Harris County launches mail ballot tracking system

Harris County residents now are able to track the status of their mail ballots through a new system launched by County Clerk Christopher Hollins this week.

For the first time, a voter can see when their ballot is mailed to them and when it is processed by the clerk’s office after being returned.

“Providing voters with more information… gives voters peace of mind about the mail voting process,” Hollins said in a statement. “I encourage Harris County voters who have applied to vote by mail to track their ballots using our website.”

To do so, residents must visit harrisvotes.com/tracking and enter their name, birth date and last four digits of their Social Security or Texas ID number. The secretary of state’s office said several counties, including Bexar and Williamson, also offer online tracking of mail ballots. At least 40 states do, as well.

Harris County is expecting a record number of mail ballots this year. To date, the office has received 208,000 vote-by-mail applications, up from 111,000 in 2018 and 115,000 in 2016. The county began sending ballots to voters lastweek; to date, 172 have been returned.

The deadline to request a ballot to vote by mail is Oct. 23.

To be eligible, residents must be 65 or older, disabled, out of the county or incarcerated during the voting period.

The Texas Supreme Court in

May ruled that fear of contracting COVID-19 alone does not constitute a disability, but it can be combined with other health factors to qualify a voter for a mail ballot.

Chief Justice Nathan Hecht said that leaves voters to decide for themselves whether they are eligible to vote by mail.