3TODAY DAYWEDNESDAY FORECASTTHURSDAY 84/46 70/52 64/63 50% TUE PROUDLY PRESENTED BY: Legend Plumbing & Rooter APR. 20, 2021 830-303-3335 Lic # ML-16126 Volume 56 l Number 72 The Voice 830-379-2234 of Seguin TODAY Early voting continues for area school, municipal elections City of Marion, Marion ISD feature top races for May 1 election date Darren Dunn (Seguin) -- Early voting is underway for has their election information on our website, a number of school district and municipal even though we are not conducting their elections being held in and around the elections. The elections that...we are conducting Guadalupe County area. Guadalupe County (are) the city of Marion and Marion ISD, joint- Elections Administrator Lisa Hayes says the election; the Prairie Lea ISD election; and the early voting period, for the May 1 election date, San Marcos Consolidated Independent School officially started on Monday. District election,” said Hayes. “There are several cities and schools that Most local elections have been consolidated are having elections on the May 1 election date. into the November general election date, but a A portion of those are being conducted by few of the entities -- like Marion, Marion ISD, the Guadalupe County Elections Office. The Prairie Lee ISD and San Marcos CISD, still chose rest are being conducted by (offices in) other to continue to host their elections in May. Hayes counties...Comal County and things like that. says voters will notice a few changes in how they But if they come into Guadalupe County, then access the polls during these May elections. the Guadalupe County Elections Office (still) Voting, pg. 3 Helping you find the right house to call HOME. Betsy Barr 830-214-5513 2 NEWS www.SEGUINTODAY.com Seguin hosting drive- thru vaccination clinic Darren Dunn (Seguin) -- The city, county and hospital are making it easier Again, this is a free service, and no money is needed to receive for you to get your COVID-19 vaccination this week. The mass this shot. The mass vaccination clinics in Seguin are jointly hosted vaccination clinic this week will be a drive-thru event, which means by Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (GRMC), Guadalupe County people can drive up and never actually have to get out of their vehicle. and the city of Seguin. Officials say 1,200 first doses of the Moderna vaccine will be given from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday outside the Seguin Coliseum. The free shots are available to anyone 18-years of age or older. Even though this clinic will be a drive-thru event, officials say you still need to schedule an appointment time. Appointments can be made onlin by visiting this link, https://www.eventbrite. com/e/drive-thru-clinic-thursday-april-22nd-vaccine-moderna- tickets-151242625765. If you don’t have internet access, you can register for an appointment by calling 830-303-8856. Seguin Public Information Officer Jennifer Sourdellia says there are dozens of slots still available, and they are encouraging anyone who wants a shot to get signed up for Thursday’s clinic. If you sign up for an appointment, officials say it’s important that you show up at your scheduled time and that you are prepared to receive the shot. You will be required to bring along a photo ID, and you must also wear a mask. TUE. April 20, 2021 www.SEGUINTODAY.com 3 Voting, continued their photo ID and they’ll be checked-in to “Early voting, for those locations, is not vote. We are still doing social distancing. We Texas here in the Seguin office. Unlike November, are still doing all the sanitizing of all the voting when we do vote centers and everyone can vote equipment and the polling location. All these restaurants at any Guadalupe County location on election safety measures are still in place to protect day, and early voting is held here as well as a our voters and our poll workers. That’s all still opening, but number of locations across the county -- May there. It’s just that the voting locations may be is a little bit different, because we have smaller different,” said Hayes. can’t find jurisdictions and they are kind of spread out,” Hayes says if you are unsure, then they can said Hayes. help you figure things out. Meanwhile, those workers Hayes says it’s important for these voters who are eligible to vote need to make sure that Darren Dunn to remember that they have to go to the they head to the correct polling location. designated polling place for each jurisdiction “For the city of Marion and the Marion (San Antonio) -- Restaurants are to participate in these elections. She says each ISD, they are actually voting at Immaculate reopening all across Texas, but in jurisdiction has its own specific polling place, Conception (Catholic) Church in Marion. The too many cases, one thing is missing: with the exception of the city of Marion and Prairie Lea ISD is voting at the Prairie Lea ISD workers. Marion ISD elections, which are being jointly in Administration Building. And then San Marcos Anna Tauzin is with the Texas that community. Consolidated Independent School District -- the Restaurant Association. She says this “Registerted voters who live in Marion or Guadalupe County portion -- they are voting at is a problem at both chain eateries and Marion ISD would need to go to the location St. Joseph’s Mission out there in Redwood. So at at smaler mom and pop shops. that’s specific to Marion and Marion ISD. In we’ve got a couple of different voting locations “The situation has become so Prairie Lea, it’s the same thing and also the San for voters go to, but all of them are up and challenging that many restaurants have Marcos CISD. So we have all that information running, and their hours are all listed on the actually considered reducing their on our website, and we have the hours of early links on our webpage. We encouraged voters if hours of operations, because they voting. they are not sure if they live in a jurisdiction can’t provide the level of service that Hayes says even though there are some area that’s having an election or not, to call our their customers expect,” said Tauzin. elections that aren’t been conducting by her office (at 830-303-6363) and we will be happy Lack of staff isn’t just causing office, she wanted to make sure that everyone to look them up,” said Hayes. operational concerns for restaurants, has the basic information that the need in order Voters in the city of Marion will be but Tauzin says it’s also starting to hit to participate. choosing their next mayor. Three candidates their bottom line. Some of the other entities that are having are vying for the position, including Victor “As a result, restaurants are now elections that are not conducted by Guadalupe A. Contreras, Felix Arambula and Suzanne spending a great deal of time and County would be La Vernia Independent Upper-Gonzales. Two seats are available on the money to find and retail employees -- School District, city of New Braunfels, (and) Marion City Council, with three names on the adding that to the list of cost expenses Comal ISD. Those entities are still having ballot. The list of Marion aldermen candidates that has grown during the pandemic,” elections, but they are being conducted by other includes David V. Bauch, Shane M. Pawelek and said Tauzin. jurisdictional offices. We still have their notice DeShon Jamal Blyden. Tauzin says Uncle Sam is at least of election on our website, so you can look and In the Marion ISD, four candidates are partly to blame. She says from stimulus see where they are voting, and what there hours vying for two seats on the MISD Board of checks to unemployment checks, these are, and what’s on their ballot. But we just don’t Trustees. Those candidates include LaVerne H. government handouts are keeping have their sample ballots on our web page. It’s a Vick, Craig Flathouse, Jamie Mote and Cheryl people out of the workforce because, little bit different from November, but because A. Washington. in many cases, people would earn less the elections are spread out a little more, this The San Marcos CISD has a trustee election if they return to work. works out better for the voters who are actually for the Guadalupe County portion of its district “We’ve definitely talked to a few registered and live in those jurisdictions. So if in the Redwood area. While the Prairie Lea ISD former restaurant workers and asked you live in Marion, you don’t have to come all has both a trustee election and a $7.6 million them why they are not returning the way to Seguin to vote. So it is a little bit bond package included on its ballot. to work, and they’ve told us -- you different.” Early voting runs through Tuesday, April know that they are making more on The polling places may be a tad bit diffent 27 at the specific polling locations for each unemployment,” said Tauzin. this time around, but Hayes says the actual entity. Election day is Saturday, May 1. Sample Tauzin says restaurants have voting process remains the same. ballots and a list of other area elections that are having to be creative in their ways to “For the most part, it’s exactly like it is in not being conducted by the Guadalupe County try to work around this problem as November.