BEAUMONT, Texas — Texans have until February 18 to submit the paperwork if they want to request a mail-in ballot.
Jefferson County election officials are urging people to double-check all that paperwork.
This is the first election under the state's new election law, and it's changed the process for election clerks.
Interim County Clerk Laurie Leister in Jefferson County said they've already had to send some ballots back to residents.
Leister said Jefferson County has only rejected a few ballots. Instead, she said they're working overtime to cure the ones that are missing required info.
Here's a checklist for your mail-in ballots:
- You need to make sure the number you use on the ballot matches the one you used to register to vote.
- Texas law requires that be either your state ID, driver’s license number, or social security number. If they don't match, your ballot will be considered invalid.
- Leister said people also need to choose a party, Republican or Democrat, if they're voting in the primary election.
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If the numbers don't match or you didn't choose a party, election administrations said they'll send your ballot back, so you can make the changes.
"If you don't have that, we can't count your ballot. You can't count your vote,” Leister said. “There's a time period where you can cure this deficiency and we are working very hard to send ballots back or send information back to give the voter an opportunity to cure this."
Leister said you're also welcome to drop off your mail-in ballot to any polling location but be prepared to fill out a form.
And if any polling location runs out of that important form Leister said you can call the Jefferson County Clerk's Office and they'll help you out.
"Most everybody is following the rules correctly, but we do have a large number of people that aren't and we just want to get the word out so people can take their time and fill these out correctly," Leister said.
Leister also said once you've filled out and turned in your mail-in ballot application, you'll receive mail-in ballots for the march election May 7 election May 24 runoff, and November election.
Leister said she wants to encourage people to vote in any way they can.
"The purpose of the mail-in ballots is really for anybody 65 and over or disabled who can't make it to the polls,” she said. “If you think you can make it to the polls just skip this whole process and go vote."
Leister said polls will be closed Monday, February 21, but they'll be open on February 22 - 25 and on Election Day, March 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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