How to Help at the Polls

Volunteers are welcome to work as a representative of a political party at polling locations throughout each county. These volunteer positions are different from the role of Poll Workers, who are hired by the county to help operate polling locations. Here are the 2 roles you may volunteer for.

1. Poll Greeter

   Poll Greeters remain outside of the perimeter of the polling place and present party literature, signs, and other campaign materials. Poll Greeters aim to boost morale of party voters as they enter the polls as well as potentially sway those who are yet undecided. You can sign up to Poll Greet at specific locations at particular times through an organization such as your local Democrat party or you may simply go to a poll when it is convenient. Remember to stay 100 ft away from the actual polling place!

2. Poll Watcher

   Poll Watchers undergo a 90 minute online training in which they learn the important rules that must be enforced at polling locations as well as what to do in the event of an issue. Poll Watchers are sent by each party and it is important to have enough volunteers for our party to represented at every poll.

   To volunteer as a Poll Watcher use this link which will take you to a Mobilize sign-up.

Important Deadlines for Voters

Voter Registration Ends Oct 5th

Application to Vote by Mail

Must be received by your county election office by Oct 23. We recommend posting the application by Oct 1st if using USPS or Oct 20, 5 pm if using an express carrier such as FedEx.

Early Voting Ends Oct 30

Vote by Mail Ballots

Must be received by County Elections office (https://bit.ly/TXCtyRegistrars) by Tuesday, Nov 3 at 7:00pm if carrier envelope is not postmarked, or Wednesday, Nov 4 at 5:00pm if the carrier envelope is postmarked by 7:00pm on November 3. We recommend sending it by Oct 15, 5:00pm, if using USPS Oct 15, 5:00pm, if using overnight carrier such as FedEx or UPS (some rural counties may take 2-3 days for overnight service)

final Election Day Nov 3

What Are Your Voting Rights

You have rights, and it’s important to know what they are. You can find the full list here: https://www.votetexas.gov/your-rights/

An important right is the right to cast a provisional ballot. You may cast a provisional ballot if:

your name does not appear on the list of registered voters

you do not meet the voter ID requirements and cannot sign the Reasonable Impediment Declaration

If you need to cast a provisional ballot, the election judge will provide you details about how to cure the provisional status of your ballot and the time frame in which that must be done.

Help Hotline

In case you have concerns you may call Texas Democratic Party Voter Information and Protection Hotline at 1-844-898-6837.

Have questions or need help voting? Call

1-888-API-VOTE (1-888-274-8683).

Bilingual assistance is available in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali.

There are several reasons you may want to call the hotline,for instance:

You have questions about voting that you cannot find the answers to.

You have been denied the right to vote.

You have witnessed illegal or questionable electioneering behavior.

You have experienced unusual delays or voting discrimination.

There is voter intimidation occurring .

You have been wrongly purged from the voter registration rolls .

Curbside Voting

Curbside voting is available at all polling locations during Early Voting and on Election Day. It is a good idea but not required to call your county elections office in advance to confirm your intention to use this facility.

You can find the addresses and phone numbers for all 254 counties in Texas by going to https://bit.ly/TXCtyRegistrars. To find their website, Google “[your county name] website” to find more information.

This service is reserved for those who are “physically unable to enter the polling place,” typically the mobility-impaired and/or elderly. In addition, if you are ill (meaning ill with something other than COVID-19; if you are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, contact your County Elections office to check if you are eligible for curbside voting and still wish to vote, you may do so with curbside voting.

How to Vote By Mail

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:

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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).

Polling Locations and Times By County: Click on Your County NAme

Bexar County

Collin County

Denton County

Dallas County

Ft Bend County

Harris County

Hays County

Tarrant County

Travis County

Williamson County

Other Counties If your county of residence is not listed above, click on this link to be directed to your local polling locations and times.

