By Lexie Rendon
(Office of the Texas Secretary of State – Facebook)
Despite COVID-19 causing concern heading into the 2020 election, voters turned out in historic numbers, and vote-by-mail has been a popular topic of conversation as many Americans opted out of voting in person.
According to VoteTexas.gov, to be eligible to vote by mail in Texas you must be 65 years or older, sick or disabled, out of the country during early voting and election day, or confined to jail but otherwise eligible to vote.
Dorothy Kennedy, department head of the Lubbock County Elections Office, said about 120,000 out of an estimated 183,000 registered voters in Lubbock County voted this year.
As part of those numbers, Lubbock County received more than 9,000 requests for mail-in ballots, according to Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish, helping make 2020 a record-breaking year for voter turnout.
“Lubbock county is known across the state as being one of the more efficiently well-run elections offices,” Parrish said.
What makes it run so smoothly? Kennedy was asked about the process.
For mail-in ballots, Kennedy said each state has its own process of tabulation.
“In Texas, mail-in ballots are not allowed to be tabulated until Election Day,” she said. “Because we are a county of over 100,000, the Texas Election Code says we can start prepping the ballots before election day.”
The returned mail-in ballot passes through the signature committee to verify the authenticity of handwriting to ensure it matches the signature on an individual’s vote by mail application, she explained.
The mail-in ballot is then passed along to the early voting ballot board, opened and inspected for signs of concern, scanned in, and tabulation of total scanned-in ballots occurs on election day.
While mail-in ballots do provide extended opportunity to those who would not otherwise have the chance to vote, the system has not gone without concern.
The Texas Tribune has been following the ongoing legal battle between the State of Texas and the United States Postal Service.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to sweep for lost mail-in ballots. This issue is part of an ongoing legal battle as the postal service is accused of delaying the processing of election mail.
Texas voter Melisa Taylor said she has her own concerns about mail-in ballots.
Taylor has not personally used a mail-in ballot but has seen the success of the process as it was the preferred method of voting for elderly family members, she said.
Taylor’s worry lies with Harris County, which she said mailed out vote-by-mail ballots to everyone without an indication of interest or application.
Trump speaks about mail-in ballots (Twitter)
With Democratic candidate Joe Biden the projected winner, President Donald Trump has been active on Twitter claiming the election was filled with voter fraud and “stolen” from him.
The issue remains ongoing.
About lucindaholt
