To cast your vote by mail and avoid rejection, it’s important that you follow the directions provided with your ballot carefully.
Mark your ballot with a black or blue pen and fill in the ovals completely.
There is a space for you to provide your phone number and email address. Please fill this out. This is how the election office will contact you if there is a problem with your ballot.
There will be two envelopes in addition to your ballot and instructions - the first is the Ballot Envelope for your ballot, the second is the Carrier Envelope.
Put your sealed Ballot Envelope inside the Carrier Envelope and BEFORE sealing the Carrier Envelope, provide BOTH your Texas Driver’s License number and last 4 digits of your Social Security number on the Carrier Envelope. Write down your contact information on the Carrier Envelope. Now, seal the Carrier Envelope twice.
After you seal the Carrier Envelope the second time, you must sign the Carrier Envelope. Your signature should go OVER the flap after you seal it. Make sure your signature matches how you signed your name on your mail-in ballot application.
If someone helps you with your mail-in ballot, you must put your helper’s name and address on the Carrier Envelope, which is the one used to return your ballot to the early voting clerk. Your helper must also sign the Carrier Envelope. If you were unable to sign and want to provide information about a witness, fill that section in.**If you need help reading, marking, or mailing the actual ballot, ask a trusted relative or friend for help. It’s not uncommon for someone from a political organization to offer to help with your ballot soon after you’ve received it. We recommend you decline this kind of help for several reasons. If you allow your ballot to be mailed by someone you don’t know, it might not be mailed at all. If it’s delivered to the elections office by a common or contract carrier from the address of a candidate or a campaign’s headquarters, your ballot will be rejected.
Mail in your mail-in ballot as soon as you fill it out. The quicker the election office receives it, the sooner any mistakes can be corrected. A completed mail-in ballot MUST be returned to your county elections office in the Official Carrier Envelope provided to you. It may be returned in any of the following manners:
Regular residential mail via USPS
Ballot must be postmarked by 7:00 pm on Election Day and must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the first mail delivery day after Election Day
In-person drop off at your local county elections office on Election Day
You must present an acceptable form of photo ID
Only the voter may deliver their ballot in person
Common or contract carrier (such as personal courier, or FedEx or UPS, or other contracted mail service)
Ballot must be received by 7:00 pm on Election Day
If the carrier provides receipt mark indicating a time before 7:00 pm on Election Day, it may be received by 5:00 pm on the first mail delivery day after Election Day.
If you want to track you mail-in ballot, you can do so here.
If you change your mind and want to vote in person instead, simply take your ballot to your polling place during early voting or on Election Day. If you can’t find your ballot, cast a provisional ballot.
If you are told that your mail-in ballot was rejected, you have until the 6th day after Election Day to cure it.