CENTRAL TEXAS — Recent flooding in Central Texas has displaced many and it could make it harder for those affected to access voting locations, but officials are working to make sure that doesn't happen.
As severe weather continues to impact Texans, officials want to remind voters to prioritize their safety and have offered guidance on how voters can still cast their ballots in the upcoming November election.
The Texas Secretary of State's office has contacted election officials in the counties listed in Gov. Greg Abbott's recent State Disaster Declaration.
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Officials will provide guidance and assess election office closures, equipment damage, issues with polling locations, website availability and any other issues that have occurred as a result of flooding and severe weather. In addition, officials are working to ensure that any Texas voters affected by severe weather will be accommodated when preparing to vote.
"Our office is committed to providing resources and information Texans who have been affected or displaced by the recent flooding in Central Texas, and we are maintaining daily contact with election administrators, party officials, and elected officials in the affected Texas counties to ensure they have the resources they need to continue normal election operations unabated when Early Voting begins next week," Secretary Rolando Pablos said.
Pablos has provided the following tips and recommendations for voters affected by the recent weather:
- Vote early
- Check with your county elections administrator for up-to-date information on polling locations, closures and hours.
- If you are temporarily displaced and intend to return to your residence of registration, you can vote as usual at your county polling place.
- The best option if you consider yourself to be only temporarily away from your residence in the area affected by severe weather and want to remain registered at that address is to vote by mail.
- Voters wishing to vote by mail must submit an Application for a Ballot by Mail to their county election office. The application must be received no later than Friday, Oct. 26. The application may be mailed, faxed, or emailed to the early voting clerk. We recommend that voters contact their county early voting clerk to confirm the current preferred method submitting an Application for a Ballot by Mail.
- Voters who do not possess an acceptable form of photo identification and cannot reasonably obtain one of the seven forms of acceptable photo identification, may present a supporting form of identification and execute a Reasonable Impediment Declaration, noting the voter’s reasonable impediment to obtaining an acceptable form of photo identification, stating that the information contained in the declaration is true, that the voter is the same individual personally appearing at the polling place to sign the declaration, and that the voter faces a reasonable impediment to procuring an acceptable form of photo identification.
- Voters in the counties covered by the Governor’s disaster declaration for whom their ID for voting has been destroyed or cannot be accessed due to the natural disaster have the ability to vote a provisional ballot without an identification, appear at their voter registrar’s office within six calendar days after election day, and sign an affidavit stating that the voter does not have any of the identification required either due to the destruction or inability to access the identification as a result of the natural disaster declared by the Governor (PDF) in order for their ballot to be counted.
Ealry voting begins Monday, Oct. 22 and will end Nov. 2. Election Day is Nov. 6.
Voters affected by severe weather can click here to learn more about options for those affected by natural disasters.