Graphic courtesy of Hays County
County election office raises awareness of new mail-in ballots
Hays County is raising awareness to Texas’ new vote-by-mail ballots and changes made to the process of voting by mail to ensure every voter’s vote counts.
Elections Administrator Jennifer Doinoff said the first step is to determine if someone qualifies for a vote-by-mail ballot. Voters eligible to cast a mail-in ballot, include Texans age 65 and older, voters who are disabled or have an illness that prevents them from entering a polling location without injury to themselves, someone who is expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day, and those confined in a jail or civilly committed but are eligible to vote.
Doinoff said any voter who meets those criteria can request that the Hays County Elections Office send a vote-by-mail ballot to their home address.
“I want every voter who qualifies for using the vote-by-mail ballot option to be aware of the changes and what they can do to ensure their ballots get accepted and their votes are counted,” Doinoff said.
Hays County’s voter awareness effort comes after Texas rejected nearly 25,000 vote-by-mail ballots during the March primaries across the state. According to the Texas Secretary of State’s office, approximately 12.4% of mail-in-ballots returned to the state’s 254 counties in the March primaries were rejected. Final numbers for the Secretary of State’s office found that of 24,636 rejected mail-in ballots, 14,281 came from voters trying to participate in the Democratic primary, while 10,355 were from voters in the Republican primary. Additional data shows that 12.9% of Democratic mail-in ballots and 11.8% of Republican ballots were rejected.
An analysis by the Associated Press cited “tighter restrictions and rushed implementation” of Texas’ new voting laws for the high number of ballot rejections.
Doinoff said changes to the vote-by-mail ballot were the result of legislative action that modified the process. She explained that one of the most important aspects of the new process is voters need to fill out the application completely.
“New voting laws require a ballot-by-mail voter to include their Texas-issued ID number, or the last four digits of their Social Security Number (SSN) on the Application for Ballot by Mail Form,” she said. “The numbers provided must match the numbers on the voter’s registration file to be accepted.”
Doinoff added that many voters have both their ID and last four SSN digits on their voter registration file.
“We recommend entering both your Texas-issued ID and the last four of your Social SecurityNumber on the application just to be safe,” said Doinoff, adding that the ID and SSN numbers will need to be entered on the voter’s application as well as on the ballot carrier envelope that comes with the ballot. “You can also call the Hays County Election Office at 512- 393-7310 to see what we have on file for you.”
Voters should complete their ballot once received and ensure that it is fully and accurately filled out.
“After you complete your ballot, place it in the secrecy envelope then place that in the carrier envelope, which is white with a purple stripe,” Doinoff said. “Before you seal the carrier envelope, lift the flap and fill in the blanks under the ‘Required Information’ section.”
Doinoff added that failing to fill in the blanks under the “required information” section was missed by voters during the March primary, which helps identify that the voter is the same person that requested the ballot.
“The section under the flap is where the voter will enter either their Texas-issued ID, or last four of their Social Security Number that matches the ID on their voter registration record,” she said. “Our office recommends that voters include both pieces of information.”
She said ensuring that both types of information are included on the application and the ballot carrier envelope will help alleviate the chances of ballot rejection.
Doinoff also stated that the new legislation passed offers voters the opportunity to correct any defects on their ballot in enough time to be counted.
“Make sure you include your phone number and email address under the flap so we can contact you if you need to make a correction on your ballot envelope,” she said. “The Elections Office, or the Early Voting Ballot Board, can contact you to certify your ID or sign your ballot should you forget those items before your submission.”
Doinoff said there are several ways to correct a ballot envelope:
•Go in person to your election office to certify your ID information within six (6) days after Election Day.
•Go to www.votetexas..gov, and click “Track My Ballot” to certify your ID information within six (6) days after Election Day.
•A voter may vote in person at any polling location, by canceling their mail ballot.
Doinoff also wants voters to allow plenty of time to receive and vote when using the vote-by-mail system.
“By contacting the Elections Office early, that will help make sure you have enough time to receive the packet, complete the ballot, fill out all the information on the envelope, mail it back and make any corrections if necessary,” she said. “But one of the best ways to ensure your vote counts is to completely fill in all of the requested information on the ballot and the ballot envelope.”
Doinoff also reminds voters that annual voteby-mail applicants can apply every year in January to receive ballots for that year. Ballots must be received by the Hays County Elections Office by 5 p.m. the day after Election Day and postmarked no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
“Our goal is to help all eligible vote-by-mail users to better understand the process,” Doinoff said. “Knowing this information will ensure that your ballot is accepted and counted in a timely manner.”
Twitter: @Nick_Castillo74
