Worried about mail-in ballot delays? Submit your application now, election officials say
With the November general election less than three months away, Tarrant County election officials are urging voters eligible to vote by mail to submit their applications sooner rather than later.
Tarrant County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia said voters can submit their applications for mail-in ballots now. That way, their name will be in the department’s queue when the first wave of mail-in ballots are sent out in late September.
“That gives it over a month for the ballot to make it to the person and back,” Garcia said. “We’ve opened a huge window here for people to get their ballots and turn them around. So our advice to everyone is, put your request in now. Don’t wait until the last week if you’re worried about it.”
In late July, the U.S. Postal Service warned Texas election officials that there is a risk that some mail-in ballots may be delivered too late to be counted for the November election under Texas’ deadlines. With concerns over delays in deliveries, Garcia stressed that voters also have another option.
Under Gov. Greg Abbott’s proclamation that extended the early voting period by six days, voters also have the ability to deliver mail-in ballots in-person to the early voting clerk’s office before Election Day, rather than simply on it.
After filling out their mail-in ballot, voters can visit the Tarrant County Elections Department in person with their completed ballot and a form of ID, like a driver’s license, for election officials to verify their identity.
“Just come into our office, show us your ID, drop it off and your ballot is here,” Garcia said. “And if you’re worried about the post office, then you don’t go through it, you just bring it in yourself.”
In order to qualify for a mail-in ballot under Texas law, voters must submit an application and be either 65 years or older, disabled, out of the county on Election Day and during in-person early voting, or confined in jail.
Voters can request online that an application for a mail-in ballot be mailed to them, or print out an application for a mail-in ballot and send it to the Tarrant County Elections Department.
Mail-in ballots were a focal point ahead of the July runoff election, with the Texas Democratic Party and civil rights groups leading multiple legal challenges in an attempt to expand who is eligible to vote by mail in Texas. In recent days, the issue of mail-in ballots has resurfaced, as the U.S. Postal Service’s funding is in jeopardy amid the pandemic and faces roadblocks from President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly derided voting by mail.
In an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll conducted in August, 44% of voters said they’re confident mail-in ballots will be counted accurately in the November election, while 51% disagreed. Overall, 45% of voters said they weren’t confident that the results of the presidential election would be counted accurately — up from 34% of voters who said the same ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Tarrant County received over 31,457 mail-in ballot requests for the July election — over 10,200 more than the 21,191 requested for the presidential primary runoff in May 2016. Across the country states have reported a rise in mail-in ballot requests ahead of November, and Garcia said the county has already received over 30,000 and will likely reach 50,000.
Submitting mail-in ballot applications now will not only help ensure sufficient time for the ballot to be mailed and received, but also give voters weeks to flag and sort through any issues that may arise, Garcia said.
“Don’t wait ‘till September. Don’t wait ‘till October. Do it now,” Garcia said. “And that way everyone has more peace of mind, because there’s going to be plenty of time for that ballot to get to you — and for us to react to situations where it doesn’t.”
For the upcoming Nov. 3 election, mail-in ballot applications in Texas must be received by Friday, Oct. 23 — 11 days before Election Day, according to the Secretary of State. After a request is received, election officials must mail a ballot within seven days.
The regular deadline for election officials to receive an early voting ballot by mail is 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. However, under certain circumstances late domestic ballots that were postmarked on or before Election Day may be received by 5 p.m. on Nov. 4 — the day after the election. Certain voters, like those in the military or overseas, also have until the fifth and sixth business day after the election to return their ballots.
Monday, Oct. 5 is the last day to register to vote in the Nov. 3 general election. Early voting begins Oct. 13 and lasts through Oct. 30. Tarrant County voters can learn more about registering to vote or requesting a mail-in ballot by visiting the Tarrant County Elections website or calling 817-831-8683.
This November, Texas voters will weigh in on the presidential race, decide between Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Democratic nominee MJ Hegar and cast their vote in a slew of Texas House races.
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Worried about mail-in ballot delays? Submit your application now, election officials say."
