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My name is Witt Dietrich.

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I'm a 36-year resident of Denton County.

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Thank you.

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I would like to speak to you today about these

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voting centers.

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Over the years, I have served as a voter
registrar,

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an election clerk, an alternate judge, and an
elections observer.

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Since I retired in 2022, I have logged over
2,000

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volunteer hours for this county.

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I tell you this, just so you know that I

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care deeply about elections, about democracy,
and I care about

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this county.

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I have a couple stories I'd like to share with

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you about my experiences working elections in
this in Denton.

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On the general election day in 2024, I was
working

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a polling site in Carleton.

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I counted just over 50 people that were turned
away

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in one day.

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They weren't turned away because they didn't
have proper ID.

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They weren't turned away because they weren't
registered.

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They weren't turned away because they weren't
residents of Denton

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County.

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They were turned away just because they were
at the

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wrong polling site.

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They were at a polling site that just a week

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earlier they could have voted without any
problems at all.

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They were disappointed, they were confused,
and some of them

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were downright angry.

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Angry at us, the clerks, the judges who were
just

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trying to help them out, and we were following
the

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rules.

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During the general election in 2020, I was
working the

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polling stations in Shady Shores.

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She rushed out of there, and I'm pretty sure
she

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probably scared a few people on the road
between Bolivar

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and Shady Shores.

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Now I'd like to talk to you a little bit

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about the future generations.

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Young people today are more disillusioned than
ever with government

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on every level, and it shows.

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Sometimes it feels like pulling teeth just to
get them

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registered into the polls.

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My own daughter included, I should say, to
prove to

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them just how important it is for them to be

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actively involved in the democratic process.

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It isn't because they aren't aware.

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They know the county has the technology to
process votes

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on election day, the same as for early voting.

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Turning them away after they have crossed all
the other

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hurdles with this one rule serves only to
embitter them

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more.

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Voting is a sacred right and the keystone of
our

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democracy

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Every last one of us should be working
diligently to

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uphold and protect that right.

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You, me, and every other citizen in this room.

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Each roadblock between a voter and that ballot
box removes

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just another pin holding this country
together.

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This court has an obligation to uphold the
rights of

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everyone in the county and should be searching
for ways

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to encourage more participation.

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Voting centers would be a common sense step in
that

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direction.

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Mr.

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Deaker, if you could you can finish your
thought if

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you go ahead.

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Basically, I I just want us to build these
voting

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centers in because it's the right thing to do.

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As she said, we shouldn't have one person
holding us

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hostage over this issue.

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It's the common sense thing to do.