VALLEY MILLS, Texas — Usually on Election Day, Valley Mills voters can drive up to the old city hall building, but this Nov. 7, Valley Mills didn’t have a polling location.
“I vote every time, but yesterday just didn’t get to," Josh Thayer said.
Thayer has lived in Valley Mills for the past fourteen years, and for those fourteen years, he’s been able to vote at the old city hall building downtown.
“Didn’t seem right it being actual Election Day."
He was hoping to vote on the cost-of-living increase for teachers.
“Bosque County did not choose to host the November 7th Mid-Term Election in Valley Mills," the city said in a statement.
"The nearest voting for Bosque County is held at Clifton Civic Center."
“The biggest problem is, you've got a lot of older people around here that can’t just drop what they’re doing right now and drive to Clifton," said disabled veteran, Joe Amodio.
He says he didn't get to cast his vote either.
“There was stuff on those bill’s that was important," Amodio said.
"You’ve got people that didn’t get to vote — that leaves a lot of room for error."
Bosque County says in the last 2023 election, the four locations that were open saw less than 20 voters at each location on election day.
They also say supplies and preparations would cost a minimum of $4,000.
Amodio spent Nov. 7th with his grandson, and didn’t have a car seat to make the drive.
He says he could’ve made arrangements had there been prior notice of the change.
“If it had been put out earlier that they weren’t going to man to poll booth there, we could have made some changes to get there to go vote," he said.
“I’ve heard that they need volunteers — some of us would volunteer if that’s what it took to get it open,” Thayer said.
