Vote by Mail

If you care about the cost of housing in your neighborhood, the way that roads are built and changed, or how much money teachers get paid — these local races are where you can make a difference.

A federal judge has ruled that parts of a sweeping Texas voter security law are unconstitutional, and the state can no longer investigate voter assistance efforts as a criminal act.

A couple constitutional amendments and a number of local offices and propositions are on the ballot. Austinites, for example, will have the chance to weigh in on marijuana and police tactics.

A couple constitutional amendments and a number of local offices and propositions are on the ballot. Austinites, for example, will have the chance to weigh in on marijuana and police tactics.

According to the state, 12.87% of Democratic mail-in ballots were rejected, and 11.77% of Republican ballots were rejected.

Perhaps most notably, Harris County rejected a whopping 19% percent of the mail ballots it received, or 6,888 ballots in total. Four years ago the county's rejection rate was about 0.3%.

Local election officials say a higher percentage of voters than normal had their ballots rejected because of ID issues.

The past election was the first since Texas' controversial new voting law was in effect.

The letter, directed to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, points to "an alarmingly high number" of rejections after the passage of Senate Bill 1.

In Harris County — home to Houston — election officials so far have sent back to voters nearly 38% of mail-in ballots, citing issues with new state ID requirements.