November 5 voting information announced

Cass County Clerk Amy Varnell has announced voting information for the November 5 election. There are no local contested races this year. Sample ballots can be found on the Elections page of the county website: www.co.cass. tx.us Election day is November 5. Polls are open on Election Day from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m Early voting will be held October 21 – November 1. There are three early voting locations:

• Linden at the Voting Building located at 227 E. Rush St

• Atlanta at the North East Texas Property Management Building 101 E Pinecrest corner of Highways 43 and 77

• Hughes Springs at the Community Center 903 E. First Street Hwy 11 The first week of Early Voting, October 21-25, Monday – Friday, all three early voting locations are open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Linden early voting location is open for extended hours (Linden is the only location mandated by law to have extended hours) Saturday, October 26 the hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Sunday, October 27 from noon until 6:00 p.m.

The second week of early voting, October 28 – November 1, Atlanta and Hughes Springs are open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday Linden location is open 7:00 am. to 7:00 p.m. the second week, Monday – Friday.

Those who are 65 or older, disabled, or who will be out of the county during early voting and on Election Day can vote by mail. October 25 is the last day we can accept a request to vote by mail (received, not postmarked). A request for a ballot by mail must be in writing, we cant take a request by phone. A voter can, however, call and request we mail them an application to vote by mail. ONLY THE VOTER can request we mail an application, a spouse cant request we mail an application for husband/wife, nor can a son or daughter or a caretaker request we mail an application to a voter.

If a voter requests a ballot mail during the March primary and checked the “Annual Application” box on the application, they will automatically receive a ballot in the mail for the November election. If a voter is unsure if they checked the “Annual Application” box, they can call our office, however, we can only give that information to the voter.

PARENTS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS: If your son or daughter won t be able to vote in person during early voting or Election Day and attend college out of the county, they can request a ballot by mail. Parents cannot request a ballot by mail for their son/daughter.

Applications for ballots by mail can be emailed, however, the original, hard copy of the application MUST be mailed and received by the early voting clerk no later than the 4th business day from the date we received the email.

On Election Day, a voter can vote at ANY location. When voting in person, you MUST present an acceptable form of ID:

• Texas Drivers License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (“DPS”)

• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS

• Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS

• Texas Handgun License issued by DPS

• United States Military Identification Card containing the persons photograph

• United States Citizenship Certificate containing the persons photograph

• United States Passport (book or card) If a voter is physically unable to enter the polling location, they can curbside vote. When they arrive at the voting location, they can call our office at 903 756 5071 and we will let the election worker know there is a curbside voter. PLEASE NOTE: CURBSIDE VOTING IS NOT DRIVE-THRU VOTING. Curbside voting is only for those who aren’t physically able to enter the polling location. An election worker can give voting order priority to a voter who votes in person who is in a wheelchair or uses a walker.

October 7 is the last day you can register to vote in the November 5 election. For questions regarding voter registration, contact the Voter Registrars office (Tax Office) at 903 756 5513, which is located in the Justice Center at 604 Hwy 8 North in Linden.