TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — Election Day is five days away, and Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir is urging voters to get their mail-in ballots in on time.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3, and received by Nov. 4.
With those dates being so close, DeBeauvoir said, to be on the safe side, you should drop off your ballot at the Travis County Elections Division, located at 5501 Airport Blvd.
You can hand-deliver your mail ballot every day between now and Election Day. The Airport Boulevard location is open on the following days and times:
- Thursday through Saturday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sunday: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Monday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Tuesday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
"If you have a by-mail ballot and you have not yet put it in the Postal Service, you may very well think about .. don't do that. It's too late," said DeBeauvoir. "Bring it to hand-delivery. That's the fastest, easiest way to make sure that it's going to count."
DeBeauvoir said roughly 22,000 mail-in ballots haven't been returned yet in Travis County. She said, right now, it takes USPS about three days to get the mail-in ballots back after they have been postmarked and sent.
At the same time, DeBeauvoir said she is concerned because it could take longer for those who mail the ballots last-minute.
But if you can't drop off the mail-in ballot at the drop-off location, DeBeauvoir said you have another option.
"They should bring their ballot to their polling place, either early voting or Election Day, and surrender it to the election judge," said DeBeauvoir. "Then, they'll be taken off the ballot mail list and allowed to vote a regular ballot."
Also, if your voter registration status shows it's not effective until Nov. 3, you can still vote early, according to the Texas Secretary of State.
"If you show up at the polls and you've registered late and the voter registration database has not updated yet to include you, please ask for a provisional ballot," said DeBeauvoir. "You are entitled to vote."
For more information on voting, click here.
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