COLORADO COUNTY — Ballot by Mail Applications ex pires at the end of every year. You MUST reapply yearly. This year the deadline to apply for a ballot by mail for the May 6, election is April 25, however, we ask that you get this step completed as soon as possible so there are no issues when receiving your voted ballot back in a timely manner.
Please call the elections office to have an application mailed directly to you or go online to print https://www.co.colorado. tx.us/upload/page/6210/5-15f%20
ABBM.pdf. Please remem- ber that the election office must speak directly to the individual requesting the application before mailing it.
When voting by mail, you are required to identify yourself to make sure your vote counts.
If you’re a Texas voter who has cast your ballot by mail in re cent years, you may have noticed some differences in your mail ballot materials. Voting by mail had substantial changes.
It’s important for all voters who are eligible to vote by mail to be aware of three substantial changes to the ballot-by-mail process in Texas. Understanding these three modifications of the election law will help you make sure your vote counts.
Change No. 1: Applications Not everyone in Texas is eligible to vote by mail. If you fall into one of these five categories, you can request an application to vote by mail from your local election office. These include those who are: 65 years of age or older; Disabled or have a sickness/ physical condition that would prevent you from entering the polling place without injuring yourself or needing assistance; Expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day; Expected to be absent from your county during Early Voting and on Election Day; or Confined in Jail or Civilly Committed, but otherwise eligible to vote.
Be sure to fill out the applica tion completely. One of the new requirements is that you must include an ID number on the application. This can be your Texas Driver's License number, your Personal ID number or the last four digits of your Social Securi- ty Number. Most registered vot - ers in Texas have both numbers on their voter registration record, but if you are unsure which number to put you can feel free to put both just to be safe. The law only requires that one of the numbers matches a number on your voter registration record.
Remember: you will need to put this ID number on your application as well as your ballot carrier envelope.
Change No. 2: Ballot Carrier Envelope
Once you complete your bal lot, put it in the white secrecy envelope and place it in the purple and white ballot carrier envelope.
Do not seal the envelope yet.
There are several pieces of information that you must provide
on your ballot carrier envelope before you seal the security flap.
Just like you did on the applica- tion, you must put an ID number your Texas Driver’s License, Personal ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security Number in the space provided under the security flap of the envelope. This is like showing your photo ID if you vote in person. It ensures that the person who was supposed to vote the ballot is, in fact, the person who completed and sent the ballot. These numbers are required for your vote to count.
After you fill this part out, you seal the envelope. The flap pro tects your personal information as it goes through the mail! Feel free to seal it with tape for additional security.
Be sure to sign the carrier envelope. If an assistant or witness helped you with the ballot and carrier envelope, they must fill out the section of the envelope with their information completely.
If you need assistance please don’t hesitate to call the Colorado County Elections Office at (979) 732-6860.
