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Go right ahead.

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Good morning, commissioners.

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My name is Stephanie Draper, and I'm a proud
resident

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of Denton County.

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I'm here today to urge the court to support
and

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move towards implementing countywide voting on
election day because our

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voters deserve fair, flexible, and accessible
on elections.

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Right now, Denton County voters are required
to cast their

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ballots only at their assigned precinct
polling places on election

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day.

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That system has made have worked years ago,
but our

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population is getting bigger.

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But today, because real challenges for working
families, seniors, students,

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and everyday residents who are juggling busy
lives,

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they need to be able to have voting locations
all

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over the place.

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As an election judge, I have personally seen
how the

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system hurts our voters.

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I have turned away people who arrived in ride
shares,

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people who took time off of work, paid for
transportation,

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showed up eager to vote only to find that they

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were at the wrong location.

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I've even also seen college students who
didn't have transportation

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and didn't even know what precinct they were
supposed to

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go to, and they had to hurry up and go

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to class, and they missed out on voting.

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Every election stories like this repeat
themselves across our county.

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The result is lost votes, lost trust, grown
frustration.

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We can do better.

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It allows voters to cast their ballots at any
polling

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location in the county on election day, just
like they

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can during early voting.

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Counties across Texas, including Terrant
County, Collins, Travis, and Dallas,

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have already adopted countywide voting, and
the result speaks for

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themselves.

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Higher voter participation, shorter lines, and
smoother election.

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But we must also learn from our neighbors.

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Terrant County has recently lost a hundred
locations.

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And it makes it very hard for the people to

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find a place where they're supposed to go
vote.

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This isn't a partisan issue, it's a people
issue.

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It's about protecting the rights to vote and
to ensure

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fairness and keeping Denton County democracy
strong.

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So today I respectfully urge this court to
begin the

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process of adopting countywide voting.

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Let's marginalize our election system and
expand access and make

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sure that no voter in Denton County is ever
turned

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away again.

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Thank you for your time.

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Thank you for being here.

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Thank you for your comments.

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I appreciate you.