(Seguin) — With early voting already underway in Guadalupe County, elections officials are reminding residents to arrive prepared and understand what to expect before stepping into a polling location.
Michelle Shields, interim elections administrator for Guadalupe County, says a little preparation can help voters move through the process smoothly. She says the first step would be to bring their ID.
“A voter registration certificate is not required. A photo ID is required for voters to vote. That includes a Texas driver’s license, a Texas personal identification card, a Texas handgun license, military ID or passport. If they forget their ID, they can either go home and get it or they can vote a provisional ballot. When they vote that provisional ballot, normally, we hand them a letter. That letter is going to have a date and after the election date, they have six days to come to the Seguin Elections Office to show us that valid photo ID,” said Shields.
Because this is a primary election, Shields says voters will also need to choose which party’s ballot they want to cast.
“Texas does not register voters by party affiliation when they register to vote so because of that, any registered voter can choose their party in the primary election. They can only vote in one party’s primary vote. So, voters will make that choice when they come in to check in and then that choice is usually considered your party affiliation for the remainder of the calendar year for purposes only for the primary election including the primary runoff if there was one and then in November, they can vote however they like,” said Shields.
Shields says it’s also important to remind folks about electioneering and what is prohibited at the polls.
“Cellphones are not allowed in the voting room and then if they have a paper sample ballot, they can bring that into the voting rom. Another thing they need to remember is that they can’t wear any political gear within the 100 feet of the entrance,” said Shields.
Shields says first-time voters and newly registered voters are especially encouraged to take a few extra steps before heading out. She says this includes confirming their voter registration status, verifying polling locations and reviewing a sample ballot in advance. First-time voters who registered by mail and who did not provide identification with their application may also be required to show ID when voting in person.
Voters can cast their ballots early through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Early voting continues Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., and again Monday, February 23 through Friday, February 27 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The main early voting location is the new Guadalupe County Elections Office at 3251 N. Highway 123 in Seguin. Other early voting locations include the Cibolo Fire Station No. 2 in Cibolo, Redemptive Grace Ministries in New Braunfels, the New Berlin Community Center, and the Elections Office Annex in Schertz.