By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer 

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (Posted March 4, 2008) — This morning I headed to Sam Houston High School where three predominately African American and Latino precincts reside.  Jeanette Salines, 36, works two jobs as a housekeeper, “I’m voting for Obama.  I just think he’s really trying to help people,” she said.

East San Antonio has the largest concentration of African Americans. Precinct captain Anthony Grant, a retired veteran told me, “This place has been slamming, he’s [Obama] a landslide in these three precincts.”

“This is the first time the state of Texas has tried the ‘two step,’ we’ve been giving out flyers and using word of mouth to tell people to come back tonight,” Grant said.  The flyer is bookmark size and gives the location and time of the caucus with a brief explanation of the process.

I didn’t meet anyone that was undecided while there. 

 My next stop was Agnes Cotton Elementary School in the Alta Vista neighborhood, north of downtown San Antonio.  This district is primarily Latino with a mixed urban population. 

Teresa Nino, an Obama volunteer said, “Only about five people have been undecided,” and the rest of the turnout about a 50-50 split.  Overall turnout has been moderate in the working class community.   “A lot of people took advantage of the early voting,” she added.

Nino also tried to catch voters before they left to remind them to come back tonight and expain the importance of why they should. 

The polls will close at seven central time. Volunteers for both candidates are pushing for folks to return tonight for the caucus.

 Sen. Barack Obama will hold a rally in downtown San Antonio after the results,  his Democratic rival Sen. Hillary Clinton will be in Columbus, Ohio.   

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