Bexar County to look for lawful advice on minimizing rejection price of mail-in ballots

SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County leaders are hoping to protected the vote by mail.

Seniors, people today with disabilities, and persons who are unable to vote in man or woman on Election Day are amongst the groups qualified to vote by mail in Texas. Soon after Senate Invoice 1 transformed some of the specifications to vote by mail, Bexar County observed a traditionally large rejection rate.

For some voters, they ended up discouraged with how the procedure has transformed.

“Voting is an significant point to do, and it is component of currently being American,” Jean Aratinji explained to KENS 5. 

The northside resident remembers currently being in university when she desired to vote for John F. Kennedy. In 1974, she grew to become a section of the League of Women Voters.

“I was going to the voting booth with my moms and dads as a kid, so I have constantly been included,” Aratinji stated.

The pandemic improved her voting habits. Aratinji and her spouse begun voting by mail. This earlier most important, her partner built a error on the mail-in ballot application by forgetting to produce down his driver’s license number and sealed the envelope.

He wrote the amount on the outdoors of the envelope with hopes it would be acknowledged.

“The Thursday or Friday just after the election, his rejection letter came…It was discouraging to me, and you know, to him to have this occur,” Aratinji reported.

The exact detail transpired to county commissioner Justin Rodriguez’s mother.

“It’s troubling when you see the figures and typically you see a two or three per cent rejection level traditionally, and this election cycle was around 20 per cent rejection level,” Commissioner Rodriguez said.

According to the Bexar County Elections Place of work, 3,940 full mail ballots were being rejected. The rejection level was 22.3% for Democratic voters and 20.3% for Republicans.

Previous 7 days throughout Commissioner’s Court docket, Bexar County requested the district attorney’s business office to assessment the Texas Election Code to see what they can do to carry that rate down.

1 approach could incorporate the county generating a community awareness campaign, like what they did back again in 2020. The county sent out flyers like to advise voters on how to vote properly all through the top of the pandemic.

A person of the adjustments stops election officials from sending unsolicited programs for mail-in ballots, which is why Commissioner Rodriguez is trying to find legal assistance.

“I want to be pretty thorough, yet again, as an elected official, not to skirt that law…I think a complete lawful investigation will be practical in what we can and can’t do,” the commissioner claimed.

Aratinji claims the modifications built by the state legislature are leaving some voters dissatisfied.

“Did they think everyone that goes into a voting booth is a fraud? It is extremely hard, it is just not correct,” Aratinji said.

County leaders are hopeful the DA’s business can have a report completely ready for the up coming commissioner’s courtroom assembly on April 5.

Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen instructed KENS 5 the DA’s office environment has not contacted her about their programs.