Hidalgo County's voter turnout stagnant

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Hidalgo County by the numbers:

2004

>> Turnout: 116,439

>> Registered: 267,529

>> Percent: 43.5 %

2008

>> Turnout: 132,425

>> Registered: 306,228

>> Percent: 43.2 %

Source: Hidalgo County Elections Department

EDINBURG -- Rio Grande Valley voters had a lower turnout rate in this year's general election than in 2004, despite visits from presidential candidates and the chance to vote in a historic election,

During a race that captured the attention of the nation, most registered voters in Hidalgo County didn't bother to cast ballots. Only 43.2 percent of registered Hidalgo County voters actually voted in the general election.

That figure is the lowest in the state among counties with significant populations. The only counties with lower turnout rates had fewer than 30,000 registered voters.

In 2004, 43.5 percent of Hidalgo County voters cast ballots.

The numbers aren't a surprise, said Robert D. Wrinkle, a political science professor at the University of Texas-Pan American.

"I might have expected the Valley to do a little bit better, but it's not surprising turnout was at the same level," Wrinkle said.

Hidalgo County's voting rate is significantly lower than the 59.3 percent statewide rate.

And Hidalgo County isn't alone in the region. The voter turnout rates for Brooks, Cameron, Jim Hogg, Starr, Willacy and Zapata counties were among the lowest 25 of the state's 254 counties.

Voting advocates have urged residents here to cast ballots in greater numbers as a way of gaining the attention of lawmakers.

They argue that elected officials in Austin and Washington, D.C., will only pay attention to the Valley if they see high turnout here and realize voters here can affect their election prospects.

Experts have suggested the overwhelmingly Democratic makeup of the Valley depresses the vote during the general election - when races are typically not competitive - and instead leads people to focus more on the primaries.

A perceived cultural gap between Valley residents and the rest of Texas may also contribute to low turnout figures, others have suggested.

Another theory is that President-elect Barack Obama's nomination as the Democrats' candidate - as opposed to Sen. Hillary Clinton, who drew large Valley support - may have left some voters disinterested.

Regardless of the reasons, local politicians emphasized the gains that have been made instead of the low turnout rate.

In Hidalgo County, nearly 16,000 more votes were cast in the 2008 than in 2004. This election had nearly 39,000 more registered voters - a figure highlighted by Dolly Elizondo, the chairwoman of the Hidalgo County Democratic Party.

And more than 84,000 people cast votes during the two-week early period, which was a county record.

But that same enthusiasm didn't carry over to Election Day. On Tuesday, 44,404 ballots were cast, which was a drop from the 55,634 Election Day ballots cast in 2004.

"We started off very positive," Elizondo said. "I think ... we weren't prepared on Election Day. People were walking away from the polls because the line was too long."

"I don't think it was non-interest," Elizondo continued. "People were very interested and very motivated. I think those who didn't vote early were caught on Election Day."

As a party chair, Elizondo serves on the county election commission. In coming months, that panel will consider whether it needs to create more precincts - which could ease congestion at polling sites - and consider ways it can better utilize its two mobile voting units used during early voting. Currently, there are 144 precincts.

Elizondo also said the county will work to improve training of election judges to ease confusion on Election Day.

County Elections Administrator Yvonne Ramón also said despite the stagnant turnout rate, the overall increase in votes is a positive sign.

"Some may think it's a low turnout, but for me, I feel it's a step in the right direction," Ramón said.

Nate Selzer, Valley coordinator for get-out-the-vote group Mi Familia Vota, said the numbers underscore the need to continue pushing for voter registration and participation.

"What we've taken away from this is that this process of turning around our turnout is not a one-time deal," Selzer said.

He said the key for the Valley to improve turnout is coordination with the business community to make it easier for people working on Election Day to take time off to vote.

Selzer, who has lived in the Valley for 15 years, said he has never seen so much coordination among nonprofit groups working to promote voting, citing thousands of phone calls and home visits volunteers made.

But as he reflected on the work, Selzer wondered aloud, "Would (turnout) have been less if those efforts weren't going on?"

"I don't know," he said.

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Ryan Holeywell covers McAllen, PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.