What you should know before you vote

By Kate Brooks, Jackson County Clerk     With the 2020 General Election just around the corner on November 3, I wanted to inform the public of deadlines and dates, mail in ballot procedures, voting times and locations, safety protocol for voters and hopefully answer any questions voters might have about the upcoming election.     

This is the second of three articles in which I will provide information that is pertinent to the upcoming election.

Voting by Mail-In Ballot     

To be eligible to vote early by mail in Texas, you must:     

• be 65 years or older;   

 • be disabled;     

• be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance; or     

• be confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.     

Don’t forget: You must apply each year to receive a ballot by mail. We will not automatically send you an application, you must come by our office or call and request one to be sent to you or you can request from the Texas Secretary of State at www.votetexas.gov.         

The last day to apply for a Ballot by Mail is Friday, October 23, 2020.     

All applications to vote by mail must be received by the early voting clerk (County Clerk’s Office) before the close of regular business that day (4:45pm.).     After receiving your ballot by mail, you can return it via USPS or hand-deliver to the Jackson County Clerk’s Office located in Room 101 in the courthouse.     After October 12, per the Governor’s July 27, 2020 Proclamation, a voter may hand-deliver his or her marked mail ballots in person to the early voting clerk’s office (County Clerk’s Office) between Tuesday, October 13 and Tuesday, November 3, 2020.       

A voter who delivers a marked ballot in person during this time period must present an acceptable form of identification.   

 If voting in person, here is a list of the acceptable forms of photo ID:     

• Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)     

• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS     

• Texas Handgun License issued by DPS     

• United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph     

• United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph   

 • United States Passport (book or card) Safety Protocol due to COVID-19:     

Voters are not required to wear a mask when coming to vote in person. We do ask that you respect other voters and practice social distancing.        

There will be hand sanitizer stations at each location. Voters will be asked to use a cotton swab (instead of your finger tip) to make selections on the actual voting machines. This will reduce contact to the machines so the poll workers do not have to wipe down after each ballot casted.       

Voting machines and surfaces will be sanitized periodically throughout the voting day and poll books used to sign in will be cleaned after each signature.     

Please do not hesitate to contact the Jackson County Clerk’s Office at (361) 782-3563 with any questions or concerns you might have regarding the General Election or any future elections.     

I hope this information assists you in casting your vote this November.