These changes are a result of a broad new election law Texas Republicans that was passed last year, over the objections and concerns of Democrats.
The bill contains provisions that require voters to provide their driver’s license number, personal identification number or the last four numbers of their Social Security number in order to apply for and return a mail ballot. The voter’s number must match the one on file.
This is the reason for many problems with mail ballots. County election officials stated that some voters have not provided the number on their voter registration files, while others have not filled out this information because they aren’t used to it.
Harris County has flagged 34% of the 13,325 postal ballots that were processed by Thursday for rejection because of issues with compliance to the new ID law. 20 percent of the 2,448 returned mail ballots in Dallas County had incorrect or missing ID information as of February 16. One-third of the 939 mail ballots returned in Williamson County, north Austin, have missing or incorrect ID information. The problem is partly due to the fact that voters are not used to giving their ID information on ballots.
Nadia Hakim (deputy director of communications, voter outreach and communications for Harris County), stated that every vote from Harris County residents should be counted. It is extremely concerning that something like this could happen. This could cause people’s votes to be counted against the election.
On Thursday , Harris County officials wrote a letter to the Justice Department asking for assistance. This was in response to the large number of rejected ballot applications and ballots. Texas was sued by the Justice Department last year for violating the new voting law.
“Our message today was simple: Please exhaust all legal options to ensure that every eligible voter in Harris County, and the State of Texas, has their vote counted,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo wrote and Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee. “No action is too small for us to save our democracy.”
Texas already has strict rules to determine who is eligible to vote by post. To be eligible for a mail ballot, voters must be at least 65 and be able to vote by mail.
Texas Secretary of State’s Office has encouraged voters to update their online registration to make sure they have their Social Security number, driver’s licence or any other acceptable ID number. Local and state election officials advise voters to complete both ID numbers when they return a ballot in order to avoid any issues.
It is urgent that all ballots with issues be corrected so they can be counted. Harris County is one of the larger counties. They have greater resources and can contact voters by phone to inform them if there are any issues with their ballots. Voters can resolve an ID problem online using a new ballot tracking software. This process can take several days.
Sam Taylor, assistant secretary for communications at Texas secretary of State’s office, stated that “we hope that all those voters who had their ballots rejected initially are able to correct that.” “We would like to see that the rejection rate is zero. We don’t want anyone who is eligible to vote by mail to be denied their ballots and not allowed to vote.
Although election officials in Texas are trying to make sure that all voters have the right to amend their ballots they worry that not everyone will be able.
Nic Solorzano (communications manager at the Dallas County Elections Department) stated that “our whole goal is to get people out to vote.” “It is a little frustrating to see such a high rejection rate for applications and ballots.”
These issues are being addressed in Texas as other state lawmakers consider adding ID provisions to mail ballots. Iowa has proposed that absentee ballot envelopes should be issued with ID requirements. In Florida there is a proposal that voters should include their driver’s license number and state ID numbers, or the last four digits from a Social Security number, on a certificate they return with their ballot.
Taylor stated that the primary was a “test run” for the new law. The secretary of state’s offices will make major education efforts to highlight the new absentee ID requirements prior to the November general elections, when turnout is likely much higher.
Although the ID issue has increased the responsibility of local election offices to contact voters about it, officials claim that the real cost is being borne by the voters.
Solorzano stated that while we will deal with these burdens at the elections office, what we don’t like is seeing it putting a burden onto actual voters. It’s placing a burden on actual voters who must vote by mail. These include people over 65, those with disabilities, and people who are already dealing with certain issues.
