Vote Texas.org

Texas uses three methods to vote.

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Texans cast their votes by paper ballot or by using an optical scan system or DRE. (DRE stands for Direct Record Electronic system. A DRE also allows for the connection of an audio/headphone attachment, simple touch devices, or a sip and puff tube that enables the blind, elderly, physically disabled, and non-reading Texans to vote independently and in private.) The type of system you vote on is decided by the political subdivision (county, city, school district, etc.) in which you live. Depending on where you live, you may also use a different system for Early Voting than on Election Day. Here’s a brief summary regarding the different voting methods:

Paper ballots are still used as the primary way of voting in a number of Texas counties. Voters mark their ballot by hand with an indelible marker (a marker that cannot be erased) or pen and place their finished ballot in a ballot box. Local election officials then count the votes by hand.

Optical scan voting systems enable voters to mark their choices on pre-printed ballots by either connecting “arrows,” or filling in “bubbles” next to the candidates’ names. The paper ballot is then inserted into an electronic ballot counter, which then counts the marked “bubbles” or “arrows” on each ballot and automatically computes the totals for each candidate and/or issue.

DREs (Direct Record Electronic systems) enable voters to record their choices electronically directly into the machine. There are several types of DREs (some have a dial while others use a touch screen), but essentially they all enable voters to move back and forth between screens (ballot pages) to select the candidates and/or issues for whom they wish to vote. Once a voter has made his or her choices, the DRE provides a summary screen that presents those choices and gives the voter the ability to go back and make any changes before pressing the “Vote" or "Cast Ballot” button. One of the benefits of a DRE system is that it prevents “over-voting;” that is, it stops the voter from selecting two candidates or options in a race where only one is allowed. As well, a DRE gives the voter an opportunity to correct “under-voting,” or when he or she fails to select any candidate or option in a race.

Each polling place in Texas must offer at least one accessible voting system (either a DRE or an AutoMark), with the limited exception of sparsely populated jurisdictions conducting non-federal elections.