1 year ago
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Voters who got successful enactment aft 7 p.m. voted usually but placed their insubstantial ballot successful a sealed provisional ballot envelope.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The Texas Supreme Court has ruled the provisional votes formed successful Harris County aft 7 p.m. should beryllium separated and not counted, for now.
Harris County Elections Administrator Clifford Tatum said the provisional votes volition not beryllium thrown out. Instead, they volition beryllium acceptable to the broadside until further acquisition by the courts.
At astir 6 p.m., an hr earlier polls were scheduled to close, a justice ruled Harris County voting locations could enactment unfastened an other hr because of respective issues astatine polling sites earlier successful the day.
Those Harris County voters who got successful enactment aft 7 p.m. formed their ballot usually but had to enactment their insubstantial ballot successful a sealed provisional ballot envelope alternatively of inserting it into the scanner machine.
Tatum reported that each provisional ballots were going to beryllium tabulated separately wrong the Central Count presumption astatine NRG Arena and processed passim the nighttime until the Texas Supreme Court ruled the votes beryllium separated and not counted.
The process of tabulating provisional votes takes a spot longer than mean ballots, according to Tatum.
"There is, what we telephone a qualifying process," Tatum said. "We person to guarantee that the elector who really formed the ballot provisional ballot was successful information registered to ballot ... and past we person to spell done the process of separating the provisional papers from the ballot to past scan the ballot into the scanners."
Provisional votes are tabulated separately from the regular votes conscionable successful lawsuit the votes are challenged successful court.
"Provisional votes themselves don't person to beryllium cured successful a mean consciousness that we cognize of curing ballots, but what that means is arsenic those votes are tabulated, if by accidental that court's bid is challenged and different tribunal says that we can't really number those ballots, past we cognize precisely wherever those ballots are. We cognize however they were counted. We cognize wherever they were tabulated connected their abstracted V-drive," helium said.
Provisional ballots tin beryllium offered during aboriginal voting and Election Day, according to the Texas Secretary of State's website. A provisional ballot usually is needed erstwhile the elector went to the Texas Department of Public Safety to get oregon update a licence but the registration accusation was not transmitted to the Secretary of State oregon if determination was an mistake connected the database of registered voters. Provisional ballots are besides utilized erstwhile the voter's registration exertion is smudged oregon contains mediocre writing.
Tatum said determination were a fistful of precocious starts astatine assorted polling locations owed to respective issues, including a missing cardinal to unfastened the voting machines astatine the BakerRipley connected Navigation Boulevard voting location, which caused a five-hour delay.
Tatum said helium hoped the further hr gave voters an accidental to formed their ballot if they were incapable to bash truthful Tuesday morning.
"We are reviewing the circumstances surrounding these precocious starts and volition supply much accusation arsenic soon arsenic available," Tatum said.
How volition the extended hr impact results?
Early voting results volition beryllium posted aft the polls adjacent astatine 8 p.m.
Tatum said the precocious commencement volition origin an hr hold with judges closing the polling locations and past getting the results to the predetermination center.
As predetermination time results travel in, they volition beryllium released. Tatum said results should beryllium released each hour.
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