By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Early voting began this week in the Republican Party and Democratic Party primary elections.
Early voting in both primaries and for all county voting precincts will be conducted in the Red Oak Ballroom at the Del Rio Civic Center, 1915 Veterans Blvd.
Early voting hours are as follows:
- 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Tuesday, Feb. 15 through Friday, Feb. 18
- 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Saturday, Feb. 19
- 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Sunday, Feb. 20
- State holiday/no voting – Monday, Feb. 21
- 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. – Monday, Feb. 22 through Friday, Feb. 25
Sample ballots and extensive voter information are available on the county clerk’s web site.
Voters casting ballots in person may show any of the following pieces of identification when they go to vote, according to the county clerk’s web site:
- Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
- Texas election identification certificate issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
- Texas personal identification card issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
- Texas handgun license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
- United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph
- United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
- United States passport (book or card)
Voters in both primaries will use the county’s new touch-screen voting machines.
After signing in and showing their ID at the front of the Red Oak Ballroom, voters are given a strip of paper bar coded with their individual information at the top.
They will take that piece of paper to one of the voting machines set up inside the Red Oak, feed the paper partway into the machine, then follow the on-screen prompts.
Each voter can review his or her ballot at the end of the process and make whatever changes are desired. Once reviewed and completed, the paper ballot is printed out, and the voter takes the paper ballot and feeds it into another machine, which reads the ballot.
If anyone needs assistance with the process, the election workers are there to help.
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Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
