Do you have questions about voting? We will help you find the answers! Between now and election day, the page below will collect helpful links to answer important voting questions. You’ll be able to browse through a list of topics and the questions in each to find those links.
Let’s start with the most important resource for all Kendall County voters: the website for the Kendall County Elections Department, and in particular, their information page for the November 3 election in Kendall County.
If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, please send an email to deputychair@kendalltxdemocrats.org, and we’ll find the answer, add it to this page, and get back to you! Please vote in this extremely important election—every vote counts!
Contents – Topics
Voter registration
- Am I too late to register to vote?
- Texas’ voter registration deadline to vote in the 2020 General Election was October 5th. But if you were registered to vote before, your registration may still be valid. In Texas, your registration automatically renews every two years unless you move or are convicted of a felony. Learn more about registration renewal.
- How do I know if (and where) I’m registered to vote?
- Look yourself up using the Secretary of State’s “Am I Registered?” website. Just click the “Selection Criteria” menu on the right of the page to look yourself up by your TDL (Texas Driver License) number, or by your name and county. If you’re registered, the result will show “ACTIVE” and you’ll see the county (and address) where you’re registered.
- I’m sure I’m registered, but I’m not in the system. What do I do?
- Contact the Elections Office right away, so they can perform a search for your record. And remember, if you’re registered but aren’t found in the system, you have a right to cast a provisional ballot. Learn more about provisional voting in Texas.
Preparing to vote
- Where can I find a sample ballot?
- The Kendall County Elections Office has published a Generic Sample Ballot for Kendall County. Note that some races that appear on this generic sample ballot may not appear on your ballot, depending on what part of the county you live in.
- Where can I find information on candidates and propositions?
- Go to Vote411.org, enter your address in the area labeled “Personalized Voting Information,” and you’ll be able to explore the races that will be on your ballot in this election. In each race, you’ll see the candidates’ unedited answers to questions from the nonpartisan League of Women Voters. For propositions, you’ll see explanations of the choices and, in some cases, a summary of arguments for and against the proposition. You can select your choices and at the end, email yourself a list of your choices that you can print and take with you when you vote.
- What else should I prepare before I vote?
- There are many races on the ballot this year, there is no longer a “straight ticket” option in Texas, and you can’t use phones or other electronic devices when you’re voting. So it’s best to study your choices in advance, and fill out a sample ballot or prepare some other kind of notes on paper that you can use when you’re in the voting booth.
Voting by mail
- Who is eligible to request a ballot by mail?
- To be eligible to vote by mail in Texas, you must:
- be 65 years of age or older; or
- be out of the county during early voting (October 13-30) and Election Day (November 3); or
- have a physical condition that could injure your health if you were to vote in person; or
- be confined in jail but still eligible to vote.
- To be eligible to vote by mail in Texas, you must:
- I meet one of those criteria. How do I request a ballot by mail?
- Print the Application for Ballot by Mail, or get one from the Elections Office
- Complete, sign and date the application
- Hand-deliver the application to the Elections Office, or add postage and mail to the elections office (in Kendall County, mail to Elections Administrator Staci Decker, P.O. Box 2384, Boerne 78006)
- Apply as soon as possible – the Elections Office must receive your application by Oct 23 to send you a ballot by mail.
- When will I receive my mail ballot?
- If the Elections Office receives your application 37 days or more before the election, they must send you your ballot no later than 30 days before the election. After that, they must send you your ballot no more than 7 days after they receive your application (Texas Election Code §86.004). If you’re concerned that too much time has passed, contact the Elections Office (Kendall County Elections is at 830-331-8701).
- How do I complete my mail ballot?
- Mark your ballot as soon as you get it with a blue or black pen. Fill circles completely.
- Place ballot in ballot envelope and seal. Place ballot envelope inside mailing envelope and seal.
- Sign in the red box across the flap on the mailing envelope.
- Include only one ballot per envelope.
- How do I return my mail ballot?
- You can hand-deliver your ballot to the Elections Office, or you can mail it back to the Elections Office.
- To mail, add a first-class stamp to the mailing envelope and mail as early as possible. The US Postal Service has advised, “voters should mail their return ballots at least 1 week prior to the due date established by state law.” In Texas, this means you should mail your ballot no later than Tuesday, October 27.
- To hand-deliver, here are instructions from Kendall County Elections: “Any voter who has requested a ballot to vote by mail may now hand-deliver their voted ballot to the Early Voting Clerks office ANYTIME after they have received their ballot. For this election only, you do not have to wait until Election Day to drop off your voted ballot. Our office has created 4 parking spots dedicated to voters wanting to drop-off their ballot. As you drive into our parking, you will see 4 white signs with #’s on them on the right side of the building. Pull into one of those spots and call the phone number listed on the sign. One of our office staff will come out to retrieve your ballot. You will be required to show a valid Voter ID as well as sign our in-person roster. If you wish to come inside, you are more than welcome to.”
- How do I confirm my mail ballot was received?
- Consult the roster of early voters, which each county is required to make available by Texas law. On Kendall County’s election website, click “Voter History Reports,” then “Early Voting – Returned Voted Ballots,” then search for your name.
Voting in person
- When and where can I vote during Early Voting?
- Early voting will take place from October 13-30, 2020. Kendall County voters may vote early at two locations in Boerne. The following links include the hours for each location:
- Main Early Voting Location: Courthouse Annex, 221 Fawn Valley Drive in Boerne [map]
- Branch Early Voting Location: Boerne City Hall, 447 N Main Street in Boerne [map]
- Early voting will take place from October 13-30, 2020. Kendall County voters may vote early at two locations in Boerne. The following links include the hours for each location:
- When and where can I vote on Election Day?
- Polls will be open from 7am to 7pm on November 3, 2020. Kendall County voters may cast their ballots at any of eleven available voting locations throughout the county, as shown on the map below.
- What should I bring when I come to vote?
- Bring one of the seven acceptable forms of photo ID. If you’re unable to obtain one of those forms of ID, you can bring an alternate form of ID and sign a form indicating why they were unable to obtain an acceptable form of photo ID. Learn more about voter ID in Texas.
- You may also bring a completed sample ballot or paper notes to refer to while voting.
- What shouldn’t I bring when I come to vote?
- Phones, cameras, and audio or video recording devices cannot be used within 100 feet of the voting area, so be sure to turn them off before getting in line to vote.
- No one may post, use or distribute political signs or literature within 100 feet of the voting area. This includes shirts, hats, buttons, flyers, etc — so leave those items at home before going to vote.
- How do I cast my vote?
- This will be the first election in Kendall County to use new voting equipment that uses an electronic device to mark a paper ballot, which can be tabulated by an electronic system but verified by hand. The following video walks through the process:
Bexar County has used the same system for a year now, and also created a helpful walkthrough video for their voters.
- Can I vote curbside?
- Yes. Texas Election Code §64.009 allows voters to request to vote curbside if they cannot safely enter the polling place. In Kendall County, all early voting and Election Day polling locations will have designated parking spaces and signs with instructions for curbside voting. Voters wishing to vote curbside will call the phone number on the sign and the election judge will bring their ballot and voting equipment to them curbside.
Voting rights & protections
- What are my voting rights under Texas election law?
- Texas voters have many important rights that are protected under Texas law. VoteTexas.gov has a helpful list of Texas voting rights. In addition, ACLU Texas has provided a great set of answers to voting-rights questions.
- What conduct is permitted at polling places, and what conduct is prohibited at polling places?
- All poll workers and all official poll watchers must wear visible nametags at all times identifying themselves.
- Poll watchers must be appointed by a candidate or party, and must present their appointment certificate to the election judge.
- Poll watchers may only observe and report issues to the election judge; they may not communicate with voters. [More about poll watchers from Texas Tribune]
- Loitering and electioneering — including campaigning, distributing or displaying campaign literature or signs — are prohibited within 100 feet of a polling place. Use of loudspeakers is prohibited within 1000 feet of a polling place.
- How do I report problems or violations of voting rights?
- As to speak with the Election Judge at your polling location.
- Call the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).
- You may also contact the U.S. Department of Justice Voting Rights Hotline: 800-253-3931.
- How do I protect myself and others from COVID-19 when I vote in person?
- The Kendall County Elections Department has established a variety of safety protocols to protect voters and election workers from transmission of COVID-19 during in-person voting. Equipment will be cleaned and sanitized throughout the day, and each voter will be provided with a clean stylus to sign the poll book and touch the touchscreens. Poll workers will use masks and voters are encouraged (although not required) to do so as well.
- Additional guidelines for safe voting are available from the Texas Secretary of State and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
