"All About Voting Democratic"

REGISTER TO VOTE

Texas law requires eligible voters to register by the 30th day before Election Day. In Texas, the deadline to be registered to vote in any election is 30 days before the election.

Not sure if you registered to vote after you moved?
www.texasdemocrats.org/are-you-registered-to-vote/

You can click a box when you change your address at the Texas Department of Public Safety when you change your Texas Driver's License, but often there are delays.

You can also contact a Voter Deputy Registrar (VDR) who is trained to register voters in your county that will bring you a form and return it to the county elections office.
Wilco VDR Collective: www.facebook.com/groups/2082777831948803

You can also register online through the VOTETEXAS.GOV website:
www.votetexas.gov/register-to-vote/

Or you can register online here with an informational link to the Texas Secretary of State:
vrrequest.sos.texas.gov/VoterApplication/ConfirmStatusEN

BUT HOWEVER YOU REGISTER TO VOTE, GET IT DONE NOW, RATHER THAN LATER, PLEASE.

VOTING METHODS

This section covers the pros and cons of the different voting methods.

VOTE BY MAIL (VBM)

Sometimes called Ballot By Mail (BBM).

Pros:

You get your ballot about two weeks before Early Voting.
You can do everything in the comfort of your home, or a library, or a friend's home.
You can look up any candidates and propositions that you are not familiar with online as you are voting.
You can track your ballot and see when it was sent to you, received back, and accepted.

Cons:

The president says that it cannot be trusted, but he and the First Lady vote that way.
It is a two-step process. You must first register to vote, then annually you must sign up to vote by mail.

EARLY VOTING

Pros:

The huge benefit is avoiding lines. The shortest lines are likely a few days after early voting starts and before the last day of early voting.

Cons:

You do have to stay on top of elections to know when and where to vote. There are not as many early voting locations as election day voting locations.

ELECTION DAY VOTING

Pros:

Some see this as patriotic and exciting. Cons:

What if something unseen happens that day? An accident, family or job issues, health issues, etc...
Line can be very long, sometimes over 3 hours.
When Republicans mandate precinct-level fiascos on Election Day for primaries, it is a real mess. You must research the voting location that you can vote in. It may not be in your precinct.

ONLINE VOTING

This is not in Texas yet, except for Pedernales Electric Coop.

Pros:

It is so much easier to sit at home and if you do not know who the candidates on the ballot are or what the propositions are about, you can look them up, or contact your friend in the know. You don't have to complete it in one sitting.
You should be able to track your ballot, just like you can track a mail-in ballot.

Cons:

Some people do not trust or know how to use the Internet.

VOTE BY MAIL

AFTER YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE (SEE ABOVE) YOU CAN THEN REGISTER TO VOTE BY MAIL.

You must register to vote by mail every year. You can apply in January, but you must apply early enough within the guidelines of each election.

NOTE: Some of the SOS and Wilco website links change from year to year. Try searching the website. If you need help, please contact me.

REQUIREMENTS:

be 65 years or older
be sick or disabled. NOTE: This is not verified. You do not have to state your disability. You do not have to prove your disability or sickness. It can be anxiety, for example.
be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance
be expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day
be confined in jail, but otherwise eligible

BENEFITS:

It enables you to take time to research candidates
You can vote earlier than everyone
You can avoid long election lines
You can check online to verify that your ballot was received and verify processing

If you are afraid of voting in person for yourself or people you live with, use disability. The election commission does not have the right or authority to question what the disability is. They do not reject any disability claims. Anxiety is a disability.

The lines in some elections are long and sometimes the ballots are several pages long. If you want to avoid the lines, voting by mail is an excellent option.

Any questions, email: bbm@wilco.org

To call for a VBM application, 512-943-1633.

To apply online for Ballot By Mail: www.wilcotx.gov/450/Voting-By-Mail

This is the actual form: www.wilcotx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6883/Fillable-Application-for-Ballot-by-Mail?bidId=

Do not write comments on your application. Just put a check in the appropriate box:

65 years of age or older
Disability
Expected to give birth within 3 weeks before or after Election Day
Expected absence from the county
Confined in jail or Involuntary Civil Commitment

DO NOT write in Pandemic or COVID-19, etc. These will be rejected and sent notice of rejection. Just use the disabled option.

Your BBM application must be signed. When you send in your actual ballot, the signatures will be compared. For the Primary Election, the team reviewing ballots and counting votes will be Democrats.

If your signature is bad or inconsistent, consider getting a witness. A husband can confirm a wife and vice versa.

Please do this earlier, rather than later, to help the elections committee process.

Ballots are mailed within seven calendar days after the application is received, or the date the ballots become available for mailing, whichever is later. Ballots typically become available for mailing about one to two weeks before Earling Voting starts.

After you vote by mail, you can follow the status of your ballot: goelect.txelections.civixapps.com/ivis-oab-ui/#/login

It will show:

BBM Application Accepted?: YES, you will be receiving a ballot for the xxx xxxx Election.
Ballot Mailed On: xx/xx/2022
Voted Ballot Received by Williamson County: xx/xx/2022
Reviewed By Ballot Board: ACCEPTED. Ballot was accepted for counting. It will be included with results released on Election Night

RESEARCH THE CANDIDATES

The Texas Secretary of State website will tell you about the Federal, State, and County candidates. It will not tell you about the local elections (City Councils, Independent School Districts, and Austin Community College):
www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/candidates/index.shtml

Ballotpedia tells you most of the candidates on your ballot. It also provides some pictures and candidate websites, but it is missing some of the locals:
ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup

Williamson County has Sample Ballots for this November that will be available at the end of September:
apps.wilco.org/elections/default.aspx

The League of Women Voters will have a sample ballot, too:
www.vote411.org

The Texas Tribune puts out a guide as well. Look for this year's version.
www.texastribune.org// Jusat search on Voter Guide,

HOW TO VOTE IN-PERSON

It is recommended that you vote early. You never know what will happen on Election Day, and the lines are always significantly longer.

POLLING LOCATIONS

You must vote in the county of your residence. If you live in Williamson County, you must vote in Williamson County.
You can vote at any official polling place in Williamson County. The list of early voting locations can be found here:
www.wilco.org/Departments/Elections

If you need curbside assistance, call 512-777-1030.

YOUR BALLOT

When you look at your ballot, the positions at the top of the ballot (Congress, State, County, are marked if they are Democratic, but at the bottom of the ballot, there are very important races where Democrats often start out. These non-partisan races do not identify as Democrats, so you must look them up. You can do this easily here: www.cliffa1994.com/CA2_municipal_elected_officials.html

You can find out what districts you live in here: wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

Sample Williamson County ballots for your voting precinct are ready to look at here: apps.wilco.org/elections/default.aspx
NOTE: These will not have the candidates websites.
You can also look up a sample ballot here: ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup This will be mostly correct and complete, especially after filing dates, I hope.

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT. NO CANDIDATE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE ALONE!!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: You can bring printouts and notes to the polling place, but you cannot use your cell phone in the polling place.

If you have anything to add or correct, please email the Webmaster: Cliff Anderson. Cliff's email:

REFERENCES

Reference Websites