Voters line up at the Bastrop County Courthouse to vote on Tuesday, the first day of early voting for the Nov. 3 general election. {MARY LIZ SINGLETON/FOR BASTROP ADVERTISER]
Courtesy of Bastrop Advertiser
Posted Oct 13, 2020 at 2:37 PM
Bastrop County election officials are urging voters who choose to cast a ballot early to be prepared and have a plan as the general election ballot hosts a bevy of races and the number of registered voters surpasses previous records.
The general election ballot is not only featuring the presidential race, but other contested federal, state and local elections too. City and school district races were pushed from May to November due to the coronavirus pandemic and will be included in the general ballot.
“I think the note that we should push to voters is that they should be prepared and have a voting plan,” said Bastrop County Elections Administrator Kristin Miles said. “Know when and where they’re going to go vote, have a sample ballot before they go, know who they’re voting for. That will save them time in the polling place and that will also greatly decrease our lines for other people waiting to have a place to vote.”
And with a longer ballot, more people than ever before are expected to vote in Bastrop County. Registered voters increased from 47,462 for the 2018 mid-term election, the highest the county had ever recorded, to 52,113 as of Sunday, marking a new record.
There were 45,013 registered voters for the 2016 presidential election.
Bastrop County has four polling locations for early voting, which runs from Oct. 13-30: the Bastrop County Courthouse Annex in Bastrop, Smithville City Hall in Smithville, Cedar Creek United Methodist Church in Cedar Creek and the Elgin Public Library in Elgin.
These locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 13-17 and 19-24, and from 1-5 p.m. on both Sundays during early voting — Oct. 18 and 25. Extended voting hours, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., will be held Oct. 26-30.
Miles said postcards were mailed to all registered Bastrop County voters at the start of the month with the voting schedule.
Voters can find their sample ballot online by searching their name and date of birth on the Bastrop County Elections Department website — www.bastropvotes.org — or by contacting the department to receive a copy through the mail.
A proclamation by Gov. Greg Abbott in July extended the early voting period in Texas for this election by nearly a week, something Miles hopes voters will use to their advantage.
“I think in a presidential election we always see a greater turnout,” Miles said. “We now have 18 days of (early) voting. Obviously if voters choose to vote early, we are able to space voters out to where there aren’t as many people in a polling place at the same time and hopefully there not being as significant of a line on Election Day.”
Miles said based on past elections, roughly 60% of voters will vote early and 40% will vote on Election Day, though it’s hard to anticipate what will occur in this election.
That unknown, as well as the importance of reducing crowds at polling places, has heightened significance this year during the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the biggest alterations in this year’s Bastrop County election process will be the way people vote.
New electronic voting machines will be used exclusively during the early voting period, when people can vote at any early voting location in the county.
The ExpressVote Universal Voting System will use touchscreen technology to produce a paper ballot record.
The electronic machines will be helpful given the 60 different ballot variations, Miles said, must be available countywide during early voting. On Election Day, when voters must cast their ballot at their precinct polling location, they will have the option to use either the traditional paper ballot or the electronic system.
Miles said not having paper ballots available during early voting is partially because of COVID-19 concerns and the ability to clean the electronic machines between voter use, but also because of the need to offer all countywide ballots at each of the four early voting sites.
“With the postponement of city and school elections from May to November, we have a huge increase in the number of ballots available to different voters throughout the county,” Miles said. “So to better accommodate the voters and ensure all voters receive the right ballot, we’re using ballot-marking devices where we don’t have to make paper ballots available at all of those sites.”
Specific COVID-19 precautions will also be found at each early voting site.Protection barriers will be in place between voters and election workers at check-in, and floor markers will remind people to practice social distancing.
Voting booths will also be spaced to allow for social distancing while voting. The electronic voting machines and their styluses will be cleaned between use by each voter.
Curbside ballot drop-off and vote by mail
A curbside drop-off location for ballots by mail will be open during regular business hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday during the early voting period and on Election Day.
The curbside ballot collection site is located on the Walnut Street side of the Bastrop County Courthouse, between Water and Pecan streets, Miles said. Traffic on Walnut Street will be one-way and directed eastbound to accommodate the curbside delivery option.
Those electing to vote by this method must show a proper voter ID, sign a signature roster and sign their carrier envelope. The voter must deliver their own ballot, and they are not allowed to deliver anyone else’s ballot.
Voters may also hand-deliver their marked ballots to the county elections office, 804 Pecan St. in Bastrop, anytime the office is open.
“All of those extended hours during early voting, when we’re open on Saturday and Sunday and when our office is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., even if the curbside option is not open, they can bring it in to our office directly,” Miles said. “The same rules would apply.”
The last day to receive an application for a ballot by mail or a federal post card application for a ballot by mail is Oct. 23.
Ballot by mail requests from Bastrop County voters have significantly increased for the November election.
Miles said her office has mailed out over 5,000 ballots. The previous record number of mail ballot requests in Bastrop County came in November 2018 when 1,800 were requested.
Because of this increase, Miles said temporary workers are helping full-time staff in the elections office. She said the early voting ballot board will also meet earlier than usual — on the Saturday prior to Election Day rather than only on Election Day — to start the signature verification process and begin preparing ballots for counting.
Ballot by mail votes must be received in the county elections office by the business day following Election Day, postmarked on or before Nov. 3.
Despite all these adjustments and changes, Miles said the plan remains to release the early voting results shortly after 7 p.m. on Election Day, followed by the complete count once Election Day ballots are tallied.
