HOUSTON – Jake McCarron opened his mail and found a letter bearing Gov. Greg Abbott’s name. Inside was an application to vote by mail.
His first reaction? “Confusion.”
Recommended Videos
“Why would Governor Abbott be endorsing mail-in voting when he’s a supporter of the president who’s against mail- in voting?” McCarron said.
He wondered whether the paperwork was even real.
“No, I actually thought that this was most likely an illegitimate document, someone phishing for information,” he said.
So KPRC 2 checked. Abbott’s campaign confirmed that Texans for Greg Abbott sent the mailing. Campaign spokesperson Eduardo Leal provided this statement:
“Governor Abbott’s campaign routinely sends official ballot-by-mail applications to our voters who are 65 and older. These are applications—not ballots—and the mailing clearly identifies Texans for Greg Abbott as the sender. Our goal is simple: make sure every eligible voter knows how to exercise their right to vote and has the information they need to participate in our elections.”
KPRC 2 also asked the campaign about the contrast between promoting mail voting and President Donald Trump’s criticism of it. The campaign did not answer that question.
The Texas Secretary of State’s Office says campaigns are allowed to send applications to vote by mail. What McCarron received is an application, not a ballot.
Does getting an application mean you can vote by mail?
No. Receiving an application does not mean you are registered to vote or eligible to vote by mail.
In Texas, voters may qualify if they are 65 or older on Election Day, have a qualifying sickness or disability, expect to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day, or will be out of their county during both early voting and Election Day. Other circumstances may also qualify.
What are the deadlines?
For the Nov. 3 election, the deadline to register to vote is Oct. 5. If you qualify to vote by mail, your county elections office must receive your application by Oct. 23. Putting it in the mail on Oct. 23 is not enough. The Texas Secretary of State’s election calendar says the Oct. 23 deadline is “received, not postmarked.”
McCarron said he is registered and qualifies to vote by mail because he is over 65. He said he would rather get an application through an election office than use the one sent by the campaign.
Voters can check the full eligibility rules and get an application at VoteTexas.gov. Harris County voters can also visit HarrisVotes.com.
More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter
