Brazos County voters who send their mail ballots back through the Postal Service now have a way to keep the envelope from leaving the county, according to the county's elections office.
Elections Administrator Trudy Hancock said a ballot handed to a counter clerk at the main Bryan post office, 2121 E. William Joel Bryan Parkway, will go directly to the elections office, WTAW reported Friday. Ordinary mail dropped in a collection box takes a longer path: it is sent to Houston first and then comes back to the county.
The option comes with one firm condition. A postal clerk has to take the ballot at the counter. Envelopes slipped into the boxes in the lobby or the parking lot follow the normal route through Houston. Hancock said the Bryan location is the only post office in the area doing this.
The county has not said whether any ballots have been late or lost so far this election, and no count of affected ballots has been released.
Deadlines to know
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. A request for a mail ballot has to reach the Brazos County Elections Administration Office at least 11 days ahead of Election Day, which falls on Friday, Oct. 23 this year, according to the county's ballot-by-mail page.
Anyone who faxes or emails an application must also put the original in the mail within four business days; the office will not process the request until that paper copy arrives.
