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Stephens County Elections Administrator Jared McLane spoke Tuesday, Sept. 17 to the Rotary Club of Breckenridge during their weekly meeting. Photo/Mike Williams
Stephens County voters have just under two weeks remaining to register to vote in the November election with federal, state and local races on the ballot.
The deadline to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 7, and the last day to apply for a ballot by mail will be Friday, Oct. 25.
To register to vote, complete a voter registration application and return it to the Stephens County Elections Administrator, Jared McLane at the Stephens County Courthouse.
To be eligible to register a potential voter must be a U.S. citizen, resident of Stephens County, not a convicted felon, at least 17 years and 10 months old on the date of registration and not been declared to be either total mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
In order to be eligible to apply for ballot by mail, voters must be 65 years of age or older on election day, sick or disabled, expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after election day, absent from the county of registration during the voting period (early voting and election day), civilly committed or confined in jail but otherwise eligible.
Applications for a ballot by mail must include one of the following: a driver’s license number, personal identification number, or elections identification certificate number issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety. If none of those numbers have been issued, the last four digits of your social security number. Disabled voters 65 years of age or older may file a single application for all eligible elections in the calendar year. Applications must be received (not postmarked) by the last day of the application period.
When speaking to the Rotary Club of Breckenridge during their Tuesday, Sept. 17 meeting, McClane encouraged students who are out of Stephens County to register to vote ballot by mail if they are not able to make it home to vote.
“From 18 to 22, I’ve really tried to promote it,” McLane said. “Some of these kids are saying they’re not going to vote because they’re not there. (I tell them) vote by mail. I mail (the ballot) to them, it goes into a secrecy envelope before it goes into the machine. We never see the ballot. It goes through the machine through that secrecy (envelope).”
Early voting will begin Monday, Oct. 21 and run through Friday, Nov. 1.
Hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 21-25; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday Oct. 26; 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday Oct. 27; and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Oct. 28-Nov. 1. All early voting will take place on the first floor of the Stephens County Courthouse.
Election day voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5. Voting locations are 101 E. Walker St. (Precinct 1), 1601 W. Elliott St. (Precinct 2), 222. N. Baylor Ave. (Precinct 3), 907 Hwy. 183 N (Precinct 4) and 10276 FM 1852 (Precinct 5).
For more information on voting registration and the upcoming November election, call McLane at 254-522-9498 or email jmclane@stephenscountytx.gov.
