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Voting Information : Links & Stuff


Neonmoon

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18 minutes ago, Hawndoh said:

so what would be the "normal" early voting date, just in case they do end up challenging the extra early dates?

That's already been addressed.  Texas Supreme Court struck down the challenging lawsuit.   StassneyHorn posted it at the bottom of page 2, this thread.   

But to answer your question, early voting normally starts 2 weeks prior to election day, so 10/20.

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Just moved from Travis to Harris county last week. I think my only option is a limited ballot in Harris county? Can somebody knowledgeable about this confirm and link me to info on what exactly I need to do to vote? The VoteHarris and Texas Secretary State websites have little info.

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18 hours ago, APMP said:

Just moved from Travis to Harris county last week. I think my only option is a limited ballot in Harris county? Can somebody knowledgeable about this confirm and link me to info on what exactly I need to do to vote? The VoteHarris and Texas Secretary State websites have little info.

You are correct about the limited ballot, if you didn't re-register into Harris County by the 10/5.    To do the limited ballot you need to vote during early voting and do it at the main voting location, where the VBM drop off  is going on.   I would suggest you take your voter registration card from Travis along with your ID.     If you end up having problems at the polling place,  call the voter hotline at 844-TX-VOTES.  

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You are correct about the limited ballot, if you didn't re-register into Harris County by the 10/5.    To do the limited ballot you need to vote during early voting and do it at the main voting location, where the VBM drop off  is going on.   I would suggest you take your voter registration card from Travis along with your ID.     If you end up having problems at the polling place,  call the voter hotline at 844-TX-VOTES.  


Thanks!
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For fuck's sake:

https://www.newsradioklbj.com/austinlocalnews/2020/10/12/travis-county-can-only-have-one-mail-in-ballott-drop-off-site-again/

 

Quote

The on-again, off-again issue of having more than one drop-off point for mail-in ballots in a county is off-again.

A federal judge ruled Friday,  Texas Counties could have more than one Mail-in Ballot drop off location, but that order was stayed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

That means, each county is once again limited to one drop off location.

In Travis County, the original plan was to have three drop off sites, but now the only location to drop off mail-in ballots in person remains the main elections office at 5501 Airport.

Meantime, in person early voting begins tomorrow across Texas.

 

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I hope our wise leaders at least have the decency to allow for multiple pickup spots around the parking lot so it's one contiguous line that people have to take a half-day from work to navigate.  Plus people plan bus schedules around that shit as well.  

I miss the days when voter suppression meant arresting a person of color for a marginal amount of personal use narcotic.  Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to arrest, charge, indict, judge, and sentence them before having them serve a brief stint in jail so that they could never be allowed to vote again.  I mean, it's cruel and unusual and racist, but at least it kept lots of folks along the food chain busy and gave them a sense of purpose. 

This is just fucking idiotic.  This is just, "Let's have a 2-mile long line of cars on Airport Blvd on a Tuesday as photographic evidence of institutionalized racism and voter manipulation.  This is, "Hey, we could have a dozen secure drop-off boxes peppered around the County...but instead let's get 6 employees we fucking hate and have them stand outside and get exposed to 5,000 cars possibly with Covid-19.  And if the virus don't kill 'em, the CO2 might." 

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maybe posted elsewhere, but map of early voting locations in Travis County

https://countyclerk.traviscountytx.gov/elections/current-election/polling-locations.html

 - actually it feels like fewer places this year - no early voting at City Hall (only downtown location is at Austin Central Library and ACC near House Park [kind of Downtown])

 - also the Library on Exhibition Blvd is not open for early voting. i know i have voted early there before.

 

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15 minutes ago, thepop said:

Happy voting eve. Make sure to use the voting condoms they give you or save them for later.

 

finger cots! used to wear these back in the day when i had a summer job at a photo finishing lab.

Graham-Field 3908 XL Latex Finger COTS - NONMEDICAL (Pack of 144), White

Seriously though, you might want to bring a lawn chair to use in the longer lines.

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I’m in line right now at one of the locations in SW Austin. One of the volunteers just told me I’m number 390 in line. Been here about 20 minutes and moved about 100 yards.  The line looks intimidating, wraps around the whole church parking lot and out along the sidewalk on the road. But everyone is 6 feet apart so it’s not as bad as it looks. I’m shuffling forward a few yards every minute or so. Seems to have picked up the pace in the last few minutes. Not sure if that’s the line just tightening up or if the people running the booths are just getting people in faster. I’d guess I’ve got another hour or so. 

Edited by Your Mom
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God bless y'all for getting out there in those long lines.  At least the weather is very nice this morning.  

I was sorta excited the very first time I voted back in '94 (Florida governor, et. al.).  I've even got to vote for friends and one distant cousin of my mom's (obviously way down ballot).  I don't think I've ever missed a primary, mid-term, or even back when City of Austin used to pull that shit and have all their elections on some random Saturday in May.  But I have never in my life been looking this forward to casting a ballot.  And it warms my cold, diabolical heart to know that there are tens of millions of folks like y'all that even more excited than I am to get out there and vote in 2020.

Whether you're voting your heart, voting your mind, voting for someone, voting against someone, just voting out of habitual civic duty, or like me---voting out a raging vitriolic hatred...think about it this way:  The closest America will come this year as a people are these polling lines.  Masked up, six feet apart, from another...these next three weeks...that's the closest we'll have figuratively and literally come together as a nation.  That's us being considerate to one another, chatting up a new friend or neighbor, and exercising our rights.  And then we'll go back inside, wait, watch it get darker.  And then it'll be light again.

God willing and my country is still here in 2045, we'll be invited to the 25th wedding anniversary of some couple who met before sunrise at a polling place because they were both so passionate about improving things.  That'll be the story they tell for the toast.  Yeah, I'm getting sappy.   

 

 

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12 hours ago, yoladu said:

Travis Country WAIT TIME map. Very handy before you head out to early vote.

https://countyclerk.traviscountytx.gov/elections/wait-time-map.html

choose-wisely - Flooring Masters & Professional Remodelers

 

I will say that the wait time map info is inaccurate (at least for Austin central library)

It currently says a 0 - 10 min wait. 

 been in line 30 minutes so far. 

Edited by yoladu
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6 minutes ago, pyrohornIII said:

Yes, while the wait time map is a great idea, I hear from a lot of Travis Co people it's not very dependable.   They tried it in 18 and because it was so buggy most other large counties passed on using one this year.  

 

Fortunately the early voting location nearest me is only a few blocks away, so I can cruise by and check.  Not voting on the first day today anyway, will probably go tomorrow or Thursday.

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19 minutes ago, StassneyHorn said:

Dittmar location in Austin has 3 people checking in voters for 9 machines. A lot of leftover space left in the gym. 

i wiill say the Central Library location was well run and felt very safe. the 95% of waiting/cue experience was outdoors, and everyone was socially distancing and wearing masks.

One you got inside the library, there was no cuing, it was like 2 minutes to sign in and get your ballot and then 5 minutes to vote and get out. Big room with the machines spread out. the whole experience felt very safe. they did a good job.

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33 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Did they have just one central dropoff deal in the middle of the lot or were their multiple places within the parking lot complex itself?  

There were probably 10-12 tents set up with people taking the ballots. 

I thought it was kind of strange that they were then putting all the ballots into a dumpster in the back of the building, but I don't really know how the whole process works. 

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Just now, Red Five said:

There were probably 10-12 tents set up with people taking the ballots. 

I thought it was kind of strange that they were then putting all the ballots into a dumpster in the back of the building, but I don't really know how the whole process works. 

Also, is it "drive thru"?  I have a co-worker that basically hasn't left her house in 7 months because of covid and is absolutely terrified.  I'm worried if she has to get out of her car, she may not vote.

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1 minute ago, Biff Tannen said:

Also, is it "drive thru"?  I have a co-worker that basically hasn't left her house in 7 months because of covid and is absolutely terrified.  I'm worried if she has to get out of her car, she may not vote.

Yes. You pull up and someone comes to your window (masked obviously) and takes your ballot and checks your ID. Then you leave. 

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I saw a post from a Travis County poll worker that said that the wait times are really a rough guess.  If you want, you can help the poll workers and all of us by starting a stopwatch when you get in line, then telling the poll worker how long you waited in line once you get to the front.  I think they can enter that info into the system rather than having to guess at the wait time.

Something you can do to help others while you are waiting in line...

Edited by Texas Jeff
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^

that's a good idea. 

Poll worker:  "How long did you have to wait in line, sir?"

Lobo:  "Three beers.  May I have the bathroom code in lieu of a sticker please?"  

 

Edited by Lobo
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On 9/9/2020 at 10:51 AM, StassneyHorn said:

You can vote wherever you want in Travis County

Yep that's how Montgomery County was for Early Voting.  I liked how convenient it was if I was off the beaten path.

