Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman urges voters 65 and older to vote by mail to ensure their safety during the COVID-19 outbreak. Last month, the governor postponed the May 26 Primary Runoff Elections and rescheduled them for July 14, with early voting taking place July 6-10. The deadline to apply to vote by a mail ballot for these elections is July 2.
“Our office will do everything it can to ensure a safe, secure, and accessible election,” said Trautman. “In order to do anything different from a normal uniform election, our office will require explicit guidance from the Texas Secretary of State.”
To be eligible to vote by mail in Texas, a voter has to be 65 years or older, have a disability or illness, be out of the county during the election period, or be confined in jail, with no conviction. Voters can go to www.harrisvotes.com to print out the application or call 713-755-6965 to request one. The last day to register to vote for the July 14 election is June 15. For voter registration information, please contact the Harris County Tax Office.
“The procedure for mail ballot applications has always been to honor any request from a voter who checks the disabled box. We are not going to question someone’s disability,” added Trautman. “Any ability to expand the Ballot-By-Mail program will need to be granted at the state level.”
Residents are encouraged to visit HarrisVotes.com and follow on us social media for updates and information.
