This is part of the Brennan Center’s Toolkits for Activists Across the Nation.
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Political Context | What’s in Place and What’s Needed | Key Dates
Administering an election under pandemic conditions requires undertaking steps to keep voting accessible, safe, and secure. The guide below lays out the problems Covid-19 poses, what preparedness measures Texas has, and what changes are still needed. But first, we offer some political context for your advocacy.
Advocacy Focus: Local Reform
Local officials have a lot of responsibility over elections. They are a great place to focus advocacy efforts. Though state officials can make any of the changes in this toolkit, we highlight some examples of changes that local elections officials can also make with this symbol:🔸
Political Context
Below is a list of the relevant officials and information about the legislative session.
Governor: Greg Abbott (R)
Secretary of State: Ruth Hughes (R)
Legislature: House (R) Senate (R)
Legislative Session: The legislature last adjourned in 2019. Only the governor can call a special legislative session.
Local Elections Officials: In Texas, a number of county officials share responsibilities for administering elections. You can look up individual county officials here.
What Texas Has and What’s Needed
Three priorities. There are three key areas where we need to shore up our elections systems for success during a pandemic: registration, mail voting, and in-person voting.
Registration
Covid-19 may disrupt the traditional ways Americans register to vote, like get out the vote drives or registering at government agencies. In the crucial weeks before the registration deadline, postal service disruptions may lead many registration forms to arrive at election offices after the deadline.
Changes Still Needed:
- Prepare to extend mail voter registration deadlines based on conditions in the state
- Online voter registration
- Voter registration on Election Day
Voting by Mail
Because of Covid-19, long lines and crowds at the polls pose health risks not seen in previous elections. Allowing every citizen to vote by mail reduces the number of people at the polls on Election Day and decreases the exposure risk to Covid-19.
Preparatory Measures Texas Already Has Taken:
- No ID requirement to vote by mail
- No notary or witness requirement for return of mail ballot
- Accepts late-arriving ballots postmarked by Election Day
Changes Still Needed:
- Allow all voters to vote by mail without an excuse
- Online tool for requesting an absentee ballot
- Provide pre-paid postage for voting by mail
- Provide post-election notice and cure opportunity for defects on absentee-ballot envelope, including signature mismatch or missing signatures
- Allow the mailing of absentee-ballot applications to all voters who have not yet applied
In-Person Voting
Even with expanded mail voting opportunity, states cannot close polling places. To do so may disenfranchise voters without Internet and mail access, or those who do not wish to cast a ballot by mail. In-person voting must be done in accordance with health guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Preparatory Measures Texas Already Has Taken:
- In-person early voting
- Counties can establish county-wide polling places (vote centers) with approval by the Secretary of State
Changes Still Needed:
- Ensure sufficient polling places are open and resourced on Election Day🔸
- Open more in-person early voting locations🔸
- Take proper public health precautions to ensure safe polling places🔸
- Hold training sessions for polling-place workers well in advance of Election Day, so that election officials can better anticipate problems with staffing and logistics🔸
- Increase access to curbside voting at polling locations
Advocacy Focus: Protecting Polling Places
No matter how prepared Texas is as a matter of policy, elections officials and advocates must stay vigilant about ensuring safe, healthy in-person voting is an option for everyone all the way through Election Day. Here are some important things to know about who makes decisions about polling places in Texas and what rules govern the process:
- County-wide polling places (vote centers) are an option, but require approval by the Secretary of State.🔸
- Local election officials can offer longer early voting hours as well as early voting on weekends.🔸
- If 15 registered voters make a written request, local election officials will have to provide longer early voting hours, more early voting locations, and weekend early voting.🔸
Key Dates for Texas Elections
- June 15, 2020: Deadline to register to vote for the Primary Election
- June 29 – July 10, 2020: Early Voting period for Primary Election
- July 14, 2020: Primary Election Day
- October 5, 2020: Deadline to register to vote for the General Election
- October 13 – October 30, 2020: Early Voting period for Primary Election
- November 3, 2020: General Election Day