, wins Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. 

02:06 a.m. CDT — Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Maine.

1:12 a.m. CDT — José Garza has become the next Travis County District Attorney.  

1:03 a.m. CDT — Republican Chip Roy wins re-election in Texas’ 21st Congressional District against Democratic former state Sen. Wendy Davis. 

12:30 a.m. CDT — Venessa Fuentes has been elected to serve in the Austin City Council District 2. 

12:20 a.m. CDT — Donald J. Trump wins Texas. 

12:02 a.m. CDT — Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Minnesota.

11:38 p.m. CDT — Donald J. Trump wins Florida.

11:25 p.m. CDT — Donald J. Trump wins Iowa.

11:22 p.m. CDT — Donald J. Trump wins Montana. 

11:16 p.m. CDT — Trya Nehls, Republican, wins Texas’ 22nd Congressional District.  

11:07 p.m. CDT — Donald J. Trump wins Ohio 

11:07 p.m. CDT — Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Hawaii. 

11 p.m. CDT — Incumbent Leslie Pool claims victory in Austin City Council race for District 7. 

10:09 p.m. CDT —  Donald J. Trump wins Utah.

10:06 p.m. CDT — Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins New Hampshire.

10: 05 p.m. CDT — According to Travis County elections coordinator Christopher Baldenhofter, Travis county had 50,558 votes on Election Day. 

10:01 p.m. CDT — Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Washington State. 

10:01 p.m. CDT — Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Oregon. 

10:01 p.m. CDT — Donald J. Trump wins Idaho. 

10:01 p.m. CDT — Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins California. 

9:50 p.m. Republican incumbent U.S. Representative John Carter wins Texas’ 31st Congressional District. 

9:33 p.m. CDT — Donald J. Trump wins Missouri. 

9:12 p.m. CDT — The City of Austin claims victory over Proposition A, also known as Project Connect. 

9:07 p.m. CDT — John Cornyn, Republican, wins re-election to the U.S. Senate in Texas with 4,709,257 votes. 

9:01 p.m. CDT — Donald J. Trump wins Kansas.

8:44 p.m. CDT — Greg Caesar has claimed victory for re-election as District 4’s Austin City Council member.

8:38 p.m. CDT — Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Colorado. 

8:27 p.m. CDT—   Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins the District of Columbia.

8:25 p.m. CDT — Republican Micheal Cloud will be keeping his seat in the U.S House of Representatives for District 27. 

8:10 p.m. CDT — Democrat Lloyd Doggett will be serving another term as a member of the U.S House of Representatives in Texas’ 35th Congressional District. 

8:01 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins Nebraska.

8 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins Wyoming.

8 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins South Dakota. 

8 p.m. CDT—  Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins New York. 

8 p.m. CDT—  Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins New Mexico. 

8 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins North Dakota. 

8 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins Louisiana. 

7:53 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins Indiana.

7:31 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins Arkansas. 

7:25 p.m. CDT — Prop. A and Prob. B favorable votes are showing high numbers with 58 percent and 67 percent of votes, according to KVUE. In an interview with KVUE and Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Adler stated that “It would be near impossible for the vote to flip at this point. I am so incredibly excited and proud to be part of a community that so strongly tonight said that it wanted to walk into our future,”. 

7:01  p.m. CDT—  Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Rode Island.

7:01  p.m. CDT — Donald J. Trump wins Oklahoma.

7:01  p.m. CDT—  Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins  New Jersey. 

7:01  p.m. CDT—  Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins  Massachusetts.

7:01  p.m. CDT—  Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Maryland.

7 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump  wins Tennessee.

7 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins Mississippi.

7 p.m. CDT—  Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins  Illinois. 

7 p.m. CDT—  Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Connecticut. 

7 p.m. CDT—  Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Delaware.

7 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins Alabama. 

7 p.m. CDT — Election Day polls have now closed. 

6:57 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins South Carolina. 

6:37 p.m. CDT—  Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Virginia. 

6:30 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins West Virginia. 

6:01 p.m. CDT—  Joseph R. Biden Jr. wins Vermont. 

6 p.m. CDT—  Donald J. Trump wins Kentucky. 

What Riverbats Need to Know About the 2020 Election

By Marissa Greene

During this time of year not only will you see Halloween decorations, pumpkin carvings, and perhaps the Sunday football game; but also lines of people outside of polling locations six feet apart, with a face mask, and a ballot card. This election year, registered voters across the country are picking candidates they wish to represent the United States and the citizens within it.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Austin-Travis County has already surpassed the 477,588 votes cast early and on election day for the 2016 election. Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvior said. 

As of Thursday 521,002, Austin voters have already cast their ballot. This is more than half of the percentage of registered voters in the county. That number is continuing to rise as we get closer to Election Day. 

“It gives citizens a voice to elect people who represent their values and their goals for their community,” Alicia Del Rio, Elections and Government Relations Manager of Austin Community College said.

In light of the recent presidential debates and the candidate’s websites, U.S. citizens have been able to view President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden’s stances on topics such as COVID-19, affordable healthcare, immigration, climate change, racial injustice, and much more.

With only a few days remaining for eligible voters to head to the polls or vote by mail, it is important for both new and returning voters to know how this election might be different to protect the health and safety of citizens. 

Those who are 65 years or older, sick or disabled, will be absent from the county during early voting and Election Day, are confined in jail, but otherwise eligible to vote can submit a mail-in ballot and avoid large crowds. For voters who don’t qualify for mail-in ballots, polling locations have gotten creative this year to follow social distancing protocols.

  “In Harris County, they are doing drive-in voting so you can vote in your vehicle and more people are taking advantage of curbside voting…the main thing is that we got to keep our people safe,” Del Rio said.

In addition to these preventative measures, both Williamson and Travis counties are utilizing a new voting system called an ExpressVote Ballot Marketing Device (BMD) that has touchscreen technology that allows voters to verify their selections before it prints out the paper ballot. People are also able to use websites that show how busy each polling station is and their wait times. 

Although the U.S Presidential election may be the most talked-about, citizens are also voting for the U.S. Senator, House of Representatives, Texas Supreme Court, State Senators, State Representatives, and other figures that affect our local government. 

Federal elections occur every two years and every member of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate are up for reelection in any given election year, according to whitehouse.gov.

During local elections, Austin citizens are able to vote for propositions, city council members, and even representatives for their school districts. 

“To me, the local politicians, local elections, the council members, county officials, and independent school districts, touch our lives more than the federal [government],” Del Rio said. 

For those who have yet to vote, Del Rio mentions utilizing non-partisan sources to avoid misinformation and understand ones right before heading to the polling stations. 

“Look at it with a grain of salt. If it’s pretty far-fetched you might do further research,” Del Rio said. 

For more information about this year’s candidates, voters’ rights, and more, resources are listed below.