Steps to Vote using Ballot by Mail (Absentee)

 

Summary

Step 1: Confirm you are Registered to Vote in Dallas County

Step 2: Do you qualify to use a Vote by Mail (Absentee) Ballot?

Step 3: Apply for a ballot to be mailed to you (LWV-Dallas does not recommend after Oct 14th)

Step 4: Research candidates and issues on your ballot

Step 5: Complete your ballot

Step 6: Submit your ballot by mail or via drive-thru at Elections Office

Step 7: Check if your ballot has been received by Dallas County Elections (Optional)


How to Switch to In Person voting at the Polls

Need Help? Call us.

 

Step 1: Confirm you are Registered to Vote in Dallas County at least a month before the election

Enter your name and birthday into Voter Lookup at DallasCountyVotes.org  to confirm your registration is “active” in Dallas County. If you are not “active,” see details on registering to vote..   All new registrations or updates - name change, new address - must be completed 30 days before an election.

Step 2: Do you qualify to use a Vote by Mail (Absentee) Ballot?

In Texas, in order to vote by mail, a voter must have a qualifying reason. A voter may vote by mail if they:
        • will be away from their county on Election Day and during early voting;
• are sick or disabled;
• are 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
• are confined in jail, but eligible to vote.

Per the Texas Secretary of State's Election Advisory of April 6, 2020
One of the grounds for voting by mail is disability. The Election Code defines “disability” to include “a sickness or physical condition that prevents the voter from appearing at the polling place on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring the voter's health.” (Sec. 82.002). If a voter believes they meet this definition, they can submit an application for ballot by mail.

No judgments or withholding of judgments in the various court cases changed the above.

Step 3: Apply for a ballot to be mailed to you

Due Date: October 23, 2020   (If you want to hand in your application, the deadline is October 12, 2020 by 4:30pm.)

After October 14th, LWV-Dallas recommends that you do not apply for a ballot by mail. Please vote in person (curbside is available), because the timeline is too tight to guarantee.  How to Vote in Person

First: Obtain an “Application to Request a Ballot Form” and a postage stamp. You may either print the Application for Ballot by Mail - English  to use with your own envelope or ask ask online for an ABBM  with moisten and seal tabs to be mailed to you. You will also need a 55¢ postage stamp.

Second: Complete and sign the application. You must sign the application EXACTLY how you plan to sign your ballot. If the signatures don't match between the application and ballot, your ballot will be disqualified by the election department's signature board.

Third: Submit the application to the Early Voting (EV) Clerk's office.

Dallas County voters use the following for Requesting a Ballot by Mail:

	Mail and In Person –	Toni Pippins-Poole – Early Voting Clerk Dallas County Elections Department 1520 Round Table Drive Dallas TX 75247
	Fax – (214) 819-6303 (This fax is specific to ballot requests)
	Email – evapplications@dallascounty.org (This email is specific to ballot requests)
	Hours – Monday – Friday 8:00am – 4:30pm

Submit application	Due Dates
In person	Only the voter may submit the application in person at the Dallas County Department. Applications due by 4:30pm on October 12, 2020.
By Mail or Fed Ex / UPS	Mail application to be received by Dallas County Elections Department by Friday, October 23, 2020
By email and follow up with Mail	Scan the application, email it to evapplications@dallascounty.org  by Friday, October 23, 2020, and then mail the original to arrive within 4 days of your email
By Fax and follow up with Mail	Fax the application to the specific ballot request fax number (214) 819-6303  by Friday, October 23, 2020, and then mail the original to arrive within 4 days of the fax.

 
Note: If you submitted your “Application to Request a Ballot” form earlier in 2020, you may call the Dallas County Elections to confirm that you are on the list to receive a ballot by mail for the 2020 General Election.

Step 4: Research candidates and issues on your ballot

About 30 days before Election Day, the League of Women Voters populates Vote411.org  and supplies libraries with printed voter guides. Both contain unedited answers from candidates to questions on relevant issues and pro/cons on propositions and bonds. Here are Voters Guide / Vote411.org.

Step 5: Complete your Ballot

Ballots arrive in the US mail in a large green envelope.
Sign it EXACTLY how you signed your application


Prefer written instructions instead of video? See this step-by-step guide  How to Complete, Fold, and Mail your Ballot - with Photos

Step 6: Submit your ballot by mail or via drive-thru  at Elections Office

Due Date: Have your sealed vote by mail ballot ARRIVE at the Dallas County Elections Department (not a polling place) on or before Election Day (November 3, 2020).   Voters may mail it, pay to have it delivered by Fed Ex / UPS or a courier service, or submit it in person (with photo ID).

 LWV-Dallas does not recommend using the U.S. Mail if you are trying to send your ballot within 5 days of Election Day (after October 28th). Please see submit via drive thru yourself or pay for Fed Ex / UPS (or similar common carrier) or courier service.


Toni Pippins-Poole – Early Voting Clerk
Dallas County Elections Department
1520 Round Table Drive
Dallas TX 75247

Method	Notes
In Person via Drive Thru	Bring your photo id and your sealed ballot to the Dallas County Election Office yourself during  Dallas County Election Office Extended Hours for "Mail in Ballots" October 26-30, Monday-Friday, 7am to 7pm October 31, Saturday, 7am-7pm November 1, Sunday, 11am-4pm November 2, Monday, 8am-430 November 3, Tuesday, 7am-7pm .  A drive - thru has been set up, so you may stay in your car.  Deadline to submit a ballot via drive-thru is Tuesday, Nov 3rd, 7pm. From Oct 19 – Nov 3, DART is running a shuttle from a designated light rail station to the Dallas County Elections Department  so voters can drop-off their mail-in-ballots. Go to https://dart.org/vote/ and scroll to the bottom of that page for details. At this time, it is unknown if the shuttle bus has wheelchair ramps.
By U.S. Mail	A sealed ballot that arrives at the election office before 7pm on Election Day (Nov 3, 2020) - with or without a postmark - is accepted.  LWV-Dallas does not recommend using the U.S. Mail if you are trying to send your ballot within 5 days of Election Day (after October 28th).  A ballot bearing a postmark showing it was given to the US Post Office on or before 7pm on 11/3/2020 is accepted if the  U.S. Post Office delivers it to the election office by 5pm on 11/4/2020.  The U.S. Post Office no longer postmarks every piece of mail, so after Monday, October 19, 2020…. LWV- Dallas recommends going into the post office to have your sealed ballot postmarked. After Wednesday, October 28, LWV-Dallas does not recommend using the U.S. Mail.
Fed Ex / UPS (or similar common carrier) or courier service	Pay to have your sealed ballot shipped via Fed Ex / UPS or picked up by a courier service.  A ballot showing it was given to the Fed Ex/UPS or courier service on or before 7pm on 11/3/2020 with delivery scheduled to the Dallas County Election Office on or before 5pm on 11/4/2020 will be accepted if the service delivers it to the elections office by 5pm on 11/4/2020. LWV-Dallas recommends getting a receipt and tracking delivery.
NOT accepted at polling location	In Texas, polling places cannot accept a vote by mail ballot.

Step 7: Check if your ballot has been received by Dallas County Elections (Optional)

Anyone can check to see if a voter has voted in person at the polls or submitted a "vote by mail ballot."

Option 1: Search by voter name and county or Voter ID number at Texas Ballot Tracker.

Option 2: Download and search a spreadsheet at Dallascountyvotes.org.

How to switch to in person voting at the Polls

If you have received a "Vote by Mail Ballot" in the mail and would like to vote in person at a polling location instead, you must surrender your "Vote by Mail Ballot" to either Dallas County Elections or any polling location. Your "Vote by Mail Ballot" will be terminated, and you will be put back on the list of voters who can vote in person at the polls. Historically, this is a slow process, so prepare to wait if you choose to do this.