What sets Rick Reed apart...

Rick Reed has the smarter, more progressive stance on the issue of capital punishment... No doubt about it ... heinous, horrific crimes occasionally take place in Travis County. When they do, Rick Reed understands and respects the pain felt by the victims' friends and family members. But Rick Reed also believes the procedure of strapping human beings to a table and injecting them with a chemical cocktail that anesthetizes them, paralyzes them and then sends them into cardiac arrest, is never an acceptable way for a civilized society to respond to the crimes those human beings committed. Especially when we consider the fact that some of the persons strapped to that table may not have committed the crime for which they are being executed. Rick Reed wants to make one thing very clear -- under his leadership, the Travis County District Attorney's office will not seek the death penalty in any case. Why not? In addition to being incredibly inhumane, the execution procedure is incredibly expensive A 1991 study of capital punishment in Texas found that the costs associated with a death penalty case amounted to more than $2.3 million. But the cost of housing a prisoner in a Texas maximum-security prison single cell for 40 years was $750,000. Rick Reed believes the extra hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to pursue the death penalty would be more wisely applied toward prosecuting many other murder cases, capital murder cases and other crimes involving violent offenders. Read More A more sensible alternative to capital punishment now exists In 2005, the Texas State Legislature approved "Life without Parole" as a sentencing option in capital murder cases. This option guarantees the safety of our citizens. It also eliminates the possibility of our executing an innocent person and saves the taxpayers the exorbitant costs associated with pursuing and carrying out the death penalty. Read More Just because we have the right to pursue a lethal injection, does not mean it is the right thing to do. Read more about Rick Reed's smarter and more progressive stance on the issue of capital punishment. Early voting ends TODAY! Today is the last day that you can vote early. Scoot over to one of Travis County's polling stations before 7 p.m. tonight to say you want to see Rick Reed's smarter, more progressive perspective take the reins of the Travis County District Attorney's office. Here's where you can early vote and the hours those polling locations are open.