Have you ever wondered what happens after you receive the “I voted” sticker? The Texas Election Code requires that all voting systems be approved by the Secretary of State before they can be used in any election. The voting system provider must submit an application to certify new voting systems and modified voting systems. After the polls close, ballots and electronic voting records are securely transferred to the election office. Election officials make election results public as quickly as possible, but even when those results say that “100% of electoral districts are accountable,” they remain unofficial.
The uniform election date in May of an odd-numbered year is a date on which many local political subdivisions, such as cities and school districts, hold elections. To learn about the special circumstances related to the withdrawal of a candidate before the ballots are prepared, contact the Electoral Division of the Texas Secretary of State's Office. You must also certify today to the county election official the offices, proposals (in all necessary languages) and names of the candidates (including the order) as they appear on the ballot, if you are hiring the county to carry out your election or if you are going to hold a joint election with the county. Recommended date for county election officials and local political subdivisions to meet to discuss holding elections at the same voting centers in accordance with Section 42.002, as well as any applicable joint election issues that must be agreed upon.
The last day of the period during which the notice of election must be published if a law outside the Electoral Code does not specify the notification method and publication is the notification method selected. All voter records must be kept for 22 months starting on election day, even when there is no federal office on the ballot. A county that holds an election or provides election services for an election for a public entity must post certain information about the results of the elections on its website after the elections. This means that for every application submitted before the 37th day before election day, voting materials must be mailed no later than the 30th day before election day. Last day for the General Custodian of Electoral Records to electronically submit to the Secretary of State the registration of every voter who participated in the election. A city or independent school district that holds an election and maintains an Internet website must also post certain information on its website related to the results of the elections, even if the county also publishes information.
Under Title 15 of the Texas Election Code, candidates running for public office must submit campaign contribution and spending reports. Therefore, a voter whose request was sent by fax or email before the 11th before election day (deadline) and whose original request is received the fourth business day following or before that date, will continue to have the right to receive a ballot for the elections (if they meet all other requirements). A city or independent school district that holds an election and maintains an Internet website must also post the same election information on its website, even if the county publishes this data. The deadline for local election officials to complete certification process ranges from one day after elections in New Hampshire to 30 days after elections in West Virginia. The last day to request a special election to fill a vacancy (if authorized to fill vacancies through a special election) and set deadline for submitting applications on 62nd day before election day. Most importantly, it's a process that allows election officials to confirm accuracy of election data and identify areas for improvement.
If you have questions about applicability of any of these provisions of this calendar to your specific election, do not hesitate to call Electoral Division of Texas Secretary of State's Office at 1-800-252-VOTE (868).
