TEXAS VOTERS - More than half of all registered voters in Texas have already cast their ballot. That’s 9.7 million Texans and more than the total number of Texans who voted in 2016. There are nearly 17 million registered voters in the state and analysts are expecting it to be busy at the polls today. Voter advocacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas are encouraging people to have an Election Day plan. David Donatti is an ACLU staff attorney. He has some tips for voters about photo IDs.
"So the first one you can vote with an expired license, as long as it's valid within four years of election day," explains Donatti. "And then another thing, the address on your ID doesn't have to match the address on your voter registration."
Voters who do not possess an acceptable form of photo ID and cannot obtain one, may present a supporting form of ID such as current utility bill, paycheck, or bank statement with your name on it and execute a Reasonable Impediment Declaration. If a voter in Texas doesn’t have an I.D, they can request a provisional ballot. Donatti adds if voters face any issues at the polls, they can reach the Election Protection hotline at: 866-OUR-VOTE.
Most counties in Texas require people to go to polling places in their designated precincts. BUT about a third DO offer countywide voting. Keith Ingram, who is the director of the elections division at the Texas Secretary of State's office, explains.
"For this election we're going to have 77 counties participate in the countywide polling place program, which means their voters can vote anywhere in the county even on Election Day," Ingram said. "And those 77 counties include about 80 percent of the Texas population of voters."
Three counties are new to the program this year: they are Bell, Marion, and Scurry. And to see if your county offers countywide voting -- go to VoteTexas.gov and SEARCH: Countywide Voting
