Texas Counties Deliver
Vote By Mail

Voting by mail in Texas has been available to registered Voters of Caldwell County who meets state requirements for decades. However, there are many legal safeguards designed to protect voters, their ballots, and to help enforce the privacy of the voter’s home.

There are also two new features available through the Secretary of State's Office to assist in tracking your voter information, Application for Ballot by Mail, and your Mail Ballot. 

**You may also call our office at (512) 668-4347 to request to have an application mailed.**

Here are a few tips that may prove helpful: 

Eligibility

Voting by mail in Texas is limited to voters who are:

• 65 years of age or older on Election Day
• Sick or disabled
• Expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day
• Absent from the county of registration during the Early Voting period and on Election Day
• Civilly committed under Chapter 841 of the Texas Health and Safety Code; or
• Confined in jail, but otherwise eligible

What to Provide

To vote by mail, you must provide ONE of the following numbers on your application to vote by mail: 

  • Texas Driver License
  • Texas Personal ID Card
  • Texas Election ID Certificate
  • Social Security Card

NOTE: Election ID issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (NOT your voter registration VUID number). If you have not been issued one of the numbers above, the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number.

  • If you have not been issued a Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or Texas Election Identification Certificate Number or a Social Security Number, you must indicate so by checking the appropriate box on the ABBM.
  • Send your application for a ballot by mail as early as 60 days before an election. This will give you plenty of time to receive your ballot, mark it, and mail it back to:

Caldwell County Election Office

1403 Blackjack St, Ste. A

Lockhart, TX 78644

    • All applications to vote by mail must be received by the early voting clerk not later than the 11th day before election day by the close of regular business or 12 noon, whichever is later.
    • Applications to vote by mail must be submitted in person or by mail, email, common or contract carrier, or fax (if a fax machine is available in the office of the early voting clerk).

     

    • A completed mail ballot MUST be returned to the Caldwell County Elections Office in the Official Carrier Envelope provided to the voter.

      It may be returned in any of the following manners listed below:

      Regular residential mail via United States Postal Service

      a. Ballot must be postmarked by 7:00 pm on Election Day and must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the first mail delivery day after Election Day

      In-person drop off at Caldwell County Elections Building (1403 Blackjack St. Ste. A Lockhart, Texas 78644) on Election Day only from 7:00 am – 7:00 pm

      A. You must present an acceptable form of photo identification
      B. If a voter does not possess and cannot reasonably obtain an acceptable form of photo identification, the voter may show a List B identification and complete a Reasonable Impediment Declaration (RID)
      C. Only the voter may deliver their ballot in person on Election Day

      Common or contract carrier (such as personal courier, or FedEx or UPS, or other contracted mail service)

      A. Ballot must be received by 7:00 pm on Election Day


      B. If the carrier provides receipt mark indicating a time before 7:00 pm on Election Day, it may be received by 5:00 pm on the first mail delivery day after Election Day.

       

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    • NEW LAW EFFECTIVE 2022

      Senate Bill 1 sets new rules for voting by mail. Those who are eligible to vote by mail, will now need to provide:

      1. Their Driver's License Number (DL); and/or
      2. The last four (4) of their Social Security (SSN).

      Voters must write their Driver's License Number and/or the last four (4) of their Social Security number in two places:

      • On the Application to Vote by Mail (ABBM); and
      • On the completed Ballot Envelope.

      NOTE: The Driver's License or Social Security numbers provided on the ABBM will have to match the numbers on the envelope used to return the completed ballot.

      If any information is missing or invalid, we will proactively reach out to you directly to address any inconsistencies if you included a phone number or email when registering to vote. If not, we will mail you a letter with follow up information.

      Failed attempts to contact you regarding your missing or unmatched Driver's License or Social Security Number on the ABBM or Return Ballot Envelope may result in rejection of the application or ballot.

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    Important Note

    Registered voters who are temporarily out of the country and wish to vote, may complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). This type of application is limited to:

    • A member of the U.S. Armed Forces, their spouse or a dependent
    • A member of the U.S. Merchant Marines, their spouse or a dependent
    • A U.S. citizen domiciled in Caldwell County Texas but temporarily living outside the territorial limits of the United States

    A FPCA is valid for one calendar year (last day of December), when completed properly. The FPCA must be resubmitted every time a voter changes mailing address. To participate in an election taking place within a calendar year, an FPCA may be mailed starting on January 1 of that year.

