Thread: Early Voting Begins in Texas Primary Elections

Voting Begins in Texas Primary Elections: How and Where to Participate

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Scott Olson/Getty Images

by LANA SHADWICK 16 Feb 2016 5

The first day of early voting in the primary election begins in Texas on Tuesday, February 16, and Texans always have questions on how and where to participate.Participating in this primary and general election has never been more important.

Texas State Senator Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) told Breitbart Texas, “Texas Republicans’ vote in the primary matters now more than ever, as the Democrats will nominate either an authentic Socialist or an untrustworthy Progressive for president.” He added, “Think of who Justice Scalia would have voted for and you will do the nation the same service.” Bettencourt serves as chairman of the Texas Senate Republican Caucus.

As reported by Breitbart Texas’ Bob Price, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead at a luxury resort in west Texas this past weekend. Shocked Republicans and conservatives are extremely concerned about President Obama nominating someone to replace him during his lame duck period.

Ed Whelan, a former law clerk for Scalia said Obama and his progressives can grab control of the nation’s constitution if he is allowed to appoint a replacement for the conservative justice.

Who is elected the next president of the United States may determine whether there is a further and more extended fundamental transformation of this country’s governance. The majority of the U.S. Supreme Court is in a very precarious balance and who is elected president is of critical importance because of the power he or she holds to nominate a Supreme Court justice.

As reported by Breitbart News, “If the Republican Senate allows President Obama to select Scalia’s successor, the left will have a complete monopoly on the Supreme Court. Within the next few years, Citizens United will be overturned, restoring limits on free speech; the Supreme Court will render the Second Amendment meaningless by reinterpreting the right to bear arms as a non-personal right; freedom of religion will be made subservient to same-sex marriage and abortion priorities; the death penalty will be ruled unconstitutional; unions will be allowed to continue confiscating the dollars of people who disagree with them politically; [and] redistricting along leftist lines will return.”

General information on where to go to find out where to vote in this important primary election, and how to register to vote in the primary runoff, and the critical November election, is contained here.

First, information relating to early voting polling locations, voting by mail, military and overseas voters, can be obtained by going to the county clerk website for your county. The website for Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart gives you an example of what kind of information you can find on county websites, including sample Republican and Democratic primary ballots.

In addition, the website for the Texas Secretary of State also provides you with voter registration, mail in ballot, voter identification, and other information.

Photo identification is required to vote but there are seven forms of photo ID accepted. A Texas driver license, Election Identification Certificate, personal identification card issued by DPS, license to carry a handgun, and United States military ID card, or U.S. passport or citizenship certificate, is accepted. All of these forms of identification must contain a photo. With the exception of the U.S. citizenship certificate, the ID must be current or have expired no more than 60 days before voting.

An Election Identification Certificate (EIC) is available from your local DPS office. There are more than 220 Texas driver license offices in Texas and they are open during regular business hours all year. There is no charge for an EIC.

There are exemptions for the requirement of a photo ID if you are voting by mail, or if you have a documented disability. For more information on the types of exemptions available, please visit your county voter registrar or the Texas Secretary of State.

A person is eligible to vote if they are a U.S. citizen, a resident of the county where they submit an application, at least 18 years old on election day, and not a convicted felon. Those who have completed their sentence , probation and parole, may be eligible to vote. A person must also have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

You can confirm if you are already registered at this link.

The last day of early voting for the primary is Friday, February 26. Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart says he encourages everyone to vote during early voting. He says polling locations have changed since last November and more than 50% of the voting voters during the election will vote on election day.

The primary election will be held on Tuesday, March 1. The last day to receive a ballot by mail for the primary election is on election day.

The last day to register to vote in the primary election was February 1. The last day to apply for ballot by mail for the primary election was February 19 (received, not postmarked).

Primary runoff elections are already scheduled in Texas for May 24.

The last day to register for the primary runoff election is Monday, April 25.

Information on where and how to register to vote in the primary runoff election if you have not already registered is located at this link from the VoteTexas.Gov website (operated by the Texas Secretary of State).

The first day of early voting for the primary election runoff begins on Monday, May 16.
You may also be eligible to vote by mail. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail for the primary runoff is Friday, May 13 (received, not postmarked). Voting by mail in Texas has been available to elderly voters and voters with physical disabilities for decades. An application to vote by mail can be mailed to you, or you can download the application.

