Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins requested Gov. Greg Abbott extend the deadline for county election administrators to receive mail ballots in the upcoming Nov. 3 election to Nov. 9. Officials in an Aug. 20 press release said the request for an extension was to reassure residents in the wake of national news reporting expected delays from the U.S. Postal Service.
Most mail ballots are due by 7 p.m. on Election Day or by 5 p.m. the following day if postmarked by 5 p.m. on Nov. 3, according to the county. The deadline for military voters’ ballots to be received is Nov. 9. To give county election officials enough time to prepare voting materials, Hollins asked the deadline be extended by Aug. 31.
“This November, we are predicting record voter turnout, and my office is receiving thousands of vote-by-mail applications,” Hollins said in a statement. “As the situation stands now, a mail ballot postmarked on Election Day is unlikely to be received in our office the following day. We know that voting by mail is the safest way to vote—I hope that the governor accepts this request to avoid disenfranchising thousands of Harris County voters due to mail delays beyond our control.”
Harris County Clerk @CGHollins has sent a formal request to Governor Greg Abbott requesting that the Governor extend the deadline by which county election administrators can receive mail ballots https://t.co/Segt665Nog
