MONTGOMERY COUNTY 2004 ELECTION RECAP

 

The presence of only three contested District races (Congressional District #8 and State House of Representative Districts #15 and #18) and the absence of any contested county or precinct races on the ballot, dictated that the Party’s first campaign priority should be voter turnout (GOTV). A large voter turnout was especially important for Congressman Kevin Brady in the newly configured District #8 and for Republican John Otto of Liberty County in State House District #18 where he was challenging Democrat incumbent Dan Ellis of Polk County. Six East Montgomery County precincts are a portion of House District #18. House District #15 Republican incumbent, Rob Eissler, faced a challenge by Libertarian Ross Stevenson.

 

The County Phone Center contacted over 21,000 Republican households between September 13th and October 29th to remind them of the importance of their votes during the early voting period. Almost 9,000 Republican households that had failed to vote during the early voting period were contacted by automated election day GOTV calls. 12,000 households that had registered to vote after the Primary elections received a GOTV direct mail piece. Precinct walks in 46 target precincts distributed over 57,000 GOTV door hangers. The Headquarters distributed over 5,000 Bush-Cheney bumper stickers and over 3,000 yard signs, mailed hundreds of mail ballot applications and answered hundreds of telephone requests.

 

The summary of returns below is a measure of the Party’s GOTV success.

 

SUMMARY OF RETURNS

 

·        Total 2004 county voter registration was 214,098 *; total 2000 voter registration was 183,958.

·        Total 2004 countywide voter turnout was 134,556 (62.85% *) compared to the 2000 voter turnout of 106,542 (67.48%); the 2004 statewide voter turnout was 7,410,749 (56.6%) compared to the 2000 voter turnout of 6,407,637 (51.8%).

·        The 2004 early vote total of 70,526 (32.71% of registered voters) exceeded the Election Day total of 64,030. Average statewide early voting turnout was 29.66%. Montgomery County ranked ninth in the states’ top fifteen counties, 0.56 percentage points behind sixth place Tarrant County (33.27%).

·        In 2004 66,429 (81.54% of straight tickets) county voters cast straight Republican votes and 14,666 (18.00%) cast straight Democrat votes. In 2000 there were 42,517 (78.64%) straight Republican votes and 10,590 (20.25%) straight Democrat votes.

·        In 2004 Bush-Cheney received 104,654 (77.98%) votes in the county while in 2000 they received 80,580 (75.89%) votes. Statewide Bush-Cheney received 4,536,917 (61.08%) votes in 2004 compared to 3,795,262 (59.33%) in 2000.

·        Congressman Kevin Brady received 104,060 (79.31%) votes in the county, 50.34% of the district wide total of 260,628 votes; the turnout percent in the county was 61.28% and 52.68% in the district.

·        Republican Victor Carrillo received 94,773 (74.02%) votes in the county in his Railroad Commissioner race. His statewide vote total was 3,891,482 (55.46%)

·        Four contested Republican statewide judicial candidates easily carried the county, with a lowest winning percentage of 77.57%.

·        Republican State Representative Rob Eissler (District #15) received 56,445 (90.75%) votes in his successful re-election race against Libertarian candidate Ross Stevenson.

·        Republican John Otto received 4,929 (64.89%) in the Montgomery County portion of State House District #18 against incumbent Democrat Dan Ellis. His district wide total was 26,337 (54.57%). The total vote of 7,596 in Montgomery County represents 15.73% of the district’s total 2004 vote.

·        Charles Kreger received 104,547 countywide votes in his winning race to become the third Republican Justice on the 9th Court of Appeals. His district wide total was 239,094.

·        Among the 2004 statewide Republican candidates on the ballot, Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3, Harriet O’Neill, received the highest number of votes in the county, 105,263.

·        Among the 2004 local countywide candidates on the ballot, District Attorney, Michael McDougal, received the highest number of votes, 104,705.

·        Prior to 1978 (first elected Republican candidate in over 100 years, Pat Ruffin, Justice of the Peace, Precinct #3), Montgomery County was totally represented by Democrat officeholders at the district, county and precinct levels of government. As a result of the election results since 1978, the county is now totally represented by Republican officeholders at the district, county and precinct levels of government.

·        The county’s twenty-five precincts with the highest voter turnout percentage (includes registration suspense list*) are:

 

1.   #72 Bentwater         85.20 %

2.   #75 College Park      81.46

3.   #63 Walden-Del Lago   78.24

4.   #78 Sterling Ridge        77.71

5.   #43 Panorama          74.55

6.   #76 Old Conroe Rd     73.96       

7.   #77 April Sound       73.72

8.   #15 River Plantation  73.57

9.   #56 Harpers Landing   72.99

10.  #71 W Alden Bridge S  72.85

11.  #69 Alden Bridge      72.83

12.  #81 W Alden Bridge N  72.78

13.  #34 Lakewood          72.60

14.  #05 Longstreet            72.25

15.  #58 Cochrans Crossing C   71.92

16.  #38 Cape Conroe       71.79

17.  #61 Indian Springs        71.65

18.  #70 Bear Branch       71.57

19.  #59 Cochrans Crossing N   71.29

20.  #40 Conroe N Loop     71.12

21.  #06 Oak Ridge         70.81

22.  #49 Cochrans Crossing 70.43

23.  #50 Willis W          70.30

24.  #48 Panther’s Creek N 68.92

25.  #62 Research Forest   68.68

 

·        Forty-nine precincts had a 60% or greater turnout while only 14 precincts had 50% or lesser turnout.

·        Precinct #72 (Bentwater) had the highest percentage turnout for the third straight election: 2000- 85.1% and 2002- 70.2%.

·        Twenty-two precincts cast between 80% and 90% of its votes for President Bush; fifty-nine precincts cast between 70% and 80% of its votes for Bush and three precincts cast between 60% and 70% of its vote for Bush.

·        President Bush failed to carry (38.99%) only one precinct in the county, precinct #10 (Southeast Conroe).

 

* The total voter registration list includes a number of individuals whose new voter registration card mailed by the Voter Registrar has been returned because of a change of address. Many of these individuals have moved from the county while others have moved to a new address in the county. These individuals are placed on the Suspense List and must remain there for four years according to Federal Law. The individuals with new addresses in the county may re-register and vote. If the Suspense List were not included in the calculation of voter turnout, the percent of turnout would larger, i.e. the county’s 2004 turnout would be 73.71% and precinct #72 would be 90.85%.