Early voting for the municipal elections taking place on May 5 started on Monday.
People voting for city and school board elections in Waco, Woodway, Crawford, Waco ISD and Bellmead will be able to vote at the Elections Administration Office, Bellmead City Hall, Waco Multipurpose Center and First Assembly of God Church.
On Election Day, there will only be nine voting centers.
“It won’t be as busy as it was for the primaries or a general election. We usually see a 5 to 10 percent of the people come on and vote so we encourage the people to get out and vote. We have some issues on the ballot that those voters will be interested in voting on," McLennan County Elections Administrator Kathy Van Wolfe said.
Mart, McGregor, Bosqueville ISD, China Spring ISD, Connally ISD and West ISD will be hosting them separately.
Voters in Central Texas will decide on school bond proposals at West, Salado and Killeen.
In West, residents will decide whether to pass a $20 million bond to build a new elementary school. If approved, folks with homes valued at $100,000, would pay $233 extra in taxes per year.
West Elementary School Principal Cari Detlefsen said a new campus would help with safety and security.
"Making sure, we have a secure vestibule, making sure we have a secure front office, that our campus is secure 100 percent around the perimeter," Detlefsen said.
In addition, she said replacing the 1952 building would allow the school to have larger classrooms.
"A lot of the instructional strategies that we are asking our teachers to use in the classroom, it's very hard for them because they have limited space they have limited space, to do pull back groups, to do station work, to do fun and engaging-hands on activities," Detlefsen said.
The decision to move forward rests on voters' hands.
"The first and foremost big thing is for everyone to be an informed voter. We are asking to get out there and vote," Detlefsen said.
Killeen and Salado will vote for mayor, city council and school bonds. Killeen ISD has a $426 million bond proposal that would help with the growth of the district and safety, according to district officials.
In Salado, residents will vote on a nearly $50 million dollar bond for a new middle school.
Other cities with city council elections include Bellmead. Voters there will also be asked for their input on two propositions. One of them asks them if they support imposing a two percent hotel occupancy tax to finance the proposed ballpark that would be the home of a professional baseball team.
Early voting will run until May 1.
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