Early voting in the Nov. 8, 2022, General Election and four school elections — 3 trustees and one bond election 3 — got under way Monday morning, Oct. 24, 2022, at The ROC (First Baptist Church’s Recreational Outreach Center). Early voting by personal appearance will continue through Nov. 4.
As of 9:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 24, when the first count was posted, a total of 142 Hopkins County residents had cast ballots in the General Election.
That is 34 less voters casting ballots Oct. 24, 2022, than on Oct. 13, 2020, the first day of the 2020 General Election, which concluded with a total of 1,070 county voters (4.25% of registered voters) casting ballots. The 2020 election concluded with a record number of ballots being cast during the early voting period, according to data posted by local Election Officials and Texas Secretary of State’s office. Another 254 ballot-by-mail voters cast ballots on the first day of voting in 2020, increasing the total to 5.31% of registered voters casting ballots on the first day of early voting in 2020.
If the steady stream of voters entering the temporary early voting center at 10:30 a.m. was anything to go by, 2022 could prove be another year of high voting tallies, coming close to the 2020 early voting totals.
Early In-Person Voting
Any registered Texas voter may vote early by personal appearance (in person) at the early voting location in the county of registration.
All in-person early voting in Hopkins County is being conducted in The Game Room inside of The ROC, 115 Putman St. in Sulphur Springs, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24 through Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, with voting extended four of those days to better accommodate those working during regular business hours. The early voting location will also be open from:
- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022;
- noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct 30, 2022;
- 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022; and
- 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022.
Mail Ballots
Voting by mail is NOT available to everyone. The only people who are eligible to vote by mail are individuals who are: 65 years or older, sick or disabled, expected to give birth within 3 weeks of Election Day, out of the country on Election Day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance, confined in jail but otherwise eligible, or civilly committed under Chapter 841 of the Texas Health and Safety Code.
The last day the County Clerk is allowed to accept Applications for Ballots By Mail is this Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Election law specifies that this is the day by which the clerk’s office must have received the application. Getting it postmarked by the day is not enough, it must be in hands of voting officials by Oct. 28, 2022. The County Election Official is Hopkins County Clerk Tracy Smith; applications for ballots by mail should be returned to her at 128 Jefferson St., Suite C, Sulphur Springs, TX 75483. She may be contacted by phone at 903-438-4074, fax at 903-438-4110, or by email at [email protected].
All applications to vote by mail must be received by the early voting clerk before the close of regular business or 12 noon, whichever is later. The deadline to receive ballots mailed within the United States from non-military and military voters who submitted an Application for Ballot by Mail (“ABBM”) is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2022, if the carrier envelope has a postmark showing it was in the mail by 7:00 p.m. Nov 8, 2022. Please note that different deadlines apply to the last day to receive ballots sent by the following: (1) Non-military and military voters who mailed ballots domestically and submitted an ABBM; (2) Non-military and military voters who mailed ballots from overseas and who submitted an ABBM; (3) Non-military voters who mailed ballots from overseas and who submitted a Federal Post card Application (“FPCA”); and (4) Military voters who mailed ballots domestically or from overseas and who submitted a FPCA. Ballots in category (1) must be received by the early voting clerk by 5 PM on Nov 9, 2022. Ballots in categories (2), (3), and (4) must be received by the early voting clerk by Nov 14, 2022. Ballots in categories (1), (2), and (3) must bear a postmark indicating the ballot was mailed by 7 PM on Nov 8, 2022. Ballots in category (4) do not need to have any postmark.
Texas voters who are eligible to vote by mail must provide: (1) a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)-issued Texas Driver License, Personal ID or Election ID Certificate number; OR (2) the last 4 digits of their Social Security Number on both their Application for a Ballot by Mail (ABBM) and mail ballot carrier envelope. As long as one of the ID numbers provided matches what is on the voter’s registration record, the voter’s ABBM and ballot can be accepted.
Acceptable Forms Of Voter ID
In order to vote in Texas, registered voters must provide one of the seven forms of ID:
- A Texas Driver’s License
- A Texas Election ID Certificate
- Texas Personal ID Card
- Texas Handgun License
- US Citizenship Certificate with Photo
- US Military ID Card with Photo
- US Passport in either book or card format
In the event the voter does not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of the seven “acceptable forms of photo ID,” the voter may qualify for a reasonable Impediment Declaration by showing a copy or original one of the the following supporting forms of identification:
- Certified Domestic Birth Certificate or Court Admissible Birth Document;
- Current Utility BIll
- Bank Statement
- Government Check
- Paycheck
- Government document with the voters’ name and an address, including a Voter Registration Certificate.
Voters ages 18-69 may present a photo ID that has been expired for up to four years. For voters age 70 and older, photo ID can be expired for any length of time if otherwise valid.
Election Day Voting
Voting on Election Day will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, at the following designated voting centers:
- PRECINCT 1 — LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1000 TEXAS STREET, SULPHUR SPRINGS, TX (FRONT FOYER);
- PCT. 2A — H.W. GRAYS BUILDING, 413 BECKHAM STREET, SULPHUR SPRINGS, TX (MEETING ROOM);
- PCT. 3 — HOPKINS COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 118 CHURCH STREET, SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS (1ST FLOOR COURTROOM);
- PCT. 3A — PARIS JUNIOR COLLEGE- SULPHUR SPRINGS CAMPUS, 1137 TX-301 LOOP, ROOM 101A, SULPHUR SPRINGS, TX;
- PCT. 4 — HOPKINS COUNTY CIVIC CENTER, 1200 HOUSTON STREET, SULPHUR SPRINGS, TX (WEST HALL)
- PCT. 4A — LEAGUE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST, 1100 SOUTH LEAGUE ST., SULPHUR SPRINGS, TX (FRONT FOYER)
- PCT. 5 — SALTILLO ISD, 150 CR 3534, SALTILLO, TX 75478 (AG LAB)
- PCT. 11 — CUMBY MUNICIPAL BUILDING, 100 EAST MAIN STREET, CUMBY, TX 7543, (CITY MEETING ROOM)
- PCT. 12 — SULPHUR BLUFF ISD, 1027 CR 3550, SULPHUR BLUFF, TX 75481 (FOYER OUTSIDE GYM)
- PCT. 13 — COMO-PICKTON CISD, 13017 TX HWY 11 EAST, COMO, TX 75431 (ART ROOM)
- PCT. 16 — MILLER GROVE ISD, 7819 FM 275 SOUTH, CUMBY, TX 75433 (FOYER OUTSIDE GYM)
- PCT. 17 — NORTH HOPKINS ISD, 1994 FM 71 WESTS, SULPHUR SPRINGS, TX (ADMIN. BUILDING)
Additional Information
Hopkins County voters can find additional information about the Nov. 8, 2022, General Election by selecting the “Voter Information” menu option on the main page of the Hopkins County website, https://www.hopkinscountytx.org/page/hopkins.VoterInfo.
