Vote By Mail, Apply by October 28

Qualifications

Voters in Texas may request a ballot by mail if they meet one of the following criteria:

• ·         65 years of age or older
• ·         Out of the county during the election period
• ·         Physically disabled (permanently or temporarily)
• ·         In prison but eligible to vote

Deadline

The deadline to request a ballot by mail is Friday, October 28, for the November 8, 2016, election.  The request must be received by the county by that date.

Applying for a ballot

You must request your ballot from the county in which you are registered.  The ballot may be mailed to an address other than the voter’s registered address.  The counties do not send out ballot by mail applications, although some voter advocacy and political organizations do.

The Travis County webpage for Ballot By Mail including a link to download the application is http://www.traviscountyclerk.org/eclerk/Content.do?code=E.8.

The Williamson County webpage for Ballot by Mail is http://www.wilco.org/countydepartments/elections/ballotbymail/tabid/591/language/en-us/default.aspx. 

The completed application may be returned by mail, FAX, or email.  Specific instructions are found at the county’s webpage.

Military and overseas voters may use the regular ballot by mail application or a Federal Post Card Application.  More information about military and overseas voters is available here on the Travis County website -- http://www.traviscountyclerk.org/eclerk/Content.do?code=E.12.  Williamson County information is here -- http://www.wilco.org/default.aspx?tabid=3756.

The application must indicate the election for which a ballot is requested.  There is a box to check titled ‘Annual Request’ to indicate that the request applies to all elections in the calendar year, an option for voters who are 65 or older or permanently disabled.  There are also boxes to request a ballot for a specific election as well as a box to check in order to automatically receive a ballot for a subsequent runoff election.  Runoff elections typically occur in local elections or primary elections when three or more candidates run for the same office.  If the runoff box is not checked, the voter must make a second request for mail-in ballot for a runoff election by December 2, 2016.

If the voter is unable to sign the request or requires assistance in completing the request, the person helping the voter must fill out the section of the application to identify themselves and the type of help provided.

Returning the ballot

The County Elections office must receive the ballot by 7 PM on election night, November 8.  The ballot must be delivered through U. S. mail or a contract mail courier, or the voter may appear in person at the County Elections office to deliver it in person between 7 AM and 7 PM.  In case of personal delivery the voter must also show an approved form of ID.  Ballots mailed from outside the U.S. must be postmarked by 7 PM on Election Day and must be received within 5 days after the election.

The voter may also bring the paper ballot to a polling location to cancel it and vote in person, or if the voter does not have the unused ballot at the polling location, a provisional vote may be cast and may be counted if the county election officials determine that the mailed ballot was not returned to the county as a cast ballot.