New local app maps out voting wait times since Bexar County isn’t officially tracking them
As of Thursday 326,280 Bexar County residents have voted in person ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, but there’s a new app making the process easier for those who haven’t.
Unlike its major Texas county counterparts, Bexar does not have an official polling location wait-time tracker. Social media-based grassroots efforts, like “Bexar County Voting Location Wait Times,” have pitched in to alleviate the gap by creating a public Facebook group, where members post how long their voting experience trip was.
Local voters now have more help thanks to MOVE Texas, a non-partisan non-profit, and Irys, a local tech company. The two combined to launch an app to keep voters up-to-date on wait times.
RELATED: Bexar County doesn’t have a poll wait-time tracker, so San Antonio voters made their own
The tool, called Move the Line, debuted Thursday morning.
“This year, long lines aren’t merely an inconvenience, they’re a potential health risk that may deter residents from voting,” MOVE Texas said in a release. “Due to COVID-19 and the fact that Bexar County is the only major county not tracking polling place wait times, MOVE Texas and Irys’ app puts voter health and safety first.”
The app allows voters to share their wait time and populate the map through the “I’m in line. Start the clock” feature. Since the app was just released, only the Encino Library location on Evans Road had wait times available on the app as of noon.
Move the Line is accessible via a phone or computer and does not require installation or a download. The creators say only location is collected from the user.
Move the Line can be accessed here.
Early voting, which allows voters to cast their ballots at any of the 48 polling places, ends Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | [email protected] | @maddyskye
