WASHINGTON CO. CLERK WARNING OF VIDEO POTENTIALLY SPREADING FALSE VOTING INFORMATION

  

Washington County Clerk Beth Rothermel is warning against the spread of potential voter misinformation.

In a post Thursday on the Washington County Clerk Elections Facebook page, Rothermel said a video being shared on social media might make voters think ballot envelopes for November’s General Election will include party affiliation.

Rothermel said the balloting materials shown in the video have a Florida address on them, and assured Washington County voters that the ballot envelopes her office sends out will “have no reference at all” for Republican or Democrat for November’s election.  She added this should hold true for all of Texas.

Rothermel noted that ballot envelopes during the primary election do need to indicate whether they are for the Republican or Democratic primary, as they have to be counted separately, but there is “absolutely no notation whatsoever on the ballot envelope as to party” when it comes to the General Election.

Rothermel said the video could have been from the primary time frame, and believes it should have disclosed that information to avoid confusion.  She also said the video should have stated that the ballot materials shown in it are from Florida, as state laws vary.

Rothermel said the only information notated on ballot envelopes is the name and General Election date.  When a ballot envelope is opened, the white secrecy envelope inside holding the actual ballot is put in a stack.  Rothermel said the white envelopes with the ballot are shuffled so that election staff do not know which white envelope went with which carrier envelope, in order to keep ballots secret.

Rothermel urged caution when sharing information on social media that is not known to be truthful, saying her office has already gotten several calls concerning this matter.