How College Students Can Vote Away From Home

Students may register to vote either at their college address or at their home address, not both. So, your first decision will be which county to register to vote in. This is your decision, but some considerations students use are:

1. Do I want to vote by mail or in person? Assuming your college is not in the same county as your home county, if you are registered in your home county, you will need to vote by mail.

2. Where do I consider “home”? If you do not plan to return to your home county other than to visit family, you may wish to register in the county where your college is.

3. Where will your vote be “strategic”? You may feel passionately about a candidate or issue, in eitheryour home county or your college county, in which case, you may want to register to vote there. Assuming you choose to vote in your home county, you will complete an Application for Ballot by Mail under the “absent from county” provision. You will have your ballot sent to your college address, and then complete and return it just like any other person. Please make sure you do this with plenty of time.

What if you are registered at your college address but now are taking classes from home?

If you have registered at your college address, and wish to vote in your college town’s elections, you would need to request an absentee ballot from that county / state (if not Texas). You should Google “[your college town] absentee voting”]. If you have registered to vote at your college address and now wish to vote at your new address and that college address is not in Texas, you need to revoke your voter registration in that other state. Google “[your college state] revoke voter registration.” If you have registered to vote at your college address and now wish to vote at your new address and that college address is in Texas, you need to complete a new voter registration application. You can request an application to register to vote by going to https://bit.ly/VoterRegSAAVETX and completing the online form. At the end of this process you will be given an option to either (1) receive a printed form in the mail for you to sign, date and enter your ID information (Texas Drivers License or State Identification number or social security number), and then return to your county in the provided prepaid envelope, or (2) download a pdf of your application for you to print, sign, date, and mail yourself.

IF YOU REQUEST AN APPLICATION TO REGISTER TO VOTE USING THIS ONLINE TOOL AFTER SEPTEMBER 15, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU SELECT OPTION 2 AND PRINT THE PDF YOURSELF AND PLACE THE COMPLETED APPLICATION IN THE MAIL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS POSTMARKED ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 5.

What to take to the polls

There are 2 key items you need to take to the voting booth:

First, take a valid form of ID.

The acceptable forms of voter ID are: 1. Texas Drivers License 2. Texas Personal Identification Card 3. Texas Election ID Certificate 4. Texas Handgun License 5. US Citizenship Certificate with Photo 6. US Military ID Card with Photo 7. US Passport (Book or ID) If you are age 69 or younger on Election Day, any of the acceptable forms of voter ID can be expired up to four (4) years as of Election Day (expired more recently than November 3, 2016). If you are 70 or older on Election Day, your ID can be expired for any length of time.

It’s ok if the address on your Drivers License does not match your registered address, though as a precaution you should take a utility bill or other official mail with your name and address matching your registered name and address.

Next, print out our Election Guide for your county. Because there is no straight ticket voting this election, you must select a specific candidate name for each office all the way down the ballot. This guide provides a complete list of Democrat candidate names and the offices they are running for to help you in this process as well as helpful info you may need at the polls such as a help hotline. Cell phones are not permitted to be on in the polls so print the Election Guide for your county and be sure to take it with you.

Other recommendations you may consider for Covid safety: bringing your own marking instrument such as a pen, pencil with eraser, or stylus to use when checking in to vote and for marking your ballot, wearing latex gloves and bringing your hand sanitizer to the polling location to use after leaving the polling locations, wearing an appropriate face mask over your nose and mouth at the polling.

Voting Deadlines

Texas 2020 General Election Deadlines

MON OCT 5, 2020: VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE

TUES OCT 13-30, 2020: EARLY VOTING 

FRI OCT 23, 2020: REQUEST FOR ABSENTEE BALLOT MUST BE POST MARKED AND RECEIVED

TUES NOV 3, 2020: DEADLINE TO RETURN COMPLETED AND POSTMARKED ABSENTEE BALLOT

For military and non-military domestic voters who properly requested a mail-in ballot though the Application for Ballot By Mail, the completed ballot must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, November 3, 2020 AND received by your County's Elections Office by 5:00pm on Wednesday, November 4, 2020. In person absentee voting is not available.

