Make sure YOUR vote counts

Take personal responsibility for your vote. Many things can go wrong in the process.

Below are steps to take proactively, and problems to watch for that have occurred. Don't let one of these affect your vote!

Be Proactive
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1. Register to vote. Deadline for the next election is Monday, October 7, 2024.
2. Check your registration. Make sure your address is current and everything is update.
3. Vote in person. The vast majority of issues are with absentee or mail in ballots. If at all possible, show up and vote in person. Would you mail someone $500 cash? Our vote is priceless, don't mail it in if at all possible.
4. Vote on election day. I know, early voting is very convenient. But the most secure day to vote is election day. When you vote early, there is additional risk of an error or fraud negating your vote.
5. Vote your values. No candidates are perfect. You have to take the adult view of "which one is better", or "which one is less bad". More info here.
6. Research candidates and print sample ballot.

Watch for Problems
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1. Check your ballot - 2 ways.*
   1️⃣First, on the screen, check the "ballot preview" to make sure it shows all the candidates for whom you intended to vote.
   2️⃣Second, always check the printed paper ballot to make sure it shows all the candidates for whom you intended to vote. If there is an error, request a new ballot from the judge, watch to see the "bad" ballot is spoiled so that it cannot be counted in error. Note: you can have two spoiled ballots, or a total of three tries. So if you get an error twice, go to a different machine with your third ballot.
   ✅If you have a bad ballot, report the machine to the judge, asking that it be taken out of service until a tech is able to confirm the machine is again behaving correctly.
2. You are told: "you already voted" but did not. Find out the date, time and location where you supposedly voted so that you can file a report with the elections department. Then ask to vote a "provisional ballot" (they have to allow this) and request an investigation to check for errors or a forged signature. Follow-up with the County Elections Dept to make sure the error was fixed and your provisional ballot was counted.
   
3. Candidates missing from the ballot, or candidates added. Compare your sample ballot for your precinct printed from your research on who is running. Tell the election judge of the mismatch, see that the bad ballot is spoiled, and get a new one. If it cannot be resolved by the election judge, then he/she needs to call the County Elections Dept. Don't cast your ballot until it is resolved.
4. Do not leave the poll with your paper ballot. Seriously, it won't be counted.
5. Vote all the way down the ballot. It is important to vote your values on all positions. Once in office, incumbents have a built in advantage, and often rise to higher office.
6. If you must vote absentee or by mail (see #2 above), then check that it was received. This information should be available at the County Elections Department. In Collin County, it can be located at https://www.collincountytx.gov/elections
   If your ballot does not show by election day morning, then you can vote a provisional ballot in person.
7. If you receive a voter application in the mail, please call the County Elections Department to check on your voter status before filling out/sending in the application. This could be a ballot harvesting effort. Best thing to do is report it and confirm that no one is voting in your name.

Finally, if you notice anything odd, unusual, or misleading (something you don't understand), ask the election judge for an explanation. If the election judge has no answer, request that he/she call the County Elections Department for an explanation. You should also report it to your party ASAP.

To report any election law violations, email the Texas Attorney General electionintegrity2022@oag.texas.gov.

That's it, you have made sure your vote will count!   ✅✅✅

Want to help ensure other peoples' vote will count?

(Note: to find your County Elections Dept; search for "your county elections office")

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* Note: Potential problem #1 above is based on ES&S, process may vary slightly in your county. Key is to double-check your ballot before depositing it in the tabulator.