Tyler

By ADRIENNE GRAHAM
Staff Writer

High interest in a highly disputed jail bond election drew more Smith County voters to the polls than expected, for a far higher turnout than the statewide average in Tuesday's off-year election.

Voters cast ballots on 16 state constitutional amendments and rejected the proposed $125 million downtown Smith County jail and justice center.

Complete, but unofficial, election results showed Tuesday night that of 114,605 registered voters in Smith County, 23,288 showed up to the polls, yielding a 20.32 percent voter turnout.

Jeff Hill, an election judge at Rose Heights Church of God, said he was surprised - and at times nearly overwhelmed - by the turnout.

"At just before 7 p.m., we had 40 people in line (to vote), and we were running out of some forms," he said.

Statewide, voter turnout was expected to be 9.5 percent, Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson said.

"Participation throughout early voting has been much lower than I would like to see," Wilson said prior to Tuesday.

Of 23,288 ballots cast in Smith County, 6,369 voted in favor of the jail bond and 14,131 voted against it, meaning 31.07 percent voted for the plan, and 68.93 percent voted it down.

Early voting accounted for 7,313 of the overall votes collected or 30.62 percent.

In 2006, Smith County voters turned down two separate jail bond proposals. Proposition 1, which was an $85 million downtown plan and Proposition 2, a $75 million remote jail.

That election drew a 10.26 percent voter turnout, according to Smith County records - about half of Tuesday's turnout.

Of 11,761 ballots cast in that election, 4,014 voted in favor of the downtown plan while 6,965 voted against, or 36.56 percent support.