WASHINGTON CO. CLERK DISCUSSES MAIL-IN BALLOT PROCEDURES AS EARLY VOTING WINDS DOWN
With early voting for November’s general election coming to a close this week, some voters have posed questions and concerns about the procedures for mail-in ballots.
Washington County Clerk Beth Rothermel said the county’s election administrators are doing everything allowed under state election code to assist voters, whether they are voting in-person or by mail.
Rothermel said the Early Voting Ballot Board (EVBB) meets on Election Day at 9 a.m. to compare signatures between voters’ by-mail applications and ballot envelopes. If there is any question about the signature on a carrier envelope holding a ballot, election officials make “every attempt to contact the voter” if possible, as not every voter puts their phone number or email on the application.
If the EVBB is satisfied with both signatures, the ballot is opened. Ballots are then stacked up and run through the tabulator once the ballot board finishes its job. Otherwise, it is the EVBB presiding judge, rather than the county clerk, that will deliver written notice of the reason for the rejection of a ballot, per 87.0431 of state election code, no later than the tenth day after Election Day.
Anyone who cannot physically sign the application or carrier envelope can have a witness sign and follow the instructions on the application or envelope. The deadline to request a ballot by mail was last Friday, October 23rd, per state law.
Tuesday saw 469 voters cast in-person ballots at the Washington County Courthouse Annex, bringing the early voting total through 15 days to 11,389.
Early voting concludes on Friday at the courthouse annex, which will be open through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Voters waiting until Election Day on November 3rd must go to their designated polling location. A list of the 15 polling locations in the county can be seen on the county’s website, www.co.washington.tx.us.