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Email: info@lwvhaysco.com
Phone: 512-710-5793
LWV Hays County, Texas
P.O. Box 414
Wimberley, TX 78676

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Use VOTE411.org to discover all candidates and issues on your ballot

HomeVoting by Mail

Voting by Mail

See if you qualify to Vote by Mail.


•  Can I vote by mail?
•  How do I apply to vote by mail
•  How do I fill out my Vote by Mail ballot?
•  Tips for filling out the application
•  How to Apply to Vote by Mail
•  Details of the Allowable Reasons for Applying to  Vote by Mail
•  How to return a Vote by Mail ballot
•  How to track your Vote by Mail ballot – Texas style
•  How can I tell if my Vote by Mail ballot has been accepted?





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Voting by Mail

Can I Vote By Mail?
  • You can vote by mail if you are:
    • 65 years or older
    • Sick or disabled
    • Out of the county during early voting and Election Day 
    • Expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day.
    • In jail but otherwise eligible to vote

How do I apply to vote by mail?

How do I fill out my Vote by Mail ballot?

  1. Get an application:
  2. Fill out the application:
    • Provide all the required and requested voter information, including:
      • Your phone number and/or your email address, in case there’s an issue with your application;
      • Your ID numbers
        • Your TX Driver’s License or TX Personal ID number,AND
        • The last four digits of your social security number.
      • Mailing address to where your ballot will be sent.
      • Reason for voting by mail.
      • The election for which you are requesting a ballot.
        • If 65 or older, or disabled, you can check “Annual Application” to receive ballots for all elections for that calendar year.
        • In even years, mark which party primary and runoff election you want to vote.
      • Sign and date the application.
      • If somebody assisted you with the application or witnessed your signature or mark, they must complete the section provided on the application.
  3. Return your completed application as soon as you can.
    • Your ballot must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.  You can return it using one of the following:
  1. When your ballot arrives, mark and pack it:
    • Mark your ballot with a black or blue pen.
    • ill out the ovals completely - do not mark with X's, checks or circles.
    • Put your ballot in the ballot envelope and seal it. Put only one ballot in each ballot envelope.
    • Place the ballot envelope in the carrier envelope - wait to seal the carrier envelope!
  2. Fill out the carrier envelope with the following information:
    • Your ID numbers
      • Your TX Driver’s License or TX Personal ID number,AND
      • The last four digits of your social security number.
    • Your phone number and/or email address, in case there’s an issue with your ballot.
    • Seal the carrier envelope in both places, then sign over the flap.
    • If an assistant helps you complete the ballot, they must fill out the required information in the space provided on the carrier envelope.
    • If you're unable to sign, your witness must fill out the required information in the space provided on the carrier envelope.
  3. Return your ballot as soon as you can!
    • Your ballot must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. You can return it using one of the following:
      • Mail your ballot by the U.S. Postal Service. You can also use FedEx, UPS or DHL to return your ballot.  OR
      • Hand deliver your ballot in person to your main County Election Office on Election Day while the polls are open. You must show a photo ID.  OR
      • Vote in person instead:
        • Take your mail ballot to your polling place during early voting or on Election Day to vote a regular ballot.
        • If you lose or forget your mail ballot, you can vote using a provisional ballot.

Tips for filling out the application

  • Avoid any confusion by election officials and sign both your application and ballot in the same way.
  • Have ballot mailed to the address where you actually are.
  • Include your contact information in case there is a problem with your application.
  • Mark the annual box for voters 65 years of age or older or voters with a disability.
  • Mark the election you will be voting in. If it is the Primary Election then check the Democratic Primary or the Republican Primary. Check the “any resulting runoff” to automatically receive a ballot.
  • Students living away at school check “address outside the county” box.
  • Write the dates you are out of the county where you are registered. For example, dates away at school.

The postmarked mail-in BALLOT must be at your Hays County Elections Office by 5 p.m. the next business day after Election Day. Elections Administrator, 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, Suite 1012, San Marcos, TX 78666. Hand-deliver non-postmarked mail-in ballot to the new Elections Office physical location, 120 Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos, TX 78666 by 7 p.m. on Election Day.


For more information:  Texas Secretary of State

Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events

How to Return Your Vote by Mail Ballot

How to Vote by Mail Texas Style

How to Track Your Ballot by Mail – Texas Style

How can I tell if my Vote by Mail ballot has been accepted?


  • Track your ballot at VoteTexas.gov
  • If your Vote by Mail ballot is rejected, you have up to six days after the election to fix the problem.
  • If there is an error in your mail-in application or ballot, your county election office is required to notify you and instruct you how to fix it by mail, in person or via the online tracker.
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Other FAQs and Tips

  • Vote by Mail ballots are mailed out 30 - 45 days before an election, or 7 days after the county election office receives an application.
  • If you become ill or disabled after the deadline for applying to Vote by Mail, contact your county election office to request a "late ballot".  You would need a physician-signed certification of your illness or disability, and an assistant to make two round-trips to the election office.
  • If you need help, call the Texas Secretary of State at 800-252-VOTE (8683) or email elections @sos.texas.gov.  
Before you seal the carrier envelope, lift the flap and fill in the blanks under the “Required Information” section.” Then seal the envelope. That keeps your drivers license number secure.

Some voters missed that step during the primary. The information helps identify that the voter is the same person that requested the ballot.

“The section under the flap is where the voter will enter either their Texas-issued ID or the last four of their Social Security Number that matches the ID on their voter registration record. Our office recommends that voters include both pieces of information.”

Including both types of information on the application AND the ballot carrier envelope with help alleviate the chances of ballot rejection.

“Once the voter has completed this portion of the carrier envelope, they can seal the flap, sign over the flap in the red box and mail the ballot back to the Hays County Election Office. Both the ID number and the signature are required for the ballot to be accepted.”

The new legislation offers voters the opportunity to correct any defects on their ballot in enough time to be counted.



Assistant Section and Witness Section


If you assist someone to complete their ballot, you must fill out the Assistant Section on the bottom left side of the carrier envelope. If you sign for someone unable to sign for themselves, the Witness Section on the bottom right side must be filled out. Be careful to complete those sections as directed.

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New Student Voters


Students considering whether to vote by mail at their permanent home address or at their new college residence should factor in:

  • Traveling back home for federal, state, and local elections may not work easily into a school schedule.
  • The current high rejection rate for applications to vote by mail was about 13 percent overall for the March 1, 2022 Primary Election, approximately 24,000 ballots
  • As less experienced voters, student applications or mail-in ballots may make a mistake that would lead to it being rejected.
  • Your best chance of being sure that you can cast a ballot and be sure it counts is to register at your college residence and vote there.

Call Election Protection if you have any voting questions or concerns.

election protection 866-our-vote
  • 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) English
  • 888-Ve-Y-Vota (839-8682) Spanish
  • 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, and Tagalog
  • 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287) Arabic
  • 301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683) American Sign Language (video call)
  • 888-796-VOTE Disability Rights Texas
Direct link to this page: https://lwvhaysco.com/votebymail

#nonpartisan        #votinginfo        #Hayscountytx        #howto       #votebymail

Ask about getting a  ballot by mail by emailing  ballotbymail@co.hays.tx.us.
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