One Week In, and Voters Are Showing Up Strong. This Race Matters
Early Voting Interest Stays High
As the first week of Early Voting has passed, interest has not waned, as voters appear more interested in the city’s heated June 7 runoff contests, including the one for Mayor.
A Two-Person Showdown
Now voters are down to a head-to-head contest between two contrasting candidates – Gina Ortiz Jones and Rolando Pablos as neither of the two took 50% of the vote in the first round of the election.
Turnout Surges at the Polls
Through five days of early voting, 66,430 San Antonians cast ballots. This is a considerable increase compared to the first five days of early voting in May.
Clear Divides in Candidate Platforms
Candidates have also outlined their stances, reflecting clear ideological differences.
Ortiz Jones Emphasizes Strategic Leadership
Upon inquiry regarding barriers to people having what they need to be successful today and tomorrow, Jones indicated that as the Undersecretary of the Air Force,
“it was my job to look across the horizon and into the future to ensure our courageous service members had what they needed to do the Nation’s work.”
She further added that the role of Mayor is similar — it’s about leadership. It’s about understanding our citizens’ needs and investing to address them. The candidate further added “that’s the type of strategic leadership experience our next mayor needs to lead forward,” and that’s why she is running to serve as San Antonio’s next mayor.
Pablos’ Record and Legal Controversy
Candidate Rolando Pablos’ background includes having served as Secretary of State, after being appointed to that position by Gov. Greg Abbott, sworn in January of 2017 and departing that office in December of 2018.
During his tenure, Pablos and the director of the Texas Elections Division Keith Ingram, in the Secretary of State’s office were sued in July of 2017 by the League of Women Voters of Texas and the NAACP,
“to stop the State from handing over voter data from the State’s computerized voter files, to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.”
The suit alleged that “doing so would reveal voters’ personal information, which may be used to solicit, harass or otherwise infringe upon the privacy of Texas voters.”
Response and Fallout
At the time, a spokesman from the Secretary of State’s office said the office does not comment on pending litigation. Mr. Pablos’ response at the time said the Secretary of State’s office
“will provide the Election Integrity Commission with public information and will protect the private information of Texas citizens, while working to maintain the security and integrity of our election system.”
Eventually, the intent “to provide public information” was described as being illegal.
The Weight of Leadership
In a leadership role, one must be dedicated to initiating strategic plans to achieve desired goals, for the benefit of the constituents that initially elected the individual to fulfill that duty.
The Ballot Box: A Choice With Consequences
We, the People, must always remember the foregoing and to not forget that Elections have benefits and consequences.
We must decide if we prefer the former, as opposed to the latter.
