If you vote on Halloween, leave the mask at home
Just a tip for trick-or-treating Texans: If you decide to vote on Halloween, leave your mask in the car.
Election judges need to see your face, to make sure you are the person on the photo ID you must show to vote.
“We’d prefer if people could take their mask off,” said Stephen Vickers, Tarrant County’s elections administrator. “We want people to have fun, but we want people to take their masks off so we know who is voting.”
Early voting for the Nov. 7 election runs through Friday.
On this year’s ballot, Texans will weigh in on seven constitutional amendments addressing issues ranging from tax exemptions for spouses of first responders killed while on duty to raffles at professional sporting events.
And in Tarrant County, voters from nearly a dozen communities will face issues ranging from the $750 million proposed bond package for the Fort Worth school district to whether Euless should allow liquor stores.
Electioneering
Even though President Trump and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton aren’t on the ballot this year, wearing their likenesses could be considered electioneering.
“It’s up to the election judge (at each polling place) to determine if it’s electioneering or not,” Vickers said.
Texas law says electioneering happens when someone wears clothes, buttons, hats, pins or other items promoting a candidate inside a polling place or within 100 feet of a door through which a voter could enter the building.
Election workers will ask people to remove or cover any campaign materials, which could be as simple as turning their T-shirts inside-out.
Photo IDs
Election judges need to see a voter’s face at least briefly to comply with the voter ID law that took effect last year.
The law requires voters to bring a photo ID — such as a driver’s license, a state-issued personal identification card, a concealed-handgun license, a military card or citizenship certificate with a photo, or a passport.
Those IDs should be up-to-date or not expired for more than four years.
If you don’t have one of those, you can still vote.
Any voter who doesn’t have a photo ID — and can’t “reasonably obtain a form of approved photo ID” before the election — may sign a declaration stating why he or she couldn’t obtain a photo ID.
Then those voters need to show a document such as an original birth certificate, current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government document to be cleared to vote.
No selfies
This year’s election won’t draw the crowds that last year’s presidential election saw.
So there may not be many people taking selfies with their ballot to show they voted.
And that’s a good thing, Vickers said.
The state’s Election Code prevents Texans from using a “wireless communication device” within 100 feet of a polling site.
“No cameras are allowed in the polling place,” Vickers said. “Anyone who wants to use the phone, they have to step outside.
“Just leave it in your pocket when you’re at the polling place.”
Anna Tinsley: 817-390-7610, @annatinsley
EARLY VOTING
Early voting for the Nov. 7 election runs through Friday, Nov. 3.
Early votes may be cast in person from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
Tarrant County Elections Administration, 2700 Premier St., Fort Worth, is the main early voting site. Emergency and limited ballots are available there. For more information, call 817-831-8683.
Other sites:
All Saints Catholic Church Parish Hall, 200 N.W. 20th St.
Arlington Subcourthouse, 700 E. Abram St.
Asia Times Square, 2615 W. Pioneer Parkway, Grand Prairie
Bedford Public Library, 2424 Forest Ridge Drive
Benbrook Community Center, 228 San Angelo Ave.
B.J. Clark Annex, Room 4, 603 Southeast Parkway, Azle
Bob Duncan Center, 2800 S. Center St., Arlington
Center for Community Service Junior League of Arlington, 4002 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington
Colleyville City Hall, 100 Main St.
Crowley Recreation Center, 405 S. Oak St.
Dan Echols Center, 6801 Glenview Drive, North Richland Hills
Diamond Hill/Jarvis Branch Library, 1300 N.E. 35th St., Fort Worth
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district Administration Building 6, Training Room, 1200 Old Decatur Road, Saginaw
Euless Public Library, 201 N. Ector Drive
Elzie Odom Athletic Center, 1601 N.E. Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington
Forest Hill Civic and Convention Center, 6901 Wichita St., Forest Hill
Fort Worth ISD Professional Development Center, Room 107, 3150 McCart Ave.
The REC of Grapevine, 1175 Municipal Way
Griffin Subcourthouse, 3212 Miller Ave., Fort Worth
Haltom City Northeast Center, 3201 Friendly Lane
Handley/Meadowbrook Community Center, 6201 Beaty St., Fort Worth
Hurst Recreation Center, 700 Mary Drive
JPS Health Center Viola M. Pitts/Como, Lower Level, Suite 100, 4701 Bryant Irvin Road N.
Keller Town Hall, 1100 Bear Creek Parkway
Kennedale Community Center, 316 W. Third St.
Lake Park Operations Center, 5610 Lake Ridge Parkway, Grand Prairie
Longhorn Activity Center, 5350 Basswood Blvd., Fort Worth
Mansfield Subcourthouse, 1100 E. Broad St.
Northeast Courthouse, 645 Grapevine Highway, Hurst
Richland Hills Public Library, 6724 Rena Drive, Richland Hills
Rosemont Middle School, 1501 W. Seminary Drive, Fort Worth
Sheriff’s Office North Patrol Division, 6651 Lake Worth Blvd., Lake Worth
Southlake Town Hall, 1400 Main St.
South Service Center, 1100 S.W. Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington
Southside Community Center, 959 E. Rosedale St., Fort Worth
Southwest Community Center, 6300 Welch Ave.
Southwest Regional Library, 4001 Library Lane
Tanglewood Elementary School, Portable Building Room 310, 3060 Overton Park Drive W.
Tarrant County College Southeast Campus, EMB- C Portable Building, 2100 Southeast Parkway, Arlington
Tarrant County Plaza Building, 201 Burnett St.
Villages of Woodland Springs Amenity Center, 12209 Timberland Blvd., Fort Worth
White Settlement Public Library, 8215 White Settlement Road
Worth Heights Community Center, 3551 New York Ave., Fort Worth
Source: Tarrant County Elections Office
This story was originally published October 30, 2017 at 7:32 AM with the headline "If you vote on Halloween, leave the mask at home."