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League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area
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Vote By Mail

 

Row of Mailboxes

Texas has eligibility requirements for voting by mail.
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>Voters eligible to vote by mail
>Voters eligible to vote by mail
  • will be away from their county during the entire Early Voting period and on Election Day;
  • are sick or have a disability;
  • are 65 years of age or older on Election Day;
  • expect to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day;
  • are confined in jail or involuntary civil commitment, but otherwise eligible to vote.


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>Apply to vote by mail by designated deadline
>Apply to vote by mail by designated deadline

If you meet the eligibility requirements, you must fill out an application to vote by mail and submit it to the county to have a mail-in ballot sent to you.


You can obtain an application to vote by mail

  • By phone
  • Call Bexar County Elections Dept. at 210-335-8683 to have one sent to you.
  • Online
  • Vote by Mail applications are available to download on the Bexar County Elections site.


Notes on completing the application

Section 1

  • Below name and address, contact information is optional but important –the Elections Department must be able to reach you if they have questions about your application that will delay its approval.
  • To the right of the name and address, the new law requires the number from your Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal ID or Election Certificate, or if you do not have any of these, the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. It is highly suggested you list both numbers because what you provide must match what is in your voting record and you many not know which you used when you registered.

Section 2

  • Fill out either residence address if you won’t be out of town, or Other Address if your reason for requesting a ballot is that you will be out of the county.

Section 3

  • Checking the disability box now means that you are affirming that you “have a sickness or physical condition that prevents me from appearing at the polling place on Election Day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring my health.”
  • Students registered in Bexar County but attending college outside the county: Be sure to check the "Address outside the county" box. Write the date you can begin to receive mail outside the county and the date you will return to the county.

Section 4

  • Voters 65 or older and those with disabilities only need to apply once to receive the ballots for all elections of a given calendar year if they place a checkmark in the "Annual Application.”
  • Voters who will be out of the county or are confined in jail must submit a separate application for each election, but can check "any resulting runoff" to automatically receive the runoff ballot for a given election.
  • If voting in a primary or primary runoff, be certain to check which party's ballot you will need.

Section 5

  • Be sure to sign and date the application.

Section 6

  • If you are unable to sign the form, mark it, or submit it yourself, you can have someone help you, with that person acting as a "witness" or "assistant," depending on the help that they provide. They must sign the form and write their address. Carefully read and follow the instructions on the back of the application about witnesses and assistants.
  • Review your application to be sure you have included all necessary information, including your signature and the date. Be sure to read all the instructions on the back of the application.
  • The instructions at the top to moisten and fold the bottom to the top are designed for hard-copy applications. If you downloaded one, you can just fold it, place it in your own envelope and address it as the second page of the application shows.

Notes on signing the application

  • You must sign and date your application.
  • Take note of how you sign it, or snap a photo of your signature with your cell phone, and when you complete your mail-in ballot, be sure to sign your ballot envelope in the same manner to ensure that your ballot is counted.





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>Submit your application to vote by mail
>Submit your application to vote by mail

Your application to vote by mail must be received no later than the 11th day before Election Day at the Bexar County Elections Department, although it's best to submit it as early as possible.


By mail (must be received by designated deadline)


  • Address the application to: Early Voting Clerk, Bexar County Elections Department, 1103 S. Frio Street, STE 200, San Antonio, TX 78207


Delivering in person (must deliver by designated deadline)


  • You must deliver the application yourself—no one may deliver it for you;
  • You must deliver it by the deadline, the 11th day before Election Day; AND
  • You must deliver it to the same address as above.


By fax or email (must be received by designated deadline)


  • In both cases, you must also mail in the original signed application, and the Bexar County Elections Department must receive it within four (4) business days of receiving the fax or email. 
  • Fax your signed application to 210-335-0850 and call 210-335-8683 to confirm receipt.
  • Email a scan of your signed application to votebymail@bexar.org.



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>Track your application to vote by mail
>Track your application to vote by mail

Use the online tracker to see if your application has been received and approved. You can use the same tracker to see when your ballot is received and counted.


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>If you become ill or disabled on or after the deadline to apply to vote by mail, you can still vote!
>If you become ill or disabled on or after the deadline to apply to vote by mail, you can still vote!

Curbside voting

Voting from a vehicle is available to voters who are sick or are physically unable to enter the polling place. Voters may ask that an election officer bring a ballot to their car.



Emergency ballots

Contact Bexar County Elections Department at 210-335-8683 for details about how to request and vote a late ballot. It requires:

  • someone who can go to the elections office for you two times
  • a note written and signed by your physician certifying your illness or disability


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>Complete your mail-in ballot
>Complete your mail-in ballot

Once you receive your ballot:

  • use black or blue pen.
  • fill or darken each oval completely—no checkmarks!


Before you seal the carrier envelope, don’t overlook the place under the flap where you must write the same ID number that you put on your application to vote by mail. If you put both numbers on the application, put both on the envelope.


Carrier Envelope



After you seal the envelope, write your signature carefully on the back where indicated in the same way you signed your application.



The signature on your application and the signature on your ballot carrier envelope will be compared to verify they came from the same person.


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>Track your mail-in ballot
>Track your mail-in ballot

Use the online tracker to see if your ballot has been received and approved.

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>If you change your mind and want to vote in person...
>If you change your mind and want to vote in person...
  • Take your unmarked ballot with you when you go to vote and present it to the poll worker (the person who checks your ID and signs you in).
  • If you've lost or forgotten to bring your ballot, you can still vote a regular ballot in person in Bexar County, although it will take time for the election worker to notify the elections department that you will not be voting by mail.


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>Submit your mail-in ballot
>Submit your mail-in ballot


In person, only on Election Day

  • You can deliver your own ballot in person only to the Bexar County Elections Department and only while the polls are open on Election Day, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m..
  • You must show an acceptable ID when you deliver it


By mail (postmarked by and received by designated deadlines)

  • Mail in your ballot at the earliest possible opportunity
  • Mailing your ballot may require more than one stamp.
  • Your ballot must be postmarked in Bexar County by 7 p.m. on Election Day and received before 5 p.m. on the following business day
  • Address to: Early Voting Clerk, Bexar County Elections Department, 1103 S. Frio Street, STE 100, San Antonio, TX 78207


Different deadlines apply for military and non-military voters living overseas


League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area

PO Box 12811

San Antonio, TX 78212
league@lwvsa.org
(210) 657-2206