After New Texas Law Requiring ID Information on Absentee Ballots – 28% of Mail-In Ballots in Primary Rejected

Texas instituted a law that all absentee ballots must include an identification number with the filing.  As a result over a quarter of ballots to date have been returned in a primary there. 

A local Dallas newspaper, the Dallas Morning News, is reporting:

More than a quarter of absentee ballots mailed to Dallas County election officials as of Thursday for March 1′s party primary have been rejected, according to Dallas County Election Administrator Michael Scarpello’s office.

So far, Scarpello’s office has returned 166 ballots to absentee voters to allow voters to “cure” any issues with their ballots. The reason those ballots were rejected was not specified, and The Dallas Morning News is seeking clarification.

March 1′s primary is the first balloting the state is conducting since the controversial election law Senate Bill 1 took effect.

Across the state, election officials have reported issues with the new law related to absentee ballots due to a new provision requiring voters to supply either their Texas ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.

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