Elections administrators in many of the state's largest counties say they are turning down more mail-in ballot applications as a result of a law passed by the state legislature last year. The law went into effect for any election taking place after December 2, 2021 including the upcoming primary scheduled for March 1.
The law allows people to vote by mail if they are 65 or older, sick or disabled, out of the country during early voting and election day, expecting to give birth within three weeks of election day, or in jail but still eligible.
People applying for a mail-in ballot can provide their driver license number, state identification number or the last four digits of their social security number. The number they use for verification must be the same as they used on their initial registration.
"Voters are being mistreated in this circumstance," says Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir.
DeBeauvoir says she has had to reject 27% of vote-by-mail applications. She says the main reason is people providing a different verification number, saying people are struggling to remember which method they used on an application they might have filled out decades earlier.
DeBeauvoir says, because the law forbids elections officials from promoting vote-by-mail, she is limiting how much help her office can give voters.
"A state jail felony is nothing to thumb your nose at. You know I would have preferred to tell voters exactly what to do," she says. "But I think, under the circumstances, we're going to have to rely on the community and the parties to help solve the problem the legislature created."
"We urge all county election officials to contact the Texas Secretary of State's office to seek advice and assistance on the correct method of processing mail ballot applications," Texas Secretary of State John Scott wrote in a statement.
Scott urged DeBeauvoir to "immediately review and re-examine the mail ballot applications in question to determine whether they were processed in accordance with state law."
Other counties have reported an increase in the percentage of mail-in ballot applications being rejected as well.
Dallas and Tarrant Counties say they have rejected about 40% of applications, and Bexar County has rejected about half.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo says the state's most populous county has rejected seven times as many applications than in the past.
"Because of new TX voter suppression laws that create a maze of technicalities," she wrote on Twitter.
Elections officials say other mistakes include people not listing their political party or using an outdated form, but the law prevents them from sending out the correct form unsolicited.
Scott, the Texas Secretary of State, says the law provides a process for voters to correct mistakes on mail-in ballot applications.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD