Katy and Fulshear voters who missed the Oct. 23 deadline to request a mail-in ballot still have emergency options before the Nov. 3 election.
Texas law provides two lesser-known emergency voting procedures for people facing unexpected circumstances, as KPRC 2 first reported Oct. 25. Most voters who missed the deadline will need to vote in person. But those dealing with a sudden illness or a death in the family may qualify for a late mail-in ballot.
Sudden illness or disability
Voters who develop a qualifying illness or physical disability that began on or after Oct. 22 may apply for an emergency early voting ballot. The condition must prevent the voter from appearing at a polling place without risking their health or needing personal assistance.
A licensed physician must certify the condition and when it began. The voter can designate a representative who is at least 18 years old to deliver the application, pick up the ballot and return it to the county's early voting clerk. That representative cannot have already served another voter in the same election.
The deadline matters. Emergency applications are due by 5 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. The completed ballot must be returned by 7 p.m. that same day.
An existing illness or disability does not qualify. The condition must have developed after the regular application period closed.
Death in the family
A separate emergency procedure covers voters who must leave their county because of a death in their immediate family. The death must occur on or after Oct. 29, and the voter must expect to be outside their county of residence on Election Day.
Eligibility is limited to relatives within the second degree by blood or marriage: parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and certain in-laws.
Voters can apply in person at the main early voting polling place from Saturday, Oct. 31, through the close of business on Monday, Nov. 2. Unlike the medical emergency option, this procedure requires the voter to appear in person.
Already applied but no ballot?
Voters who submitted applications before the Oct. 23 deadline should not assume they are out of luck. That deadline applied to requests, not to returning completed ballots.
Completed mail-in ballots must reach the county by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots postmarked by 7 p.m. Nov. 3 can still be counted if received by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4.
In-person voting
For registered voters who do not qualify for an emergency procedure, in-person voting remains available. Early voting in Fort Bend County runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Voters with disabilities may request assistance or curbside voting at any polling location.
How to reach Fort Bend County Elections
Fort Bend County Elections Administrator Chase Wilson's office can be reached at (281) 341-8670 or by email at [email protected]. The office is at 3730 Bamore Road in Rosenberg. Voters can also find their local election office through the Texas Secretary of State's county directory.
