With a busy election year ahead, those who meet the state’s requirements to vote by mail are reminded that they can now submit their applications for a mail ballot.
Texans may request a ballot by mail if they:
• will be away from their county on Election Day and during the hours that early voting is conducted;
• are sick or disabled;
• are expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day;
• are 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
• are confined in jail or in voluntary civil commitment but otherwise eligible to vote.
An Application for Ballot by Mail (ABBM) can be requested from the voter’s county elections office or printed from the Texas Secretary of State’s Office website at http://www.sos.state.tx.us.
Once received, voters should read the instructions carefully, complete the form and return it to the local elections office. For additional information or questions, contact the Hill County Elections Administration Office at 254-582-4072 or the Bosque County Elections Office at 254-435-6650.
The deadline to return the application and request a mail ballot for a March primary election is Friday, February 23. The early voting clerk must receive the marked ballot by 7 p.m. on Election Day or by the fifth day after Election Day if the ballot is submitted from outside of the United States.
With multiple elections on the schedule this year — including March primaries and any resulting runoffs, May city and school elections and the November general election — voters who are over 65 or disabled can also check the “annual application” box on their ABBM. This will ensure that they receive a mail ballot for all elections in the 2024 voting year.
More information, including answers to frequently asked questions about voting, can be found at http://www.votetexas.gov.
The Lakelander 