Sample Ballots for each ballot style used in the election at hand
Sample Ballots are available at the Elections Office of the Wilson County Courthouse Annex III and will be posted at each polling location, as well as being published in a newspaper of local circulation prior to early voting and election day.
Information regarding the date of the election and the hours during which polling places will be open
See the Upcoming Election Calendar for additional information on extended hours and locations.
*Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Polls will be open from 7am until 7pm on Election Day.*
See our Election Calendar and Polling Location links for more information
What constitutes the uniform definition for the voting system used in the county?
After much research and careful consideration, it was decided to use the AccuVote TSX v.4.6.4D (also referred to as a DRE, touchscreen, or electronic voting system) along with the AccuVote OS v.1.96.6 (sometimes referred to as a scanner or precinct counter) and GEMS Election Software from Diebold Election Systems, Inc., now known as Premier Election Solutions, Inc. This vendor demonstrated to us several features and capabilities that made this the voting system that best fit the needs of our growing county.
How Wilson County’s voting system provides alternative language accessibility pursuant to the requirements of section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The voting system chosen by Wilson County has the ability to present each ballot in a variety of languages. The language availability for a given election will be determined by the ethnicity of voters in the surrounding areas. In accordance, English and Spanish ballots will be available in Wilson County for the convenience of our voters.
How individuals with disabilities, including non-visual accessibility for the blind and visually impaired, can access the voting system in a manner that provides the same opportunity for privacy and independence as other voters.
Persons with disabilities such as poor vision, blindness, illiteracy, partial or complete loss of hearing, and of course limited mobility will be able to access the voting system completely free of assistance. The new system comes equipped with headphones and audio as well as a standard telephone styled keypad including Braille, which allows complete independence and privacy for everyone.
Voting Procedures
Instructions on how to vote in general, including how to cast a vote and how to cast a provisional ballot.
Paper Optical Scan ballots will still be available at each polling location. The process for voting a paper ballot will remain the same as in prior elections. You must completely color in the oval next to the name of the candidate you wish to vote for. Do not mark your ballot with a check mark or an "X". This may result in your candidates' vote not being recognized by the scanner. When you have completed your ballot, you will run it through the precinct counter affixed to the top of the black ballot box. This precinct counter features a small screen on the right side, which allows the voter the opportunity to see that his/her vote has in fact been counted. It will also make the voter aware of any over votes in a given race by rejecting the ballot. In the case that your ballot is rejected, you should look it over, make any necessary corrections and resubmit the ballot.
The steps to vote electronically are as follows:
You will present your
driver’s license to the front desk and your information will be processed as in prior elections. *NOTE: New photo ID requirements for Texas voters. At that time, you will be issued a voter access card.
Insert your voter access card into the top right hand side of the voting unit (touchscreen) to access your ballot. Review your ballot and confirm that you have the correct ballot style for your precinct and party preference.
In order to mark your ballot on the touchscreen,simply touch the box next to the name of the candidate you wish to vote for. If you make a mistake or change your mind, just touch the box a second time to de-select that choice and remove the "X". When you have completed each particular screen, press the “NEXT” button in the bottom right hand corner and continue to do so until you reach the end of the ballot.
When you have been through each race and have reached the end of the ballot, you will automatically come to the Ballot Summary Page. Review your selections. Races highlighted in red are under voted, which means you either did not cast a vote in that race or you had the option to vote for more than one candidate. If you need to make corrections you may do so at any time.
After you have reviewed and verified your selections and are sure that everything is as it should be, you may click the “CAST BALLOT” button on the bottom right hand side of the screen. At this time your voter access card will be ejected from the unit and must be returned to the front desk. You will notice that the ballot count, located on the right hand side of the screen approximately half way down the page, will change to incorporate your vote.
How to verify/review selections before casting the vote
Once the voter has made the desired selections throughout the ballot, the voter will be able to review those selections on the ballot summary screen. This screen will automatically appear after the entire ballot has been marked in the manner of the voter’s choice. Any races not voted will be highlighted in red and voted races will show in green. If the voter chooses to make any changes to the ballot, he/she must simply touch the race he/she wishes to change.
How to change or correct any error on the ballot before casting the vote
From the summary screen you can review your entire ballot before casting your vote. If you notice that you have made an error or you've changed your mind, you still have the opportunity to make any necessary changes before casting your final ballot. If you choose to make changes to your ballot, simply touch the race you wish to change or click the “previous” button at the bottom left hand side of the screen. In order to vote for a new candidate, you must first de-select the candidate chosen in error and then touch the box of the candidate of your choice.
How to vote a provisional ballot, including written information on how the voter can ascertain whether his/her vote was counted, and if not counted, the reason given
Provisional voting is a fairly new concept which is utilized when the voter does not seem to be registered but insists that they are and want to vote regardless. The Election Judge may allow that person to vote and put his/her ballot in a sealed envelope marked “PROVISIONAL” and is to be kept separate. These Provisional ballots will be reviewed by the Provisional Voting Board. It is then that the Provisional Voting Board will determine whether the voter was or was not eligible to cast his/her vote. The voter will be notified in writing within ten days after the meeting of the Board as to the outcome of the vote. In the case that your ballot was not counted, the reason for rejection will be stated in your written notification. Provisional Voters must vote on paper ballots and will not be given the opportunity to vote electronically.