Potter County is the same.  Options are good.

I voted today. 2 people ahead of me at the ID check.  I did not look at the time, but had to be less than 5 minutes total from getting in line to casting my ballot.  Super convenient, with everyone properly masked up and maintaining social distancing that I could see.

I was EASILY the youngest person in the room by 10-15 years.  LOLz.

Edited by slorch
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i haven't read this whole thread, but i cannot seem to be able to find this information on travis county's extremely unhelpful website. 

i recently moved and my precinct is different. i re-registered here last month, but i just noticed that my new card says "Valid from: 10/24/2020." 

does this mean i cannot vote early until the 24th?

also, since i don't have a REAL ID TXDL yet, the dmv won't let me update my license without a visit to the office. so i have my old address on my txdl. is that going to fuck me? i also have a passport, which i'll bring as well as a utility bill, i guess.

Edited by hayden_horn
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51 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

i haven't read this whole thread, but i cannot seem to be able to find this information on travis county's extremely unhelpful website. 

i recently moved and my precinct is different. i re-registered here last month, but i just noticed that my new card says "Valid from: 10/24/2020." 

does this mean i cannot vote early until the 24th?

also, since i don't have a REAL ID TXDL yet, the dmv won't let me update my license without a visit to the office. so i have my old address on my txdl. is that going to fuck me? i also have a passport, which i'll bring as well as a utility bill, i guess.

Bring the passport and your ID card. Utility bill will only help, can’t hurt. Does it say active on the below site?

https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do

Haven’t dealt with many valid from XXXX issues, as those cards typically get rerun every two years if you are active. Countywide voting largely makes precinct info useless in big cities. It should not put you in a gray area of not active. I’m confident the Passport and utility bill should be enough. @pyrohornIII does that sound right?

 

 

Edited by StassneyHorn
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Sounds like your move was from one Travis Co pct to another, right? 

As long as the valid from date is before the election day, like in this case, you are good to go, early voting or not.   Same goes for people registered to vote who are scheduled to turn 18 like Nov 3 of this year.    All those dates are pinned to election day.  

 

Your old TDL can work, as long as it's in Travis Co too.  Address won't matter.  They look at your ID for your face to match to your name.   At worst you can fill out a reasonable impediment form for not having a new license yet.  It's pretty common.   

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44 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

FYI, the wait times site has been updated to 0-20, 21-50, and >51 min waits.

https://countyclerk.traviscountytx.gov/elections/wait-time-map.html

I've been checking this periodically to see if the station near my house has cleared up.  It hasn't - been red pretty much all week.  One thing I've noticed is all the stations west of 35 (except downtown/campus area) are red.  The ones east are green.  Not sure that's a good thing...

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Individual State Laws/Fact Sheets re: Militia at Voting Locations from Georgetown Law/Akin Gump 

Quote

Fact sheets for all 50 states explaining the laws barring unauthorized private militia groups and what to do if groups of armed individuals are near a polling place or voter registration drive. Select a state from the menu below to view the corresponding fact sheet.

Here: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/icap/our-work/addressing-the-rise-of-unlawful-private-paramilitaries/state-fact-sheets/

For Texas - here is the pdf:

 Texas.pdf

 

 

Edited by washparkhorn
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I was going to vote today at the Rec Center in 78704 (I've lived in 78704 most of my life and never knew it was there), and the line looked 2 Hrs, so I will be back.

It's great people are getting out and voting finally!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Got a text saying "Thanks for voting! We noticed that a Mrs. Squishmitten in your household hasn't voted yet. ..." But she voted several days ago in person. Is there a way to check online to confirm her vote was registered? All I can find through the SOS is how to verify your mail-in vote was received. 

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36 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

Got a text saying "Thanks for voting! We noticed that a Mrs. Squishmitten in your household hasn't voted yet. ..." But she voted several days ago in person. Is there a way to check online to confirm her vote was registered? All I can find through the SOS is how to verify your mail-in vote was received. 

https://www.txballot.org/
 

it might take a few days to show up 

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Serious question - is there an app or website preferably one that is non-partisan, that can legitimately broadcast real time evidence of voter suppression at polling places on election day?   Anything from conveniently broken machines to locations closing early to armed militia men standing outside next to people in line?  Obviously you can call websites and social media for anecdotal evidence and I’ve never really wondered about this before, is there a respected website or app that aggregates this type of solid information?

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