Published in The Galveston County Daily News
October 20, 2022
When you go to the polls to vote in Galveston County be prepared for a surprise! The state legislature enacted a law requiring that by 2026 all in-person voting be done with a paper ballot backup for each vote cast. For those counties which are proactive – like Galveston – the State of Texas will pick up the expense for upgrading existing voting systems. As a result, when you go to vote in Galveston County, you’ll see some changes from the last voting cycle.
Here’s what you can expect this election cycle:
As normal, you will be asked to show one of the authorized photo IDs and then be checked in. Once you’ve done so, you’ll go to the “Access Code” station where you’ll surrender your sign-in slip and be issued an access code to enter into the voting machine AND be given a blank piece of ballot paper.
Next, you’ll go to any available voting machine, enter your access code, and insert your blank ballot paper into the voting equipment (arrow-side up). As you have in the past, select those candidates/measures you wish to vote for, then cast your ballot. When you do, the voting equipment will print out your choices on the thermal ballot paper you inserted into the machine. Look at your ballot to ensure your vote has been recorded correctly, then take your paper ballot to the scanner and scan it.
| Side Bar: The bar-coded slip you take from checking in to the "Access Code" station only has information as to what ballot to give you. It DOES NOT have any personal information about you, thereby ensuring the secrecy of your ballot choices. |
Please Note: If you miss this final step your vote won’t be counted. It’s the scanner that records your vote for counting. If you leave the polls with your paper ballot, you will have lost your ability to have your voice heard.
Here are some important things to remember:
- DON’T write anything on the ballot paper. If you do, you may need to start the process over again because your ballot may not scan.
- DON’T take a photo of your ballot. It’s against the law to use any recording device (including cell phones) in a polling place. If you want to have a list of who to vote for, bring a hard copy with you. You’ll not be allowed to use your cell phone.
- There won’t be any hand satirizers at the polls because it can smudge the thermostatic paper used for your paper ballot and cause it not to scan.
- In order to ensure the privacy of your vote, insert your paper ballot with the “arrow” side up. Doing so will ensure nobody sees how you voted.
- Finally, expect it to take longer to vote than in the past. The use of the paper ballot backup machines requires additional steps. That, plus having a long ballot, will mean you may spend more time than normal.
In order to avoid long lines on Election Day, consider voting during Early Voting (October 24-November 4). A list of polling places may be found at http://www.galvestonvotes.org.
Hope you find this information helpful. See you at the polls!
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