AUSTIN, Texas — More than 5.4 million Texans have cast their ballot during early voting through Sunday, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office. That in-person and mail-in ballot total represents 29.3% turnout of the state’s 18.6 million registered voters.
Throughout early voting, KVUE has received questions about the process, including some about accessibility for voters with disabilities.
One viewer asked, “Where is this location for curbside voting for my elderly mother?”
To get more information about curbside voting, KVUE reached out to Valerie DeBill, vice president of League of Women Voters – Austin Area.
“Every curbside location is required to have at least one curbside spot that cannot be the disabled parking spot,” DeBill said. “So, [that's] in addition to the handicapped-designated areas.”
DeBill said to look for a sign outside advertising curbside voting, like the white A-frame signs used by Travis County.
“When you get there, there will either be a doorbell kind of thing you can ring or a number that you can call or text, and somebody from inside will come bring everything out to you and you just stay in your car,” DeBill said.
She said for the visually impaired, the machines have text-to-speech and can enlarge the font.
“You are also capable of going inside,” DeBill said. “There’s a priority line placement. If you go in and you just tell somebody, ‘I can’t stand in this hour-long line,’ they are required to let you move to the front and have some priority on that.”
DeBill said those voters are also allowed to have an assistant of their choice with them, or a poll worker can help.
Voters are not required to prove their disability.
Early voting in person runs through Friday, Nov. 1. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.