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Election Information
For more information: contact:
City of Texas City
City Secretary: Pam Lawrence
Phone: 409-643-5905
Election Calendar | Upcoming Election Information | Election Results | Election Day Polling Places | Early Voting Schedule | Early Voting/Absentee Voting | Military and Overseas Voters | Become an Election Worker | Voting System/Instructions | District Maps
Current voting system consists of optical scan election ballots along with a central counting station environment. The City has used the same optical scan ballots and general tabulation technology since May 7, 1988.
Voters mark their choices on specially encoded paper ballots. Voted ballots are deposited in pre-locked, pre-sealed ballot boxes. These ballot boxes are transported to the Central Counting Station located at City Hall for counting. The ballots are electronically tabulated at the central counting station on high-speed optical scanners.
The City's optical scan voting system is certified for use in Texas by the Texas Secretary of State pursuant to Chapter 122 of the Texas Election Code.
It is important that you mark your ballot properly so that all of your vote choices are counted correctly:
Mark your ballot by completely darkening the oval next to your choice.
Example: 
- Use only the special pencil provided by the election officials or found in the voting booth. DO NOT mark your ballot in ink.
- If you make a mistake in marking your ballot, please ask the election official for a replacement ballot.
- DO NOT FOLD your ballot before placing it in the ballot box.
- If you have any questions regarding your ballot, please ask the election officials BEFORE placing your ballot in the ballot box.
NEW! In addition to the City's current voting system, the City will have a new system. Beginning with the May 13, 2006 General Election, the City will include the eSlate, also known as a Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting system.
The City's electronic voting system is certified for use in the Texas by the Texas Secretary of State pursuant to Chapter 122 of the Texas Election Code.
The eSlate is an electronic voting system, also known as a Direct Record Electronic (DRE) voting system. The eSlate is manufactured, marketed and supported by Hart InterCivic ( www.hartintercivic.com ) of Austin , Texas .
ESlate has won acclaim for its ease of use, accessibility to disabled voters and fast efficient ballot tabulation. Its unique Rotary Optical Encode technology ensures voters can confidently and accurately register their votes.
The eSlate is about the size of a legal pad, about one inch thick, and weighs just 5.2 pounds. The voter uses a rotary wheel to move through the ballot and select his or her vote.
Using the wheel, you, the voter, select a language-English or Spanish. Next, you are asked to enter the four-digit code you will receive upon check-in at the voting site. The code tells the system which contests to present for your precinct; the code does NOT identify you in any way and cannot be linked to your vote.
The ballot then appears on the screen, and you use the SELECT wheel to move a blue highlight bar through the ballot. Once you move the highlight bar onto your desired choice, simply press the large button marked ENTER , and the selection is marked. The box beside that choice is marked in red and your selection becomes bold while all the other choices fade into the background, so you have a strong visual signal of your vote.
If you make a mistake or change your mind, all you have to do is to change the selection the system won't let you cast too many votes in a race. After you have voted in the last contest on the ballot, a BALLOT SUMMARY screen will appear listing all the choices you have made and lets you know if you missed voting in any race. From this screen, you can make corrections, as needed, to be sure your votes are as you want them to be. When you finish reviewing your ballot, press the CAST BALLOT button to put your ballot into the electronic ballot box.
That's all there is to it. Voters do not have to know anything about computers. The eSlate system is really more of an appliance a state of-the art voting appliance that is to serve Texas City voters well for many years to come.
See how easy the eSlate is to use. Click here for a demo.
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1801 9th Avenue North | P.O. Box 2608 | Texas City, Texas 77592-2608 | (409) 948-3111
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Last updated: February 26, 2007