The special election to decide on the proposed $22.9 million bond referendum for a new Dallas County law enforcement center will be held tomorrow, and the County Supervisors are hoping there’s a high voter turnout.

Supervisor Brad Golightly says, “I just hope that people will go vote. You know, it doesn’t do any good to say, ‘Yup, it’s okay,’ and not go vote. Somebody else isn’t going to do it, you’ve got to do it yourself.” The Supervisors and other county officials have held several informational meetings this year to educate the public and encourage them to vote on the measure.

The Board is cautiously optimistic on the referendum’s chances of passing this time, after failing on three previous occasions. Board Chair Kim Chapman says, “You hear a lot of good responses coming from the public this time. I do anyway, and I won’t speak for Mark (Hansen) or for Brad, but I hear a lot of positive. There are, you know, a few that have indicated they’re not going to vote for it, because they don’t want their taxes to increase. But by far, the comments have been positive this time around.”

Early reports from the County Auditor’s office say there’s already been more than 700 early votes received from around the county, more than any previous special election. Officials believe this indicates there could be a record turnout for the special election.