TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — If you are planning to apply to vote by mail in the November election, the Travis County clerk says you should get your application in sooner rather than later.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir said her office is receiving a high volume of applications for mail-in ballots and she recommends sending in your application as soon as possible.
DeBeauvoir also said that because of the number of applications coming in, the clerk's office is unable to send notifications of receipt or acceptance. The office will only notify you if your application is rejected or incomplete.
DeBeauvoir said she expects to see 100,000 Travis County voters submit mail-in ballots this fall. There are about 834,000 registered voters in the county.
In recent months, a legal battle has continued over whether voting by mail should be expanded in Texas – however, as of Sept. 2, the law remains unchanged. Voters must be over the age of 65, have a disability or illness, be out of the county during the election period or be confined to jail to request an absentee ballot.
The last day the county clerk's office can receive applications for mail-in ballots for the November election is Friday, Oct. 23.
Travis County election officials say this election will cost nearly $7 million, about $3 million more than usual. The additional funds are needed to ensure voter safety and to make sure the election runs as smoothly as possible.
DeBeauvoir said election officials are also still looking for bigger polling locations to be able to socially distance voters casting their ballots in person.
"Voters have really loved the much larger locations that we have found, [the] social distancing that we do inside and out, and I think that goes a long way to making them feel comfortable about voting in person," DeBeauvoir said.
DeBeauvoir said the plan is to have 35 early voting locations open starting Oct. 13, and 200 Election Day polling places open on Nov. 3.
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