Grayson County voters explain what’s driving them to the polls

GRAYSON COUNTY, Texas (KXII) - Voters turned out at the polls during the second week of early voting in Texas.

Jim Braswell said he came to vote because his dog, Cohen, wanted him to.

“Cohen wanted me to come vote, so here we are,” Braswell said.

Robbie and Bobby Starr said they voted early to avoid the crowds expected on Election Day.

“We wanted to avoid the crowds, obviously, but we were out and about and we thought, while we’re out, let’s just go make it happen,” Robbie Starr said.

Other voters, including Tricia Jones and Don Ersch, said voting early was about fulfilling their civic duty.

“You don’t have any reason to complain if you don’t come out and vote,” Jones said.

“I just say get out and vote. Vote your heart,” Ersch said.

Robbie Starr said this election carries as much, or more, weight than a presidential race.

“I’ve always thought that this election is actually more important than the presidential years. We need the right people in the other offices too. So it’s important to do these things,” Robbie Starr said.

Major races on the ballot include the Texas governor’s race between incumbent Republican Greg Abbott and Democrat Gina Hinojosa, and the U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico.

Voters are also weighing in on local races that could affect communities in Grayson County.

“National items are important, but we live locally. So, you know, you’ve got to kind of pay attention to that,” Bobby Starr said.

“We pay property taxes, so of course we want to keep them low if it’s possible, but you know our property taxes do help fund everything in the city. So yeah, we’re just here to support that,” Braswell said.