Using the writing utensil provided at your voting booth, completely fill in the bubble beside the option of your choice in each race on the ballot. Don't use check marks or write an X. Color in the bubble. Stray marks on your ballot will render it unable to be read by the machine counter. If that happens, the ballot board must inspect your ballot and count your votes as best they can determine your intent.
Why vote straight party?
It is a sign of party support and strength. It is also a time-saving device for the voter. By marking a straight-party choice at the top of the ballot, it registers as a vote for each candidate for that party across the entire ballot of partisan races.
Does it invalidate my ballot to vote straight party, then mark an individual candidate of another party?
No. Marking a straight-party choice indicates a default choice for any partisan race where you do not otherwise mark a choice. So if you mark straight party for the Republican party, then vote for an individual candidate of another party, that individual candidate will get your vote. Then your straight-party vote would apply as the default selection for any other race where you did not mark a specific choice.
Overvoting does invalidate your choice as to a specific race. Overvoting is where you mark more than one choice for the same office. It will not invalidate your entire ballot, but it will not be a valid vote on the specific race where more than one candidate is chosen. Marking straight-party, then choosing one candidate of an opposing party in a specific race does not cause an overvote. Straight-party is only a default only where you mark no other choice.
Is it safe to vote straight party?
Some are concerned that if you mark straight party, and indicate no other choices on your ballot, your ballot could be easily altered by someone else marking opposing candidates on your ballot. That presupposes someone is able to gain access to the sealed ballot boxes after you have deposited your ballot there and is able to freely tamper with the ballots.
If you have such concerns, you can mark straight party (for a showing of strong party support) then proceed to mark each individual candidate's name, too. That way, the straight-party vote is counted statistically, but never relied upon as a default answer.
But keep in mind, that will prevent your vote from being changed to an opposing party, but it will not prevent all tampering. The same wrongdoer could still mark candidates for opposing parties causing your ballot to be overvoted (and therefore uncountable), but it at least wouldn't register as a vote in favor of opposition. In my opinion, there is no absolute safeguard a voter can employ in how they mark their ballot to avoid tampering with their vote in the unlikely event that someone makes it through all the safeguards.
What if I want to skip a race?
Skip it. Doing so does not invalidate the choices you make in other races.
I messed up on my ballot. Now What?
Alert the election staff that you made a mistake and want a new ballot. They will retrieve your mis-marked ballot and replace it with a clean ballot. But you are limited to three attempts. Once you have been issued your third ballot, you will not be issued another. If on your third ballot you make another mistake, correct the mistake as best you can on the ballot, and make your intention abundantly clear. You may even write notes if necessary. That will render it unreadable by the machine counter, but so long as you have made yourself clear, the ballot board will be equipped to count your votes the way you intended.
Nothing on my ballot is what I expected to see. Or something I expected to be there isn't. Why?
Stop immediately, and bring it to the attention of the election staff. It is possible you were issued an incorrect ballot style. So long as you still have the ballot in your hand, the staff can address your questions. But if you mark your ballot and put it in the ballot box, it is irretrievable. No help can be offered at that point.
I've worked many elections in our county. Here is a list of questions that seem to come up frequently:
What is a "Provisional Ballot" and do they get counted?
Provisional ballots allow a voter to mark a ballot while at the polls even when there are circumstances that call their right to vote into question. Reasons could be lack of proper identification, voting in the wrong precinct, your name not appearing on the list of registered voters, and so forth.
In such cases, the ballot is marked by the voter as usual, then sealed inside an envelope so that the contents of the vote cannot be seen. The questions that need to be answered concerning the voter's status are then marked on the outside of the envelope so that the ballot board can research the issues further. After researching the issues, the ballot board will then make a determination as to whether the ballot can be lawfully counted. If that is decided in the voter's favor, only then is the envelope opened and the votes it contains counted. If it is decided against the voter, the envelope is not opened, and the voter is notified that their ballot did not count.
Do mail-in and overseas ballots get counted?
Yes, and usually first. All lawfully cast ballots get counted and included in the official final results.
I hardly know anything about the people/issues on my ballot. How do I learn more?
There are many ways to study for an election, and the internet is now a great tool to do so. Candidate web sites, voter guides put out by organizations sympathetic to your views, party meetings, candidate meet and greets and forums are all great ways to learn first-hand about your choices.
Is early voting safe?
Early voting is a great convenience to avoid long lines on election day. It also provides flexibility of where you can vote, which you don't have on election day.
Some have concerns that casting your ballot early before election day exposes it to greater opportunity for tampering. Although there is an element of truth to that, I believe our county employs reasonable safeguards to minimize the risk of tampering. Ballot boxes are sealed with numbered seals that are inventoried by the county election staff. So if the box is tampered with, it will be evident, either because the seal is broken, or the serial number is wrong. The sealed ballot boxes are then taken into custody by the Sheriff's office and stored in a secure location. Seals, guards, and locks all help lessen the likelihood that your ballot will be tampered with.
Is ballot-by-mail safe?
Ballot-by-mail is a great tool for those who need it: those who cannot readily come to the polls, even with assistance, and those who will be away during the entire voting period.
Although it is a good system, the safeguards of the system itself create more opportunities for your vote to be jeopardized. You must rely on the mails to bring your ballot to you and get it back again. You sign the application to receive your ballot. You are also required to sign your envelope in which you return your ballot. That is so that the ballot board can compare signatures between the envelope containing your ballot and the application. That helps ensure that the person returning the ballot is the same person who requested it. But if you forget to sign your ballot envelope or if your two signatures differ materially, your vote might not get counted out of concern that your ballot might have been hijacked by someone else.
In general, there are fewer opportunities for things to go wrong for you if you vote in person. But if you cannot do so, it is still a great system. Just take special care to follow all instructions.
Albert L. Ellison, Founder
Bastrop County Republican News
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