What you need to know before the 2022 election
AUSTIN (KXAN) – With the election right around the corner, some are considering other options to vote instead of heading to the polls.
Voting by mail In Texas, it has become a more accessible method of voting for many people, but the state requires people to meet certain requirements to be eligible to vote by mail.
In Texas, voting by mail is limited to voters who are:
- 65 years of age or older on Election Day,
- sick or disabled,
- expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after election day,
- is absent from the county of registration during the early voting period and on Election Day,
- civilly committed under Chapter 841 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, or
- incarcerated but otherwise eligible.
Texas voters eligible to vote by mail must provide identification from a valid Texas driver’s license, personal identification, election ID, or the last four digits of their social security number to both Application for voting by mail and an envelope of postal ballots.
An application for a postal vote can be obtained from:
“As long as one of the ID numbers provided matches what is on the voter’s registry, the ABBM and the voter’s ballot can be accepted,” said Texas Secretary of State John Scott.
For eligible voters who plan to cast their ballot by mail, the Vote by Mail Application must be received, unpostmarked, by October 28 at Your county’s early voting office.
The application may be submitted by personal delivery, regular mail, or common or contracted carrier.
Applications are also accepted by fax or email; however, the original paper copy of the application must also be mailed and received by the early voting officer no later than the fourth business day after its original filing.
“Please take the time to carefully read the instructions your county gives you before you mail in your ballot. Be sure to provide an ID number under the flap of the envelope to protect the security of your personal information,” said Scott.
After you receive your ballot in the mail, review each choice in each race or proposition to be voted on and mark your choice by following the instructions on the ballot envelope.
“After marking your ballot, place the ballot you voted in the envelope marked ‘BALLOT ENVELOPE’ and seal the envelope with the ballot. This ballot envelope protects the secrecy of your vote,” Scott said.
The ballot envelope is then placed in the carrier envelope, but before it is sealed, you must include one of the identification numbers listed earlier inside the space provided.
The shipping envelope can then be sealed, signed, and returned to your county’s early voting clerk by mail, by common or contracted carrier, or in person on Election Day.
The deadline for returning a voted mail ballot is 7:00 p.m. on Election Day (November 8) or 5:00 p.m. on the first business day after Election Day (November 9) if the ballot is postmarked on Election Day .
For military voters and US citizens overseas, the deadline to return a mail-in ballot is November 14.