    For additional information visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s website at www.fvap.gov
    If you have any questions or concerns regarding the FPCA online submission; please email caldwellec@co.caldwell.tx.us

    • Ballots from civilians abroad must be received no later than the 5th day after Election Day.
    • Ballots from Military voters must be received no later than the 6th day after Election Day.

    • Military & Overseas Voters

      First and foremost, we would like to thank you, the military voters, for your service to our country. To all U.S. citizens overseas, thank you for your interest in your country’s elections while far away. (Federal voting law defines “overseas” as anywhere outside the United States. This includes Canada and Mexico.) Military and overseas voters are welcome to use the regular registration and early voting by mail process (also known as absentee voting) available to all voters away from their home county on Election Day. However, there are also special provisions for you.

      Who can use the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA)?

      • Active duty military, spouses, and dependents (voting from outside the home Texas county)
      • U.S. Citizens (nonmilitary) temporarily overseas* away from the home Texas county
      • U.S. Citizens (nonmilitary) permanently overseas* away from the (previous) home Texas county
      • Members of the merchant marine, spouses, and dependents (voting from outside the home Texas county)
      • Members of the Texas National Guard, spouses, and dependents (voting from outside the home Texas county)
      • Members of a National Guard of another state, spouses, and dependents (voting from outside the home Texas county)
      • Members of the military reserves on active duty, spouses, and dependents (voting from outside the home Texas county)

        The process is as easy as ABC:

        A (Application)

        Fill out and file your FPCA (Federal Postcard Application) as soon as possible but no later than the 11th day before Election Day.

        B. Ballot

        How do you receive the ballot from the clerk?

        Authorized method the voter requested on the FPCA:

        • Hard copy by mail (default method if nothing else requested)
        • E-mail (unmarked ballot)
        • Common or contract carrier (if paid for by voter)
        • Unmarked ballots may not be faxed under Texas law, regardless of voter’s status.

        C. Casting and Counting

        How do you return the ballot to the Early Voting Clerk?

        • Hard copy by mail, or common or contract courier (like any other ballot by mail)
        • IF from military voter (or spouse or dependent) in hostile fire pay / imminent danger pay / combat zone, may be faxed using authorized channels.

        When is the deadline for returning the ballot?

        • Regular deadline: receipt by 7:00 p.m. Election Day
        • Deadline for voters voting from overseas location: receipt by 5th day after Election Day
        • Deadline for the ballot to be received is the 6th day after Election Day for:
          • Members of the armed forces of the United States, or the spouse or a dependent of a member of the armed forces;
          • Members of the merchant marines of the United States, or the spouse or a dependent of a member of the merchant marine;
          • Members of the Texas National Guard, or the spouse or dependent of a member of the Texas National Guard;
          • Members of the National Guard of another state, or the spouse or dependent of a member of the National Guard of another state;
          • Members of the military reserves on active duty, or the spouse or dependent of a member of the military reserves on active duty.
      *Federal law defines “overseas” as anywhere outside the United States. If you are not one of these voters, you need the regular early voting by mail procedures.

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      • Voters may begin to submit Annual Ballot by Mail (ABBM) on or after January 1 of the calendar year in which the voter wishes to receive ballots. [§ 86.0015] 

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      • Once a completed ABBM or FPCA is received and processed, a paper ballot will be sent through the U.S. Postal Service to the address on file.

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      • In Section 4 of the Application to Vote by Mail under the Primary Election section. 

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      • The Annual ABBM is valid from the time the early voting clerk receives it until the end of the calendar year or until the voter submits a change in registration information. Thus, the Annual ABBM expires on December 31 of the current year, regardless of when the voter submitted the application to the early voting clerk. [§ 86.0015(b)] 

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      • Any ballots returned must be postmarked no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day. If you are mailing your ballot from outside the United States, your ballot must be delivered to the Elections Department no later than five days after Election Day. 

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      • Yes. The voter will receive a ballot as long as they qualify for the proceeding election. 

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      • Because a voter cannot participate in both parties' primary elections, a voter MUST indicate, when voting by mail, their party preference to ensure they receive the correct ballot style. 

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