By Michele Samuelson

This long election season has finally come to an end, and the votes have been counted.  Wells Branch made its voice heard and turned out a significant number of voters.  Turnout for the 2012 election was comparable to countywide and statewide totals, though for the most part, turnout here was equal to what it was in 2008.

Information was only available for the four Travis County precincts included in Wells Branch.  Because only a portion of Williamson County precinct 138 is in Wells Branch, specific turnout data was unavailable at press time.

The Travis County portion of Wells Branch consists of precincts 215, 216, 225, and 229.  The total number of registered voters in those precincts is 10,572.  The total number of ballots cast was 6070.  This means approximately 57% of registered voters in Wells Branch turned out to vote, either during early voting or on election day.

Looking at votes cast down ballot, however, a disturbing trend emerges.  Depending on the race, less than half of voters cast votes in non-partisan races such as MUD board director, Round Rock ISD trustee, and Austin Community College trustee.  This held true in all four Travis County precincts, and the lowest number of votes cast happened in the ACC races.   As an example:  Precinct 229 cast 1367 total votes this year in the presidential race, but only 403 in the race for ACC Trustee Place 9, 434 in Round Rock ISD Place 7, and 1008 in the WBMUD Director Place 4 race.  The drop-off is typical down-ballot, but is disheartening, as the lower a race is down the ballot, the more effect that position has on our day-to-day lives.

Increasing voter turnout is a crucial civic duty for our neighborhood.  We have learned that one way to have our needs addressed by our local elected officials is to show them that we are engaged, and the easiest way is by voting.  The WBNA works to inform voters of their choices in a non-partisan manner, and we encourage new ideas and your participation informing our neighbors, registering voters, and reminding each other to vote.

By Jeff Navarro, WBSA President

We are in full swing of yet another great season of soccer in Wells Branch!

• We have 3 teams that have moved up to the Division I level, the highest level for youth soccer!  This includes the Under 16 Boys Cougars team, the and the Under 11 and Under 12 WBSA-OWS Boys teams.  All three teams are competing well with the top teams in the South Texas area!  Congrats to these teams and their coaches!
• Continue reading Wells Branch Soccer Association Fall Update →

from Dianna Alsup Gielstra [dlalsup@yahoo.com]

Greetings everyone,

In light of recent postings, I wanted to send a friendly reminder regarding “Netiquette.” I use this information when I teach online in my classroom, and it has helped immensely in keeping the points on topic while being respectful to all individuals. I ask that you keep an open mind during the time spent in the our neighborhood forum when responding to myself and others. I suggest if you feel strongly about a topic, write your email, but do not send it immediately. Walk away and take another peek later to make sure that you are keeping an open mind and are responding in a respectful tone. Below is a reminder on how we can stay respectful of one another while communicating in this online environment.

Netiquette

Just as society has rules of conduct governing interactions in the face-to-face environment, the virtual community also has rules of conduct for electronic interactions. The term netiquette is used to refer to online etiquette. Recommendations include the following:

• Continue reading Netiquette for our Listserve →

by Barbara Romero

Bear had hip surgery. He didn’t follow the vet’s orders and overdid himself even though he comes from a vet’s family. Bear loves his walks and checking out the ‘hood so Tim and Laura, whom Bear owns, put him in his wagon and get him around this way. Bear is practicing his wave but since it needs a little more work, his tail is doing a great job.

I checked with Jim Hare of IESI (recycling provider) today and he confirmed that YES, we CAN recycle the corrugated plastic campaign signs but the metal frames must go in the trash.

Wells Branch MUD receives a $20 rebate for every ton of recycling.  Those funds are dedicated to purchasing trees for our park system.  Please recycle!