The City of Rowlett Runoff Election
June 12th, 2010 . by TexasFredCity of Rowlett Runoff Election
Unofficial Combined Election Results
June 12, 2010Ballots Cast
Early Voting - In-Person 646
Early Voting - Mail 7
Election Day - Optical Scan 299
Election Day - ADA Ivotronic 0
Total Ballots Cast 952
Provisional Ballots 0
Registered Voters 33,501
% of voter turnout 2.84%
Council member Place Two
Jerry Berggren - 348 votes - 37.42%
Donna Davis - 582 votes - 62.58%
TOTAL 930Council member Place Six
Ron Miller - 466 votes - 49.95%
Michael Gallops - 467 votes - 50.05%
TOTAL 933
The race for City Council is over. BOTH of my candidates lost, for that I am truly sorry…
I am also sickened by the numbers. I am embarrassed, and almost outraged by the numbers. Rowlett has approximately 60,000 residents, we have a total of 33,501 Registered Voters.
930 of them turned out to vote. 930 — That’s 2.84% of ALL registered voters!
I want to thank those 930 citizens that answered the challenge, took the time and made the effort to get out and vote.
To the 97.16% of my fellow citizens that sat on their dead asses and didn’t vote, I say this: you have NO right to, gripe, moan, complain or to voice, in any manner, ANY displeasure you may have with the way the City of Rowlett is run.
You gave up the right to complain when you failed to exercise your obligation to VOTE!
You should ALL be ashamed of yourselves!
I have heard it said, as have most of you, ‘Well, I didn’t vote, no one really counts those votes and what the hell, how much difference can one vote make anyway?’
Look at the race between Mike Gallops and Ron Miller. A hard fought race, one that came right down to the wire.
It was decided by ONE VOTE!
I supported, and actively campaigned for Ron Miller, I was seriously hoping for a different outcome in that race.
I also campaigned just as hard for Jerry Berggren, I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.
You can’t run against APATHY. When voter turnout numbers are this low, it’s no longer a race between the most qualified, it becomes a referendum on the popularity of the candidate and who has the most registered voters, ones that will vote, as friends or relatives.
To Donna Davis, I congratulate you on your win and I wish you well. I don’t know you personally and I can’t say one bad word against you. I supported Jerry Berggren because he’s a good guy and a good friend.
To Mike Gallops, congratulations. After careful consideration, I offer you this: Psalm 109:8
I am going to point this out to ALL the fine folks reading this, sure, it’s just a City Council race, but what about in November? What about our state races? What happens if voters exhibit as much apathy then as they have now?
I’m not a Political Science major, I have never run an election or been an adviser to a candidate, but I DO know this, the voters of our nation, as a whole, have got to get motivated.
We hear all of this *vote out the incumbent* BS going around. Miller and Gallops were both novices at running for office, as was Berggren and Davis.
So much for the *vote em ALL out* theory.
I’m sorry also Fred that your two candidates didn’t get the nod
but it’s not only Rowlett, Texas, the whole goddamn nation is like that. NOW if the voting booths would have had free hot dogs, bratwurst, and beer, and bands playing for their entertainment, you would have had those numbers reversed.
People only want to do something when they get a chance to stuff their pie-holes and then move on. Anything else has little importance to them except maybe American Idol or Bachelorette. If Rowlett is any kind of indication, then I really don’t look forward to the midterm election like I have been.
People are dumbasses and they are gonna get exactly what they’re asking for by keeping their stupid heads buried in the sand. They had a guy on the street on TV the other night with a “voters petition” that said the people that sign this petition are MORONS. Nine out of ten signed it without reading what it was about. That was a true sign of peoples awareness right there.
Next time you run! Why not? What do you have to lose?
Fred,
I concur, This is one of the biggest problem facing the U.S. today. I have looked at the numbers around my area and if they are even remotely like this everywhere then we SHOULD have at the least had a republican(?) president if more conservative leaning people. Although I agree with your assessment of McSame it still would have (I would hope) been better than MaoBambi. I have voted in every election since I was able to right or wrong. Also I have and am proud to say that I have never thrown my hat to any party I am a conservative independent, Always was always will be. The problem I see is the pervasive feeling among the middle (neither left or right) that their vote does not count. I have tried my best to express to these middle grounders that the conservatives are more likely to listen and adjust their track than the agenda bound liberals. If I only convince one or two to at least VOTE then I am sure that they can assist in reversing the “I don’t matter” mentality. As Fred pointed out EVERY vote counts.
@ Katie… A very simple answer, I am not in good health, a little fact I have mentioned before, many times…
I don’t take on a commitment I can’t meet, I’m NOT a politician, I tend to piss off EVERYONE on the left, and that’s the only good point of me being a candidate, but I also piss off a lot of folks on the so-called RIGHT too… RINOs and wishy-washy Republicans draw my anger out and I WILL voice it…
The day America begins to appreciate honesty and common sense from a common man, maybe then I’ll consider it, but I doubt it. This is a game best played by folks with *resources* and moderate tempers… I have neither…
So sorry Fred that our guys didn’t win, but at least I can say we (my husband & I) did our part & went out to vote. I AGREE with the statement you made when you said they have no right to, gripe, moan, complain or to voice, in any manner, any displeasure they may have with the way the City of Rowlett is run. They should have gone out to vote!
I am sorry to hear that your candidates did not win, and I hope that come November voter turnout will be much higher. But this does raise a concern that I have had as of late. All of these primaries that we have seen have had low turnout rates, if the “vote em all out” mentality was as alive and well as I had hoped, the voter turnout would be higher. I am worried that the anger in the American people will not turn into a large turnout. If we have reached the point in this country where those that oppose this administration have given up even trying to fight we may be in trouble in November.
Tomorrow there will be a recount in the ballots at Dallas County Elections between Mike Gallops and Ron Miller.
This race is too close to call at the moment, there are a few ballots in contention and they will be examined manually and witnessed.
The swearing in that was to take place tomorrow has been, as I understand it, been temporarily put off until the election is resolved and ALL questionable ballots and 2 outstanding military ballots are counted or thrown out.
This is absolutely ridiculous and disappointing. In my opinion, a vote on a City Council member will directly effect me more than a vote in a Presidential Election.
If you didn’t vote, don’t bitch. If you did vote, and your candidate lost, bitch at the lazy assholes that are responsible.
The recount is done, we still have a one vote race, with 2 military ballots that haven’t been returned yet…
The Military ballots MUST be in by 5PM Thursday or it’s a done deal…