Voters, prepare a sample ballot, know your rights

Now, more than ever, it is critical voters understand the elections process and prepare to cast their ballot during early voting and on Election Day. Free and fair elections serve as the bedrock of our democracy.

It is paramount that stakeholders, including political parties, election observers and voters alike, are educated about the election process and have transparent access to independently verify the process is conducted according to procedure. The more educated our citizens, the less likely they are to be misled by misinformation and disinformation, and the more confidence voters have that the means to verify results are an accurate reflection of the will of the majority.

In Harris County, elections happen on a massive scale. With more than 2.5 million registered voters eligible to cast a ballot during this midterm election, Harris County alone is expected to process more registered voters than half the states in the country. Our responsibility is to work with the Commissioners Court, major political parties and other stakeholders to establish an elections infrastructure that ensures citizens can cast their ballots safely, securely and confidently.

With that in mind, here’s what voters need to know ahead of the election.

Prepare your choices in advance of entering the polling location.

From a total of 93 to 103 individual races and propositions being voted on, the Harris County ballot is the longest in the state and among the longest in the nation. The average mailin ballot in Harris County is three to four pages and the in-person ballot is 93 to 103 screens on the DUO voting machine.

Casting a ballot will take approximately seven to 10 minutes, depending on the length of your unique ballot. Prepare your choices in advance and print a sample ballot to take with you to the polls so you can cast your ballot efficiently and expeditiously. You’re not required to vote in every race, but you will need to click through each race to cast a ballot.

Preparing selections in advance will help this process go as smoothly and quickly as possible.

Vote early to skip the wait.

Early voting in Harris County began Oct. 24 and continues to Nov. 4, and Election Day is on Nov. 8. There are 99 early voting locations and 782 Election Day locations spread across Harris County, and voters can cast a ballot at any of those locations. These locations were selected in collaboration with election judges, Commissioners Court staff and both major political parties and are all fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

With these options in mind, think of Election Day as your last chance to vote, rather than the only option. Don’t wait until the last day.

Know your rights as a voter.

Voters in Harris County and the state of Texas have clearly defined rights when casting a ballot. It is against the law for anyone to intimidate or attempt to coerce you into casting a ballot for someone who is not your selection or for anyone to interfere with your attempt to enter a polling location.

Poll watchers, who are assigned to polling locations, are not allowed to speak with voters as they are entering polling locations or casting a ballot at voting machines. If you feel coerced or intimidated by a poll watcher, speak directly to the presiding judge onsite.

Polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, but anyone who is in line at 7 p.m. is guaranteed the opportunity to cast a ballot, and you do not need to get out of line.

Voters can share complaints about their experience at a polling location directly with the Harris County Elections Administrator’s Office at 713755-6965 or by emailing voters@harrisvotes.com.

Understand that election security and integrity is paramount to the process.

The Elections Administrator’s Office has established a security task force in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement. This task force has evaluated needs and established security protocols, including rapid response to any polling location during early voting and Election Day, as well as security onsite at NRG Arena Hall D where Central Count is located.

After ballots are cast and polls close on Election Day, deputized personnel begin the process of returning voting equipment and ballots from the 782 polling locations across Harris County. All movement of election equipment and ballots are tracked with chain-of-custody documents and digital scanning systems. They are processed through four individual security and verification checkpoints once on-site at NRG Arena Hall D and are taken into Central Count for certification and tabulation.

This entire process is protected by law enforcement and recorded through on-site livestream cameras which can be viewed at harrisvotes.com. The Elections Administrator’s Office will release early voting and mail ballot results starting at 7 p.m. on Election Day and will continue releasing Election Day results every hour on the hour as votes are returned from the polling locations. As results are reported hourly through the evening, representatives from both major political parties will be on-site at Central Count to verify results before they are posted to harrisvotes.com.

The Elections Administrator’s Office estimates that completing election night tabulation will take approximately eight to 10 hours after the polls close at 7 p.m. This is due to the steps taken after the polls close, starting with the election judges closing their polling location once the last voter has cast their ballot, which takes approximately one hour. From there, election materials must be driven to Central Count at NRG Arena Hall D from all 782 polling locations. Once election equipment is processed and accounted for, it takes approximately one minute to read each of the V-Drives, the device which holds the digital voter record, from the 782 voting locations into the tabulator. Because we can read two VDrives at the same time, we have effectively reduced 782 minutes down to 391 minutes. This equates to six to seven hours just to process the VDrives. While we will work quickly to count the votes, it is imperative that we focus on accuracy over speed.

Make your voice heard.

Above all, you should feel confident participating in the elections process. Security measures, voting options and voter rights will help ensure a free and fair election in Harris County. It is critical to gather information from trusted sources, educate yourselves about the process and the candidates and come prepared to represent Harris County, your community and yourself.

If you have questions, visit our one-stop shop trusted source website at harrisvotes.com. Our team is ready and available to provide information, answer questions and discuss options to ensure your voice is heard this election cycle. It’s time to represent!