MAIL-IN BALLOTS

As part of our Ask 2 series, the newsroom will answer your questions about all things Houston. Question: When does Harris County begin counting early-voting ballots? Answer: Votes cast during early voting are counted starting on Election Day after the polls close, a spokesperson for Harris County Clerk’s Office said. For Harris County, mail-in ballots received during Texas' early-voting period will undergo signature verification and will also be counted on Election Day. Send it our way, and we will try to hunt down an answer.

As part of our Ask 2 series, the newsroom will answer your questions about all things Houston. Question: Is there a website I can go to, to find out if my mail-in ballot was received and counted? Answer: Yes, registered Harris County voters can track their ballot online through the Harris Votes website or by clicking here. To look up your mail-in ballot activity, you must provide your last name, date of birth and driver’s license or state I.D. If you have further questions regarding the status of your mail-in ballot, call the Election Help Line at (713) 755-6965.

HOUSTON – A federal judge has temporarily blocked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that limits mail-in ballot drop-off locations to one per county. In his preliminary injunction issued late Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pitman said the public interest is not served by enforcement of Abbott’s proclamation that the “plaintiffs have shown likely violates their fundamental right to vote.”Abbott’s order issued last week also required poll watches to monitor activity conducted at the drop-off locations related to the delivery of marked mail ballots. Pitman did not block that part of the order. The governor said the rule was meant to “strengthen ballot security protocols throughout the state.”Democrats blasted the Republican governor’s rule, calling it “modern-day voter suppression.”Harris County, the state’s largest, had originally planned to have more than 10 drop-off locations.

The Republican justices sent the case back to a lower court in Harris County to issue an injunction blocking Hollins from sending the mailers. Turnout in Harris County, both major parties acknowledge, will have major impacts on races at the top of the ticket and the bottom of the ballot. In 2018, 17% of the Democratic votes for Beto O’Rourke were cast in Harris County. Applications for mail-in ballots have already gone out to voters in Harris County who are 65 or older. Harris County voters could start dropping off completed absentee ballots in person starting Sept. 28.

HOUSTON COVID-19 precautions mean more people will be able to vote by mail in the upcoming election. Who can vote by mail in Texas? Forty-three states and the District of Columbia allow their citizens to vote by mail without restriction. I was a soldier, so when I deployed I used the mail-in ballot to be able to vote in the regular elections from overseas. The key to making sure your mail-in ballot is counted: dont wait until the last minute to mail it in.