It's Election Day in Austin! Here's What You Need to Know About Voting Today.
By Kimberley Jones, November 3, 2020, 6:30am, Newsdesk
Looking for our live Election Day coverage? Go here.
On Friday, the Travis County Clerk’s Office reported the November 2020 General Election unofficial early voting total tally at 553,290. A massive turnout, to be sure, but that still leaves plenty of registered voters who've saved their ballot-casting for Election Day. It's go time, friends.
Here’s who the Chronicle Editorial Board has endorsed in local, state, and federal races; the Editorial Board also urges you to support Props A and B. Note: You’ll have to turn off your cellphone at the polling location, so make sure you have a hard copy on hand; endorsements can be found on p.10 of this week’s issue, or print this streamlined version. Since the Texas Lege ended straight-ticket voting, you’ll need to take your time with your ballot and fill in every race to the bitter end.
There are 178 voting centers open throughout Travis County, and you can vote at any polling location you’d like. (Find info about acceptable forms of identification here.) Polls open at 7am and close at 7pm. Election officials urge you to vote as early in the day as possible. If you are in line when polls close, stay in line – you will still be able to cast a ballot. And be kind to poll workers, people: They’re putting themselves at personal risk to ensure our democracy works the way it’s supposed to.
Want to know how long the line is? Consult the County Clerk’s Wait Time Map for regular updates.
While face coverings are not required at voting centers, they are strongly recommended. Social distancing markers will be in place, finger cots will be distributed, and hand sanitizer will be available. Want to know more about safety measures being taken at voting centers? Watch this video.
Questions about how we're keeping you safe at the polls? Watch Dr. Escott and Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir walk you through our safety measures. pic.twitter.com/Tc7CkvKHUg
— Travis County Clerk (@TravisCoClerk) November 2, 2020
If you are voting by mail and have not yet returned your mail-in ballot, you should if possible hand-deliver your ballot to Travis County’s (sole) official drop-off location at 5501 Airport Blvd. Voters may only hand deliver their own carrier envelope, must present an acceptable form of ID, will be asked to sign a signature roster, and will then deposit their mail-in ballot into a ballot box.
If you requested a ballot by mail but did not receive it in time, you can still vote in person. Bring a photo ID. Alert the poll worker you requested a BBM, who will give you a provisional ballot.
If you received a ballot by mail but would prefer to vote in person, you can still do that. Bring your BBM to the voting center and surrender it to an Election Judge. You'll sign a form requesting cancellation of the ballot by mail and then vote normally at the polls. If you don't bring the mail ballot, you'll have to sign an affidavit saying you didn't mark and mail in the ballot; you'll then vote provisionally.
Any other questions about the election? The Travis County Clerk’s Office website probably has the answers. Follow the Travis County Clerk on Twitter for Election Day updates.
If you live in Williamson or Hays counties, you'll find links to their election information at the Chronicle's Elections Hub.
Find all of the Chronicle’s reporting from the campaign trail at that same Elections Hub, and follow our Election Day coverage live at austinchronicle.com/daily.
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