TUES NOV 3, 2020: VOTING DAY

Become a Poll Worker / Voter Protection Hotline Line Worker / Poll Watcher

POLL WORKER

Who can be a poll worker?

•Be a registered voter in the county where you are planning to be an elections worker.

•Be at least 18 years of age.

•Have been a resident of Texas for at least 30 days

Check with County Elections Office (Some have closed applications such as Dallas & Fort Bend) Below are top counties

Bexar https://www.bexar.org/2182/Apply-as-an-Election-Official

Brazoria https://www.brazoriacountyclerk.net/departments/elections/poll-workers

Cameron https://www.cameroncounty.us/elections/index.php/poll-workers/

Collin https://www.collincountytx.gov/elections/election_information/Pages/election_worker_recruitment.aspx

Dallas https://www.dallascountyvotes.org/training-and-education/become-a-poll-worker/

Denton https://www.votedenton.com/poll-worker-program/

El Paso https://epcountyvotes.com/election_workers_volunteers/poll_worker_information

Fort Bend https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/county-services/elections-voter-registration/general-information/become-an-election-worker

Galveston https://www.galvestonvotes.org/election-information/poll-workers/

Harris https://harrisvotes.com/PollWorkers?lang=en-US

Hidalgo https://www.hidalgocounty.us/533/Poll-Worker-Information

Lubbock - 806-775-1339, select 6, select 3, select 1, select 1, select 2 to have information mailed to you 

Montgomery http://legacy.mctx.org/election/video/vid.html

McLennan https://www.co.mclennan.tx.us/549/Election-Worker-Employment

Nueces https://www.nuecesco.com/county-services/county-clerk/elections-department/election-worker-information

Tarrant https://www.tarrantcounty.com/en/elections/education-and-training/poll-workers.html

Travis https://countyclerk.traviscountytx.gov/elections/join-the-election-team.html

Webb https://www.webbcountytx.gov/ElectionsAdministration/PollWorkerInforamtion/

Williamson https://www.wPilco.org/Departments/Elections/Poll-Workers

VOTER PROTECTION:

Sign up for Poll Watching or Voter Protection Hotline

https://contribute.txdemocrats.org/page/signup/help-protect-texas-voters-

Voter Protection Hotline Sign Up:

https://www.mobilize.us/tdporganizing/event/296105/

Phone Bank Fellow Desis

We believe in the power of building communities. Calling within your district allows us to build connections that will last beyond any election cycle. Its simple and effective. Click on the link to open a phone bank document. These are districts with heavy South Asian populations.

Get started here

1. Click on the link

2. Choose a district to call

3. Create a Action ID

4. Enter phone bank

5. Use *67 if you would like to remain anonymous

6. Call scripts will be below Name and phone number

Join our regional teams here

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IpqEX7HRdNsfsUVCq6f9eQgYKN3fulCBUBI9LMpU45o/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IpqEX7HRdNsfsUVCq6f9eQgYKN3fulCBUBI9LMpU45o/edit?usp=sharing

Become a SAAVETX Ambassador - Friends and Family Plan of Democracy

This is the friends and family plan . Everyone benefits from the fruits of Democracy

Sign up click here

What is it? 

It is a program to ensure eligible south Asians VOTE to significantly increase overall voter turnout. This is a perfect role for all those who have limited time to help!

Other Benefits?

To increase the number of ambassadors (each voter is a potential ambassador!)  and to educate: e.g., message to vote down ballot!

What does the Ambassador have to do? 

• Be the guide to help voters at every step 

• Make a list of 25-50 voters in their network and text/email/call them to ensure: they are registered, they know who they are voting for, they know their polling station or know how to vote by mail, & have what they need when they go to vote (ID, hand sanitizer, mask, etc.)  

• Record progress in the Google Sheet

• Stop bugging the voters only after they produce their “I Voted” sticker!!!!!

Sign up here. Someone will get you started