Take Action: Observe, Record, Report!

With our complex voting system and thousands of Texans voting each day the polls are open, problems will naturally arise. Machine malfunctions, human error, and misunderstandings of the Election Code or county procedures can cause delays and erode trust in the election. It is vital that we all operate under the guidance of “See something, say something.” If something occurs that could threaten the integrity of the election or the security of your ballot, it must be recorded and reported.

Verify your selections once the ballot prints! Proceed to the ballot scanner only if everything is listed how you intended to vote. If there is an error, alert an election official immediately. You do still have the opportunity to “spoil” your ballot and cast a new one up to 3 times. Once you put your ballot in the scanner it is truly cast and there is no going back.

For the integrity of the election, you should take two additional steps. Record the incident by completing a Standard Affidavit Form which should be available at the polling location and call your County Elections Office to report the incident.

If you do not wish to fill out the affidavit, call the Elections Office at the very least. They are required to keep a record of reports that can be requested later to look for any patterns. Be sure to give them as much information as possible. Provide the date, time, and location of the incident. If the issue involves a machine, note which machine. (This can be as simple as the third machine from the left.)

It cannot be stressed enough that the office that would most quickly fix the situation must be notified. No one can fix something if they don’t know it is broken.

This should be the same procedure for any serious incident at the polling location. This means something that keeps an eligible voter from voting, lets an ineligible voter cast a ballot, threatens the chain of custody or security of the polling location, or violates election law.

If an incident isn’t recorded and reported properly, it did not happen. It cannot be used as evidence in a potential election contest or legislative hearing. If your Elections Administrator or County Clerk is called to testify and he does not have a record of any incidents you are claiming took place, your credibility is gone. In other words, nothing can be done to improve the situation for future voters. Posting something to social media is not enough to affect real change.