Enough with the voting wars. What you must do to register and make your vote count

We’re inside of a month to Election Day.

For some, that triggers dread at the prospect of weeks more of ads, polls and punditry. But in this unusual pandemic year, with so much angst around the voting process, it prompts questions about the mechanics of casting and counting ballots and reporting results.

Plenty of races in Tarrant County and the rest of Texas could be uncommonly close. Elections officials have faced a string of obstacles and burdens stemming from the coronavirus, and individual voters need to do more than usual to help ensure Election Day isn’t as chaotic as many fear.

First, if you want to participate at all, it’s time to register to vote.

Texas doesn’t make it as easy as it should be. You’ll have to mail an application to your county registrar. It must be postmarked by Monday (Oct. 5).

At least the state’s voting information site, votetexas.gov, offers a tool to check your registration.

If you recently moved to Texas or if you moved from one county to another, you’ll need to register. (If you moved within a county, you can change your registration address online.)

The state site also has an app you can use to print an application to mail. Printed applications are also available at the county elections office, libraries and government offices.

If you want to vote by mail and are qualified to do so, request your ballot immediately through the county elections office. The form can be returned by fax or email, but a printed copy must also be mailed within four days. The deadline for at least the electronic form is Oct. 23.

Take a picture of your signature on the application; you’ll need to match it as closely as possible when you sign the envelope for your ballot to ensure your vote is counted.

There’s been a lot of turmoil about getting those ballots back to election officials, much of it egged on by partisans trying to cast suspicion on the process or whip voters into a panic. First came concern that the postal service was overwhelmed or deliberately crippled to make it harder for mail ballots to get back.

Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott complicated the matter by ordering counties to have only one drop-off location for voters to hand-deliver ballots. Tarrant has just one, at the county elections office, but other large urban counties had opened several.

Abbott’s order was unwise, but the reaction in some quarters was overheated, like the entire discussion around ensuring your ballot is counted. The postal service delivers tens of millions of pieces of mail every day; the overwhelming likelihood is that ballots are going to arrive on time, just fine. The drop-off service is nice, but there’s nothing dangerous about mailing a ballot, especially with weeks to go to Election Day.

President Donald Trump’s continued questioning of the security of mail ballots is damaging voter confidence, too. While there are disturbing stories of schemes involving the “harvesting” of ballots, including in Dallas and Fort Worth in recent years, there’s very little risk of ballot theft or other problems in Texas.

And in hindsight, the risk of coronavirus from voting in person was always overstated. Those who aren’t particularly vulnerable might find early voting at any of the 50 locations to be the best option, especially with an extra week this year. It starts Oct. 13, and the ballot is long because it includes local elections that were delayed in May. Study a sample ballot from the county website, and look for our upcoming Star-Telegram Voter Guide.

That said, the boom in absentee voting is noticeable. Tarrant County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia said his office has already sent out more mail ballots — more than 57,000 as of Sept. 25 — than for the entire 2016 general election, when about 43,000 went out.

And more voting early and by mail could help determine how smoothly election night goes. Across the nation, there’s concern about an unclear result and the partisan and legal battles that could spring forth, particularly if the presidential race is close. Tarrant County, home of several hotly contested legislative races, could have plenty of tight contests as well.

Mail ballots that arrive by the end of early voting can be tallied with early votes and reported as soon as the polls close, Garcia said. So, if it’s shaping up to be a long, uncertain night and even the next morning before full results are clear, at least we’ll have a sense early in the evening.

Garcia encouraged voters to use the county’s voter lookup to ensure their registration, get a sample ballot and check to see if their mail-in ballot arrived. It’s a useful tool, but the office must work out some glitches and ensure it can handle a crush of users as the election draws nearer.

For those determined to hand-deliver their ballots, Garcia said the elections office will continue to take them in a drive-through until the end of early voting.

The voting wars have gotten out of hand. Voters should be vigilant in this strange year, and yes, glitches and mistakes are inevitable. But the overwhelming likelihood is that you and your vote will be safe and secure.