It's Not Too Late to Fix Your Mail-In Ballot
Election Day has ended, and your vote has been cast. If you mailed in your ballot, you should still check the Ballot by Mail Tracker at votetexas.gov to determine if your mail-in ballot was accepted. If the envelope carrying your mail-in ballot was defective, you have until November 12th to make certain corrections.
The Secretary of State authorizes two different forms to notify voters of defects in the Carrier Envelope for your mail-in ballot. Each form is named for the number in italics at the upper left corner of the notice.
Form 6-15, Notice of Carrier Defect Issued by the Early Voting Clerk. Form 6-15 lists four defects to the Carrier Envelope that can be cured. Since this notice is issued prior to the convening of the Ballot Board or the Signature Verification Committee, it only addresses defects that do not require the authority of either of those entities.
Form 10-32, Notice of Defective Carrier Issued by Signature Verification Committee or Early Voting Ballot Board. Dallas County Elections began issuing Form 10-32 after October 16. It lists five defects to the Carrier Envelope that can be cured: all but one of the defects listed on Form 6-15, plus a notice of difference in signatures.
Dallas County Elections confirmed that Forms 10-32 were still being mailed as of Monday, November 4, 2024, noting one or more of the following defects:
1. The Carrier Envelope was not signed.
2. The signature on your Application for Ballot by Mail did not match the signature on
your Carrier Envelope.
3. Your Statement of Residence was not included in the Carrier Envelope.
4. Your Carrier Envelope did not contain the required identifications.
5. There was incomplete information with respect to a witness.
Defects 1, 2 and 5 can be cured by mail received by November 12, 2024*. Defects 3 and 4 can be cured by mail or online by November 12. A detailed list of the defects and the corrective actions you can take to cure the defects are on Form 10-32, attached.
What if you haven’t received either notice by mail? Whether or not you received a written notice of defect, you should still check the Ballot by Mail Tracker at votetexas.gov to determine if your mail-in ballot was accepted. If there was a defect, there should be an abbreviation posted on your Ballot by Mail record at votetexas.gov. Call Dallas County Elections, 469-627-8683, with questions about deciphering any abbreviations.
Since you have no way of knowing the defect(s) without receiving a written notice, Dallas County Elections recommends returning the Corrective Action Form, page two of Form 10-32, with every possible defect corrected.
*November 12, 2024, is the deadline to cure defects to your Carrier Envelope this year. Normally, the deadline is six days after Election Day but has been extended by one day due to the observance of Veteran’s Day on November 11. |