About 370,000 Williamson County residents are registered to vote with more added daily, he said. As of Sept. 29, the county had received about 27,000 mail-in ballot requests, which also continue to increase daily and far exceeds the previous most the county had received at 12,000 requests in 2018, he added.
“We're seeing a lot of new folks that are applying for a ballot by mail for the first time and being folks aged 65 or older that have traditionally voted in person in the past and decided possibly for due to the pandemic to vote by mail this time,” Davis said.
To help with the increase in mail-in ballot requests, the county set up a ballot tracking website, where voters can check their application status as well as whether their completed ballot has been received by the elections office and if their ballot has been accepted or rejected, Davis said. That website is https://apps.wilco.org/elections/bbm/default.aspx.
Davis added if a ballot is rejected for any reason, including if signatures do not match up or the ballot is not signed, the voter cannot submit a second ballot. Therefore, he encouraged those completing ballots by mail to ensure they have filled out their ballots completely and accurately.
The county is also receiving mail-in ballots in person at its office at 301 SE Inner Loop, Georgetown. Davis said previously by law the county could only accept mail-in ballots on Election Day, but Gov. Greg Abbott waived that rule, allowing mail-in ballots to be dropped off at the county elections office during business hours and with a valid ID. The ballot can only be hand delivered by the voter themselves, Davis said.
Davis also encouraged voters to mail or drop off their ballots as soon as it is completed, but for in-person voters, Davis asked that they take advantage of the 18-day early voting period that has been extended by six days due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It's important for folks to vote early and not wait to the end,” Davis said.
County residents have until Oct. 5 to register to vote to be eligible to participate in the Nov. 3 election.
In the November election, Williamson County will have 19 early voting sites and 57 Election Day locations. The county election is also supporting 49 participating entities, including city, school board and municipal utility district elections, many of which were scheduled to occur in May but were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Davis said.
Davis said because the ballot is longer than usual it may take voters longer to complete their ballots and should plan accordingly.
Early voting runs from Oct. 13-30. For locations and times, click here.
Preparing for high demand
With an anticipated high demand, the county is also preparing with more staff.
The Williamson County Commissioners Court voted Sept. 29 to increase the hourly pay for poll workers by $3. The pay is now $13 for a clerk and alternate judge and $15 for a presiding judge.
Davis said the county is working to secure 600 poll workers for Election Day, but with the pandemic and the general age bracket of most poll workers being 65 years and older, the court also voted to have county employees on standby on Election Day to fill in any needed positions. Davis said this is a strategy to ensure polling locations are fully staffed on Election Day. He added the standby county employees will be trained by his office and ready to ensure there are minimal delays or hiccups on Election Day.
Davis said the county is preparing to have all early voting results available at 7:01 p.m. on Election Day as soon as the polls close and provide updates as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“We anticipate to have the overwhelming majority of results in as early as possible on election night,” Davis said. “It's our hope that we're done [early], and we're able to go home and watch what's happening nationally.”
Safety protocols
Williamson County has also made moves to ensure a safe election for those who wish to vote in person.
Some safety protocols in place include social distancing markers, protective shields between voters and poll workers, and writing utensil sanitizers.
Machines will also be socially distanced and wiped down regularly, Davis said.
While the polling location cannot turn down a voter for not wearing a mask, Davis still asks that everyone who votes in Williamson County wear one for the safety of poll workers and fellow voters.
"We really request that voters be considerate of others, and of these poll workers that are working hours and days for this election, and they consider their health as well as their own health," he said. "But there's not going to be a requirement for a voter to wear a mask at these polling places."
The court also approved the acceptance of a $263,644 grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life to enhance safety measures at polling locations.
However, if these safety measures are still not satisfactory to voters who wish to vote in person, they can also opt to vote from their car. Davis said each polling location will have trained staff to conduct these ballot castings, but he warned curbside voting is not always a time saver as it requires several steps and back and forth between the voter and the poll worker.
“We're still doing the best that we can to protect our poll workers both inside and those that work curbside,” Davis said.
