GISD approves contract with Caldwell County for bond issue election

Gonzales ISD board members voted unanimously to contract for a joint election with Caldwell County Elections Administrator Devante Coe’s office for the Nov. 7 GISD bond election during a special called meeting Monday, Oct. 30.

Board members also voted to name Coe the early voting clerk for the November election for Caldwell County and approving an amended and restated order calling for the GISD school building bond election.

These steps were taken Monday after an “oversight” led to the election not appearing on the Caldwell County ballot when early voting officially began on Monday, Oct. 23, despite a portion of Gonzales ISD’s boundaries being in Caldwell County.

“We received a call early last week from the Caldwell County elections administrator about an oversight that needed to be addressed,” GISD Superintendent Dr. Elmer Avellenada said. “We met with them, took swift action, met with them on Tuesday and coordinated a plan to make sure that our bond election was on the ballot. That plan was created and approved at the local, regional and the state level.

“On Friday, we met with them again to make sure the ballots were following the systems and process that needed to be and they were. Starting today, those voters have that ballot to vote accordingly.”

When questioned by Trustee Josie Smith-Wright, Avellenada said Caldwell County and GISD had reached out to voters who had already cast early votes in the constitutional election to inform them what they would need to do to vote in the GISD bond election.

It was unclear whose oversight had caused the $95.08 million bond issue to be left off the Nov. 7 Caldwell County ballot in the first place.

Caldwell County Public Information Officer Miles Smith noted that the Caldwell County Elections Office “has specific roles and responsibilities in the case of elections ordered by governmental bodies.”

“The elections office’s administrative duties regarding elections are activated after an entity informs the elections office of its intent to conduct an election,” Smith said in a statement on behalf of the county.

“When the Gonzales ISD Bond Election was brought to our attention we immediately reached out to contract election services as required by the election code.”

In a letter sent to Caldwell County voters residing in GISD’s boundaries and shared with the Inquirer, Coe wrote the district would be conducting “a separate election for their bond initiative.”

“This means that the Gonzales ISD Bond will not be part of the regular November ballot that features the State Constitutional amendments or any other measure or race you might be expecting,” Coe stated in the letter. “Early voting for the Gonzales ISD election begins Monday, Oct. 30. Voters from within the Gonzales ISD school district who already voted in the constitutional election may return to the polls and vote in the Gonzales ISD Election.

“This election is separate from the current November Election, and voters will need to check in at the Gonzales ISD Election Table and vote on the dedicated machines assigned for that election.”

Voters who cast ballots in early voting or on Election Day will have a “two-step process” to follow, Coe wrote. First, they should vote on their regular Nov. 7 joint election ballot “as you would for the State Constitutional amendments and other measures or races.”

“After casting your regular ballot, locate the designated check-in for the Gonzales ISD Bond Election. Here, you will vote on the school district's bond proposal. This voting will be facilitated on a separate machine, and the ballot will be deposited into a different tabulator from the initial ballot,” Coe wrote.

Early voting will be held at the same locations as the constitutional amendment election — the Luling Civic Center, 333 E. Austin St., Luling, and The Scott Annex Building, 1403 Blackjack St., Lockhart, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday, Nov. 3.

Election Day voting will be held for Precinct 202 at Southside Clubhouse, 1035 South Magnolia, Luling and for Precinct 203 at McNeil Baptist Church, 14304 FM 1322, Luling.