Every election cycle, we get a few reports of ballot problems at the voting booths. Most common is a complaint that voting a “straight ticket” sometimes results in the “wrong presidential candidate” showing up on the ballot summary page. This apparently happened to a Chronicle staffer on Friday. Don’t panic!
The Chronster was able to fix the problem – by backing up to the presidential page and reversing the incorrect choice – but poll staffers there said it occasionally happens.
Asked about the potential problem, central Travis County election staff said they’ve had only one such complaint, but that such an error could potentially occur if a person “doubles up” on his or her straight ticket by also attempting to vote individually for the same candidate – they could inadvertently change the preference to another candidate.
The problem appears to be extremely rare, but can be readily resolved if you CHECK YOUR BALLOT! on the summary page that appears after you’ve gone through the entire list of choices, and BEFORE you “cast your ballot” by hitting the red “Cast Ballot” button. If you see any choice you didn’t make – or simply change your mind about any choice on the summary page – you can back up to the original page and make a new choice.
So, a few more things to remember:
(1) in Travis County, on election day, you can still vote at any voting location convenient to you (you don’t have to stay in your precinct)
(2) you don’t need a special Voter ID in order to vote, just something that confirms your name and address (“Registered voters can vote with a voter registration card, driver’s license or any official photo ID, birth certificate, United States citizenship papers or passport, copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, or other official document that shows the name and address of the voter”
(3) CHECK YOUR BALLOT on the summary page BEFORE you cast your ballot!
This article appears in November 2 • 2012.
