How Voting Will Look Locally This Fall in Fayette County

Lots of folks are worried about the security and accuracy of the upcoming election in November. Just take a look at some of the recent letters to the editor in this newspaper. Problems with the US Postal Service is amplifying the issue, with some wondering whether they can trust that their mail-in ballots will get counted.

The Record spoke with Fayette County Elections Administrator Terri Hefner last week. She explained the process behind voting by mail.

“It all starts with the application,” Hefner said.

Anyone who wants to vote by mail must first submit an application. Only certain people are eligible to vote by mail. The applicant must be 65 years or older or disabled, or they must be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance. Citizens confined in jail but otherwise eligible can also vote by mail.

“They must sign that application,” Hefner said. “If someone else helps them with that application, then they will have to provide witness information.”

Anyone assisting someone else with filling out an application for ballot by mail can only do so once per election.

Once the application arrives at the Fayette County Elections Office, Hefner and her staff check it against voter registration records to make sure the person who applied for the mail-in ballot is a registered voter. The Elections Office keeps each application in a file. The Elections Office will send out the ballots by mail on Sept. 19. Those ballots include two return envelopes – an outside envelope which the voter must sign and a secrecy envelope that contains the actual ballot. The secrecy envelope does not have any information identifying the voter.

When the ballots are returned to the Election Office, they are filed with the voter’s application and remain unopened until Election Day, when vote counting takes place.

“We have an early voting ballot board that meets and they will review the ballots to see if the signature on the envelope matches what’s on the application,” Hefner said. “If we had a question regarding your signature, we’ll pull their voter registration application to check against it.”

If the early voting ballot board rejects a ballot, Hefner said her office will send the voter a letter explaining the decision.

They then take the secrecy envelopes out and place them in a pile to be later opened and counted. Once the secrecy envelope is removed from the carrier envelope with the voter’s signature, there is no way to identify who marked the ballot. Hefner said that procedure ensures that the way a citizen voted remains secret. With many recent reports about problems at the US Postal Service, some citizens are worried about their ballots being delivered. Hefner said she has great confidence in the local post offices during this year’s election.

“We work very closely with our local post office,” Hefner said. “They are always very good about recognizing our materials and handling them expeditiously and accurately.”

Hefner said she is pleased that the state recently changed the rule requiring that mail-in ballots have to be mailed to the elections office rather than dropped-off in person.

“This year, they are allowing voters to hand-deliver their mail-in ballots to us, but they can only deliver their own ballot,” Hefner said. “So if a couple wants to bring their ballots back to us, both of them have to appear. We’ll document it and both of them will have to present IDs just like a voter would on Election Day.”

Hefner said that change may give peace of mind to some voters who are eligible for mail-in voting but have worries about their ballots arriving through the mail.

Hefner said she encourages anyone with concerns about the election to volunteer at the Elections Office. Hefner said she needs people to serve on the early voting ballot board and as election clerks and judges at the local precincts.

“Most of the people who have done that come away feeling very secure about the process,” Hefner said.

Hefner said she may not be able to accept every person who volunteers, but she’ll try to find a role for anyone interested. If you are interested in volunteering, cal Hefner’s office at (979) 968-6563 Hefner said she is more worried about voters not completing their entire ballots this year.

“We have a lot of local races because all of the city, schoo board, and those elections go postponed due to COVID-19,” Hefner said. It’s going to be a very long ballot.”

Moreover, the State of Texas no longer offers straight-ticket voting. Voters will have to individually choose a candidate (or proposition) for each race.

The Cummins Creek Water Control and Improvement District will hold a board election. Voters in Ellinger will choose whether to incorporate. Hefner said these races appear at the bottom of the ballot, but the outcome of those elections may have an even bigger impact locally than who wins state and national races.