Gabrielle Tellez
Managing Editor
*Mail in ballot guide video by Gabrielle Tellez
Bexar County residents will be eligible to vote by mail this November if they will be outside of Bexar County during early voting and Election Day; are sick or disabled; are 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or are incarcerated.
The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 23.
Interested residents can confirm their eligibility by reviewing the absentee ballot application online or by contacting Jacquelyn F. Callanen, Bexar County Elections Administrator, at 210-335-8683.
Applications for mail-in, or absentee, ballots can be requested at any San Antonio Public Library or found on the Bexar County website to be printed and mailed from home.
Voters should be prepared to provide information such as a full address, name, date of birth and other contact information.
Applications for the Nov. 3 election should be submitted by mail or in-person no later than Oct. 23 to the Bexar County Elections Office, 1103 S. Frio, Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78207.
Voting by mail
Once the application is submitted, eligible voters will then receive a ballot by mail. Completed ballots should be mailed to the Early Voting Clerk, 1103 S. Frio, Suite 200, San Antonio, TX 78207.
The Early Voting Clerk must receive marked ballot by 7 p.m on Election Day, so it is highly recommended that voters complete and mail their ballots before Nov. 3.
According to an election notice released by the Bexar County Elections Office, “mail-in voters may also drop off ballots in person.”
These voters should expect to bring a form of ID along with their sealed absentee ballot to the Bexar County Elections Office by 7 p.m on Nov. 3.
To vote using mail-in ballots, voters must follow the guidelines that their state requires for this way of voting. For example, in California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Vermont, have sent mail-in ballots to all their residents automatically.
New York, New Hampshire, and a few other states have suspended the need for an excuse to obtain an absentee ballot. Voters in these states are allowed to use COVID-19 as a valid excuse to vote by mail, whereas Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Indiana need an excuse beyond COVID-19 to request a mail-in ballot.
If you are requesting a mail-in ballot you must request it from your local election office and you should request it as far in advance as possible.
When the ballot arrives voters are to read it carefully and follow the instructions to complete it and return it before the deadline.
For more information on mail-in voting and eligibility, contact Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacquelyn F. Callanen at 210-335-8683 or visit bexar.org/1568/Elections-Department
