Gov. Greg Abbott made some changes in July to voting procedures in light of the pandemic, including extending the early voting period and allowing mail-in ballots to be dropped off before Election Day.
Thursday, Abbott announced that only one absentee ballot location will be allowed in each county. Some are already criticizing the move as an attempt at voter suppression, in a state where it is already notoriously difficult to vote.
However, the news won't affect Tarrant County’s only drop-off location at the main elections office in Fort Worth, located at 2700 Premier St.
“Voters who are coming in just to drop off their ballots — their own ballots — can use the drive-through, and without even getting out of their car, hand over the ballot, show the ID, sign the roster and then carry on with their day," county elections administrator Heider Garcia said.
Garcia said there’s no reason to wait to submit your mail-in ballot, whether you're mailing it in or dropping it off.
“Think about your ballot as a million-dollar winning lottery ticket. Why would you wait to cash it?" he said. "Get it done as soon as you can."
Garcia said in-person voters should also cast their ballots early. That way, if something goes wrong, voters can come back the next day and make sure their vote has been counted.
To avoid misinformation and confusion, Garcia pointed local voters to the Tarrant County website and the election department’s official Facebook page.
Dates To Remember For The Upcoming Election In Texas:
Registration Deadline: October 5
Early Voting: October 13-30
Election Day: November 3
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org. You can follow Miranda on Twitter @MirandaRSuarez.
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