Early voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 13 for Nov. 3 election

Early voting open Tuesday for Nov. 3 election

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

Early voting opens on Tuesday, Oct. 13 for the Nov. 3 general election and special election, and will continue t through Friday, Oct. 30.

In Copperas Cove, registered voters may cast ballots at the Copperas Cove Civic Center, 1206 W. Ave. B. Voters may also vote in person the Gatesville Civic Center, 303 Veterans Memorial Loop, Gatesville. Social distancing practices will be practiced and the use of a mask or face covering by voters is encouraged. 

Polls are open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Oct. 13-16, Oct. 19-23, and Oct. 26-30, except for Tuesday, Oct. 20 and Tuesday, Oct. 27, when polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Registered voters must present a form of identification to include a Texas driver’s license or identification card issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety, a Texas election identification certificate or Texas license to carry a handgun (also issued by DPS), a United States military identification card with photograph, or United States passport. 

Voters who don’t have any of the above identification may fill out a declaration at the polls explaining why and bring one of the following supporting documents to include a valid voter registration certificate; certified birth certificate (must be an original); copy of or original current utility bill; copy of or original bank statement; copy of or original government check; copy of or original paycheck; copy of or original government document with your name and an address (original required if it contains a photograph). 

Voters will see on the ballot that there is no option to vote straight-party, as a result of House Bill 25, passed by the Texas Legislature during its 2019 session which eliminated the straight-party voting option effective Sept. 1, 2020.

On Friday evening, a federal judge ruled that Governor Abbott’s Oct. 1 proclamation limiting drop-off locations for mail ballots to one per county discriminated against the elderly and disabled Texans, especially in more populous counties. However, the Fifth Texas Court of Appeals granted a temporary stay, leaving that order currently in effect.

For Coryell County voters who would like to drop off their mail-in/absentee ballots, they must travel to the Coryell County Tax Office’s Gatesville location, at 201 S. 7th St. According to the website of Coryell County voting registrar Justin Carothers, voters may only drop off their own ballot and must present an acceptable form of photo ID, such as when voting in person.

Copperas Cove voters who reside in Lampasas County are able to vote at the Lampasas County Annex, located at 409 S. Pecan St. Suite 102, Lampasas. However, during the early voting time period, the county notes that hand-delivered ballots will not be accepted.

Early voting for Copperas Cove voters who live in Bell County can be done in person at the Harker Heights Parks & Recreation Center, 307 Millers Crossing; the Bell County Annex, 304 Priest Dr., Killeen; Killeen Community Center, 2201 E. Veterans Memorial Blvd.; Bell County Annex, 205 East Central Ave., Temple; or Salado Church of Christ, 217 North Stagecoach.

The deadline to submit an application for a ballot by mail is Oct. 23, which is when request must be received by the county voter registrar, not postmarked.

Nov. 4 is the deadline for which counties receive ballots by mail, and the ballots must be postmarked by election day.

Copperas Cove races, special election

There are two positions on the Copperas Cove city council up for reelection, Places 6 and 7.

In the race for Place 6, incumbent Marc Payne is being challenged by candidates Terri Deans, Vonya Hart, and Gary Kent. For this race, one of the four must receive more than 50 percent majority of the votes. If no candidate receives that majority vote, there will need to be a runoff election, according to city charter.

In the race for Place 7, incumbent Jack Smith is running unopposed.

There is also a special election on the ballot for Copperas Cove voters, a sales tax election in which the current 1/8-cent of sales tax being collected for street and road repairs must be reapproved by voters in order to continue.

For more information on voting, to see more information on local candidates, and a sample ballot, visit the Copperas Cove Leader-Press election information page at https://www.coveleaderpress.com/election-2020.