Who is eligible to vote by mail?

• Individuals 65 and over on Election Day
• Individuals who are sick or have a disability and affirmatively indicate on the application that they “have a sickness or physical condition that prevents [them] from appearing at the polling place on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or injuring [their] health,”
• Individuals who are confined in jail
• Individuals who will be outside of their county during Early Vote AND Election Day
• Individuals who are expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day

How to get a mail in ballot

You can either print the application or you can request one.

Texas Law requires you to complete an application to receive a mail in ballot.

To print the application with the Hays County return mail address, click on this link.

If you are outside of Hays County, use this link for a generic application.

Another way to obtain a mail in ballot is to email the Hays County Election Clerk or call them at (512) 393-7310.

Deadlines to request Mail-in Ballot

To receive a mail-in ballot for the November 2022 General Election, the Early Voting Clerk will need to receive your application by Friday, October 28, 2022. 

However, you should send your application for a ballot by mail as early as 60 days before an election. But you can always send it in sooner.  You will want to do this so that you have enough time to receive your ballot, complete it, and mail it back to the Early Voting Clerk.

If you applied for and received an annual ballot by mail for the March 2022 Primary (either 65+ years old or have a disability/illness), then you will likely be receiving a mail-in ballot for the November election. You can confirm by calling the Hays County Election Office at (512) 393-7310.

How to complete the application to vote by mail.

Texas has a new law requiring individuals to include one of the following when submitting their application to vote by mail

• Texas Driver’s License number
• Texas State ID number
• Last four digits of their social security number, or
• Election ID Certificate number Issued by the Texas Department of Safety (this is NOT your voter registration VUID number)

Because of applications being rejected in some counties, I STRONGLY recommend voters include both an ID number (either Texas Driver’s License, State ID number, or election ID certificate) AND the last four digits of their social security number.  Be safe and include both!

You may send in your application for a ballot by mail to the Early Voting Clerk by:

• Regular mail;
• Common or contract carrier;
• Fax  (Hays County Fax is 512-878-6699)

Email (send a signed, scanned application as an attachment to an email to the early voting clerk)

NOTICE:  If you are submitting your application for ballot by mail (ABBM) by fax or email, the original, hard copy of the application MUST be mailed and received by the early voting clerk no later than the 4th business day after it was originally submitted.

Completing Your Ballot

When you get your ballot, you can mark your choice in each race or proposition. 

Note, you are going to receive two envelopes.

After completing your ballot, place your voted ballot in the envelope marked “BALLOT ENVELOPE” and seal the ballot envelope.

Then place the ballot envelope in the carrier envelope.  BEFORE sealing the carrier envelope, you need to provide

• Texas Driver’s License number
• Texas State ID number
• Last four digits of their social security number, or
• Election ID Certificate number Issued by the Texas Department of Safety (this is NOT your voter registration VUID number)

Again, to help ensure your ballot gets processed, I STRONGLY recommend voters include both an ID number (either Texas Driver’s License, State ID number, or election ID certificate) AND the last four digits of their social security number. 

If you do not have any of those identification cards issued to you, you need to check the box indicating you do not have them.

Next, seal the carrier envelope, sign the carrier envelope, and return your carrier envelope to the Early Voting Clerk either by mail, by common or contract carrier, or in person on Election Day at your county’s early voting clerk’s office.

Ballot Deadlines

Your mail ballot must be received by your county by 7pm on Election Day (if it’s not postmarked) or 5pm the next business day after Election Day (as long as it’s postmarked by 7pm on Election Day).

In a pinch, you can hand deliver your ballot to the Early Voting Clerk on Election Day.  You will be required to show an approved form of ID.

Tracking

The Texas Secretary of State has an online website, Ballot Tracker, you can use to track the status of your ballot by mail application or your ballot.

Correcting Ballot Problems

If your ballot is rejected, the Election Office will provide information on how to cure the issue. Follow their instructions so your vote will count.

If you receive a vote by mail application or ballot rejection notice due to incorrect or missing ID numbers, you can add the numbers or correct the numbers using the Secretary of State’s ballot and application tracker portal.

I am here for you Hays County!

Daphne Tenorio

Candidate for Hays County Treasurer

November 2022

The post Your Guide to Mail in Voting in Hays County appeared first on Daphne Tenorio for Treasurer - Hays County.