Track polling place wait times in Fort Bend Co.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Interactive voting map shows wait times in Ft. Bend Co.
Fort Bend County election officials have set up an interactive map to help voters find polling places with short lines.

FORT BEND COUNTY (KTRK) -- In Fort Bend County, officials are expecting record voter turnout.

According to John Oldham, the Fort Bend Election Administrator, 200,000 people voted in early voting. On Election Day, another 60,000 are expected to vote.

If that happens, about 70% of registered voters will have voted in this election.

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On Tuesday, there were a couple of issues at polling sites.

At George Bush High School, a polling machine malfunctioned. It was fixed within an hour and a half.

Then, at the Fort Bend County Rosenberg Annex, the fire alarm went off twice. Everyone had to evacuate the building, but everyone was able to go back inside without incident.

When there is an issue, it really doesn't cause too big of a problem for voters because in Fort Bend County voters can vote at any of the 83 polling places on election day, Oldham says. If one place has an issue, voters can go down the street and vote somewhere else.

"We think it's great for the voters. It's really probably more work for us because we have a lot of guessing about how many people are going to go where, but for the voters it's more convenient," said John Oldham, the Fort Bend Elections Administrator.

Election officials have also set up an interactive website where voters can track wait times at polling places.

There's also been talk that Fort Bend County could turn blue due to diversifying demographics; Fort Bend has been deemed the most diverse county in the country.