Texas, state law dictates an individual must be age 65 or older, sick or dis- abled, out of the country, expected to give birth or confined to jail but other- wise eligible to vote. Locally, mail-in ballots made up about 16.6% of votes cast in the most recent Cy-Fair ISD school board election last November, when three new trust- ees unseated longtime incumbents. Mail-in ballot participation was almost half of that in the May 7 Jer- sey Village City Council election at 8.7% of votes cast, according to city documents. Additionally, Harris County Emer- gency Services District No. 9—the tax- ing entity that supports the Cy-Fair Fire Department—saw three incum- bents unseated in this May’s election with nearly 40% of votes cast via mail-in ballot, according to election results posted by the district. Under SB 1, voters are required to provide a partial Social Security num- ber or driver’s license number on their mail-in ballot applications to receive ballots. Once voters receive their ballots, they must include the same numbers used on their applications for the ballots to be counted. Shah said even though the final number of mail-in ballot rejection rates was 19.2% for the March primary, the percentage of ballots flagged for rejection before being corrected was close to 90%. This meant added time and labor for county workers to help voters correct their ballots. “That was a very big challenge and also very disheartening that vot- ers weren’t able to have their votes counted,” Shah said. “We had to scale up both our mail ballot team and our call center team to handle the influx [of voter calls]. … Because of the size of the county we were, we had the resources to scale up in that way, [but] a lot of counties don’t.” Among the officials who encoun- tered issues with the new mail-in ballot regulations was former Har- ris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria, who resigned from her position July 1 following chal- lenges with mail-in ballots during the March 3 primary. Longoria’s posi- tion has since been filled by Clifford Tatum, who was sworn in Aug. 24, according to a news release from the elections administrator’s office. On May 20—when Longoria was elections administrator—she said she saw many voters miss the new ID por- tion on their mail-in ballot due to a privacy flap on the form aimed at pro- tecting voters’ ID numbers.
While the privacy flap is required by law, Taylor said after hearing feed- back from counties that the ID por- tion of the ballot was being missed by voters, the state adjusted the ballot’s design ahead of the November elec- tion. Changes include an added red outline to the ID portion of the ballot so it would be more noticeable. Additional barriers Cross cited concerns that SB 1’s new ID requirements for mail-in ballots may be creating challenges for voters who are older. “If someone is eligible to vote by mail, more than likely they’re … over 65,” Cross said. “Well, they’re not going to remember what ID they used when they registered to vote 45 years ago. … Things can make sense in terms of policy, but … sometimes these things come up that you don’t foresee.”
from his office. “I am reviewing and assess- ing the current election pro- cesses and procedures, and I am pleased to say that we are on track for a successful November election,” Tatum said in a statement. “I look forward to serving voters in Harris County and working alongside a very dedicated and professional team to ensure the Nov. 8 election runs smoothly.” In preparation for Nov. 8, Shah said Harris County officials have launched an educational campaign and community outreach programs to educate voters. The county also added informational inserts to bal- lots to remind voters to fill out required fields and updated its voting resource website. Shah noted Harris County also has a call center staffed with dozens of people who can answer voters’ questions ahead of November. “I anticipate [mail-in ballot rejection rates] will continue to go down,” Shah said. “But we are still pushing a lot more resources toward mail ballots than we ever have before.” At the state level, officials are working to educate voters about the SB 1 ballot changes through measures such as an educational tour that has been held at commu- nity hubs across Texas. “We are confident that [rede- signing ballots and educational campaign efforts] in combination with more voter education and positive engagement from local election officials helped signifi- cantly reduce mail ballot rejection rates in both the May 7 and May 24 elections,” Taylor said. Cross said while it is hard to determine whether mail-in ballot issues will persist, voter turnout during the March primaries suggests SB 1 may not lead to the voter suppression its opponents have feared. “I think in some ways, just the added attention of new laws [in the media] and the threat that it could suppress voting ... actually had the opposite effect and made people turn out,” Cross said. Rachel Carlton contributed to this report.
V O T E
Over the last 120 years, Texas has approved a number of bills affecting voters’ rights and has also been impacted by a number of federal voting changes. VOTING LEGISLATION
1902
The Texas poll tax is established, requiring otherwise eligible voters to pay between $1.50-$1.75 to register to vote.
1964
The 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, prohibiting the use of poll taxes to vote in any federal election.
1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is signed into law, enforcing a previous ruling that voting rights cannot be denied by the U.S. or by any state on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.
I DON’T THINK WE’RE GOING TO SEE THE FULL EFFECT OF THESE LAWS UNTIL YOU
1975
Congress requires states, including Texas, that previously prevented citizens who did not speak English from voting by not providing election materials in their language to provide election and voting materials in Spanish.
HAVE A STATEWIDE GENERAL ELECTION. RENEE CROSS, UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON HOBBY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS SENIOR DIRECTOR
2011
Shah likewise said she was concerned about older voters as they learn about SB 1’s new voting requirements. “[The changes] certainly impacted seniors [and] those with disabilities the most, … especially in our senior population, where they’ve been told, ‘Don’t provide a Social Security num- ber in the mail,’” Shah said. “[Vot- ers wondered,] ‘Is this coming from Harris County? Or is this fraudulent mail?’ ... It’s counterintuitive to, I think, what seniors have been told not to do.” Taylor said state officials have worked to address voters’ concerns and he believes many issues encoun- tered during the March primaries Tatum will have only been in office for a little over two months when the November election is held, but he is working to ensure voters do not experience any major issues, according to an Aug. 24 news release have since improved. Searching for solutions
The Texas Legislature enacts Senate Bill 14 , requiring voters to present one of seven acceptable forms of identification to vote in person.
2021
Texas approves Senate Bill 1 , a sweeping election reform bill that further tightens state election laws and constrains local control of elections by limiting counties’ ability to expand voting options. • Bans in-person drive-thru voting and 24-hour voting options, which were each implemented in Harris County in the 2020 presidential election • Adds new identification requirements for voting by mail • Limits the help voter assistants are able to provide for in-person voting • Makes proactively distributing mail ballot applications a state felony • Increases autonomy for poll watchers by allowing them “free movement,” requiring training before they are eligible to serve
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
SOURCE: TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
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CY-FAIR EDITION • OCTOBER 2022
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