The last day of early voting for the primary runoff election is Friday, May 20.

The last day to receive the ballot by mail for the primary runoff election is election day, Tuesday, May 24, at 7:00 pm. The only exception is where the overseas deadline applies.

The last day to register to vote in the primary election was February 1. The last day to apply for ballot by mail for the primary election was February 19 (received, not postmarked).

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2016/...mary-election/

Early vote could decide Texas primaries before Super Tuesday

By Rebecca Elliott
February 15, 2016 Updated: February 16, 2016 12:27am

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff


Charles Holloway sets up the polling station at Brookline Elementary on the South Loop for the November 2015 general election.

Having battled in Iowa and New Hampshire, and this week in South Carolina and Nevada, the contenders for the Republican and Democratic presidential nominations are steadily marching toward Super Tuesday's biggest prize: Texas.

New York business mogul Donald Trump will ride into the Lone Star State ahead of the dwindling pack of Republican candidates in the polls, but with Houston resident Sen. Ted Cruz, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush hoping their strong ties to the state will give them a boost.

On the Democrat side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be hoping to fend off surging Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, starting this weekend with a rally in Houston.

Yet, with early voting set to begin in Texas on Tuesday, many voters already may have cast their ballots by the time the campaigns officially roll in for next week's final debate before election day on March 1.

On the Republican side, that could mean some candidates' fates could be all but decided by the time they step onto the University of Houston stage.

Texas voters increasingly have shifted away from Election Day balloting in recent years, opting instead to cast their ballots early or by mail.

In Harris County, 56 percent of Republican voters cast an early or absentee ballot two years ago, up from 39 percent in 2008. Meanwhile, 59 percent of Democrats voted before Election Day in 2014, up from 44 percent in 2008.

Nonetheless, Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart said the combination of Texas' earlier primary date and the fast-changing nature of the presidential race could delay voting.

"It could end up skewing the early voting turnout, how strong it is, and have more people voting on election day than I anticipated," Stanart said. "I was anticipating we'd probably do 52, 55 percent of our total vote early. Now it could be almost a 50/50."

Rice University political scientist Mark Jones agreed.

"This election we may see at least a partial break in that upward trend, because some voters are going to want to wait to see if anything changes in the dynamics of the primary before casting their vote," Jones said.

In the presidential race, 155 Republican and 252 Democratic delegates are up for grabs in the March 1 primary in Texas.

Voters also have the opportunity to weigh in on several state, judicial and local races.

Harris County's Republican and Democratic party chairs predicted above-average turnout.

In addition to Cruz and Trump, the Republican race features Bush, who has deep Texas roots, as well as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.

"The biggest thing that's going to affect Harris County is that the Republican presidential race is still alive. It's still a very active fight when it gets to Texas on March 1," Harris County Republican Party Chairman Paul Simpson said.

He said Harris County may see voters waiting to cast a ballot until the second week of early voting, after South Carolina's Republican primary on Saturday.

"We may have a large surge of votes in the second week of early voting," Simpson said. "This time it could be significantly higher proportionately just because of the constantly shifting fortunes in the race."

Republicans caucus in Nevada next Tuesday, while Democrats caucus Saturday. South Carolina Democrats go to the polls on Feb. 27.
Lane Lewis, Harris County's Democratic Party chair, said he expects turnout to be up this year but not to top 2008, when Clinton and President Barack Obama helped to drive Democratic participation in the county past 410,000.

In 2012, that figure dropped to about 76,000.

"I have certainly seen a very high interest in Bernie's and Hillary's campaigns, so I think that's going to drive a lot of primary voters out," Lewis said.

Clinton is scheduled to appear in the Bayou City on Saturday.

Lewis also pointed to interest in U.S. Rep. Gene Green's primary challenge from Adrian Garcia in east Houston.

Green, a Democrat, is one of three longtime Houston-area congressmen to draw primary opponents.

Republican Reps. Kevin Brady of The Woodlands and John Culberson of west Houston both have been challenged from the right.

About 2.1 million Harris County residents are eligible to vote in the March primaries, up from 1.8 million in 2008.

Voters must present valid photo identification to cast a ballot, which includes a Texas driver's license, an election identification certificate, a personal identification card, a concealed handgun license, a U.S. military identification card, a citizenship certificate or a passport.

Early voting runs through Feb. 26.

To find Harris County voting locations, go to www.harrisvotes.com.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news...re-6832482.php