Who can vote by mail
If you meet one of the following criteria, you can vote by mail:
you will be age 65 or older on or before November 3, 2020
you’re disabled
you are expected to be / will be absent from your home county for the entirety of the voting period (October 13, 2020 to November 3, 2020)
you are confined in jail but not yet adjudicated with a felony (i.e., your voting rights remain intact but you are confined in jail and not able to go to a polling location.)
Texas Election Code defines a disability as a “sickness or physical condition” that prevents a voter from appearing in person without the risk of “injuring the voter’s health”
How do I apply to vote by mail?
You can apply to vote by mail by going to https://bit.ly/VoterRegSAAVETX and clicking on the blue bar at the top of the page entitled “SIGN UP TO VOTE BY MAIL”.
While the deadline to submit the completed Application for Ballot By Mail is October 23, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you put it in the mail no later than October 1.
After that date, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you hand deliver your Application for Ballot By Mail (each person must deliver their own, and ID will be required for verification) to your County Elections office (https://bit.ly/TXCtyRegistrars) or use an overnight courier service such as FedEx or UPS (must use street address not PO Box).
Your last method to submit your completed Application for Ballot By Mail is to e-mail or fax a copy of it to your County Elections office (https://bit.ly/TXCtyRegistrars), BUT the original form MUST BE MAILED OR HAND-DELIVERED within four (4) days of the fax or email.
If you have an inconsistent or shaky signature, consider getting a witness -- a trusted person such as a spouse, friend, neighbor, family -- to sign your Application for Ballot by Mail. This person can then act as witness when you sign your completed mail-in ballot.
When can I vote by mail?
You may return your completed mail-in ballot as soon as you receive it. If you want to return it before October 13, you will need to use the US Postal Service or an overnight carrier such as FedEx or UPS. By order of the Governor, all counties in Texas must accept hand delivered completed mail-in ballots commencing on October 13. However, some of our larger counties are allowing drop-off at the County Elections office sooner than October 13, so please contact them to see if they are allowing earlier drop-offs (https://bit.ly/TXCtyRegistrars).
I’m traveling on Election Day. What do I do?
If you are expected to be / will be absent from your home county for the entirety of the voting period (October 13, 2020 to November 3, 2020), you can complete an Application for Ballot By Mail.
If you will be home for some portion of the Early Voting period, it is recommended that you vote in person during Early Voting (see Voting in Person below). If you qualify to vote by mail using one of the other qualified reasons, such as disability or age, you may apply to vote by mail under one of those provisions.
I’ve received a mail-in ballot, but I’ve changed my mind and want to vote in person. Can I do that?
Yes, you can. You must surrender your mail-in ballot to the poll worker or election judge when you go to vote in person during Early Voting or on Election Day. Then, you should be allowed to vote per normal ballot, you should not be given a Provisional Ballot. If you are given a Provisional Ballot, request a the election judge to call the county election office so that you may vote on a normal ballot.
I received a mail-in ballot, but I’ve lost it. Can I get another one?
Unfortunately, you cannot get another mail-in ballot. But you can still vote! It will have to be in person during Early Voting or on Election Day. When you go to the Polling location, inform the poll worker that you have lost your mail-in ballot, and you will be asked by the poll worker or election judge to complete a provisional ballot.
I’ve filled out all of the information on my mail-in ballot. Do I need to sign my completed vote by mail ballot?
Yes, you do. Your signature on the completed vote by mail ballot is compared to the signature on your Application For Ballot by Mail to limit fraud.
If you have an inconsistent or shaky signature, consider getting a witness -- a trusted person such as a spouse, friend, neighbor, family -- to sign your Application for Ballot by Mail AND your completed mail-in ballot.
How many stamps do I put on my completed vote by mail ballot?
While the deadline to receive the completed ballot by mail is November 4 provided that it is postmarked on or before November 3, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND you do not use the US Postal Service to deliver your completed ballot by mail after October 13, the first day of early voting. If you do use the US Postal Service, we recommend using two (2) first-class (“Forever”) stamps.
After October 13, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND one of three options:
you, and only you, must take your completed ballot to your local County Elections office (https://bit.ly/TXCtyRegistrars) and hand deliver it to them. You will need a valid form of ID to do this, or
take your ballot by mail to an early polling location, surrender it there, and vote in person; you may not drop off the completed ballot by mail at a polling location as they are not authorized to accept it, or
Return your completed ballot by mail to your County Elections office (https://bit.ly/TXCtyRegistrars) using an overnight delivery service such as FedEx (https://www.fedex.com/) or UPS (https://www.ups.com/)(must use street address not PO Box).