Election
BY HANNAH NORTON
Texas lawmakers passed multiple bills aimed at removing barriers for voters during the 88th regular legislative session, which ended in May. Ahead of the November election, several changes will go into e ect that govern how mail-in voting works and provide more accessibility for people with disabilities. “In 2022, tens of thousands of mail-in ballots [were] rejected for no fault of the voter,” said Katya Ehresman, the voting rights program manager for Common Cause Texas, a nonpartisan government watchdog organization. Ehresman said many Texans were unaware of new information they needed to provide following the 2021 special session. Also in 2021, the secretary of state created an online tracking portal for voters’ ballots and applications to vote by mail. New laws ahead of next election The following laws went into e ect Sept. 1: • House Bill 357 changed online ballot trackers so voters no longer have to provide a registration address. • Senate Bill 1599 requires election workers to notify voters within two days of inding an issue on their mail-in ballot to give them more time to address it. • SB 1599 also allows counties to begin checking mailed ballots as soon as they receive them, no later than nine days before election day.
The context
voter registration address. Mistyping or entering an old address, or other common mistakes could prevent voters from accessing the portal. Under the new law, a voter registration address is no longer required.
Statewide, roughly 12.4% of all mail-in ballots submitted for the March 2022 primary election were rejected, according to state data. Texas rejected roughly 8,300, or about 0.8%, of the nearly 1 million mail-in ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election, according to a 2021 U.S. Election Assistance Commission report. SB 1599 gives election workers more time to review mail-in ballots and ensure voters can cor- rect mistakes on their applications or ballots. This will help guarantee “the voters that are eligible, are registered and already made the good faith attempt to cast their ballot can ensure [their] vote is counted,” Ehresman said. HB 357 will make it easier for voters to follow the process, as well. During past elections, voters logging into the portal had to provide their name, date of birth, the last four digits of their Social Security number, a state ID number and their exact
Statewide percent of mail-in ballots rejected
12% 15%
0 3% 6% 9%
May 7, 2022 May 25, 2022 March 1, 2022
THE STATE BEGAN TRACKING MAILIN BALLOT DATA IN 2022, FOLLOWING THE PASSAGE OF SENATE BILL 1 WHICH INCREASED THE INFORMATION REQUIRED TO VOTE BY MAIL.
SOURCE: TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE COMMUNITY IMPACT
Voters who are eligible to vote by mail include those who are:
What’s next
At least 65 years old
The deadline to register to vote in the November election is Oct. 10. For more information on key voting dates, where to vote and what’s on your ballot, see Page 15. Mail-in ballots must be requested at least 11 days before the election, must be postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day and must be received by the county election clerk by 5 p.m. the next mail delivery day.
Sick or disabled Expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after election day Planning to be out of the country during in-person early voting and election day In jail but otherwise eligible to vote A civilly committed sexually violent predator, as de ned by the state
SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE COMMUNITY IMPACT
EXPERIENCE "THE WAY SHOPPING SHOULD FEEL!"™ Hollydays Market October 12-15th NEW BRAUNFELS CONVENTION CENTER
First Call Shopping Thursday 11 am-7 pm General Hours Friday 9 am-6 pm Saturday 9 am-6 pm Sunday 11 am-5 pm Shopping Tickets: General: $6 First Call: $10
SHOP LOCAL THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH SMALL BUSINESSES TO FIND FALL, THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS, AND EVERYDAY GIFTS!
BRING THIS COUPON & RECIEVE A FREE ADMISSION TICKET TO OUR SPRING MARKET! EARLY BIRD TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE! INPUT CODE "HOLLY" FOR $2 OFF FIRST CALL SHOPPING TICKET.
17
SOUTHWEST AUSTIN DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook