Early voting for the Nov. 3 General Election concluded Friday with only a fraction of voters casting their ballots early to determine a constitutional election, and to decide a new Port Arthur City Councilmember.

Of Port Arthur’s approximate 33,000 registered voters, by Thursday the last day data was available, 1,122, or 3.4 percent of the registered voters, had cast their votes early.

Countywide, 2,693 of the 143,348 Jefferson County registered voter cast their ballots early to decide the fate of seven proposed Texas Constitutional Amendments. Those proposed amendments range from recognition of the right to hunt, fish and harvest to dedicating more sales tax revenue to the state’s highway fund.

Naomi Doyle, Jefferson County elections manager, said she is not surprised at the low turnout. Typically, constitutional amendment elections do not draw many people to the polls.

In comparison to the last constitutional amendment election in 2013, the numbers were higher, Doyle said.

“In 2013 there was no city election on the ballot, only the constitutional amendments,” she said.

In Port Arthur four candidates are vying for the at-large Position 7 Council seat including Antoine Leonard Freeman Sr, Reginald Trainer, Charlotte Moses and Thomas J. Henderson.

The unexpired seat opened when Position 7 Councilman Derrick Freeman announced his intention to run for city mayor.

E-mail: sherry.koonce@panews.com

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