About 68 early voters in The Woodlands may have received ballots missing the Township Board of Directors race because of a ballot error in the Harris County portion of the community.
The Woodlands Township said in an Oct. 30 press release that Harris County notified the Township of a ballot error affecting portions of The Woodlands located within Harris County. Ballots issued to affected voters between Oct. 19 and Oct. 28 may not have included the Township Board of Directors election, according to the Township.
Harris County has corrected the error, the Township said. Approximately 68 voters were potentially affected, based on information Harris County provided to the Township.
The Township did not identify the specific cause of the error or say which early voting locations were involved. Harris County administers the election for Township voters who live in the Harris County portion of The Woodlands.
What affected voters should do
The Township directed voters with questions to two offices:
- Texas Secretary of State Elections Division: 512-463-5650
- Harris County Clerk's Office Elections Department: 713-755-6965
The press release did not say whether the approximately 68 affected voters would be individually notified or whether any remedy exists for those who cast ballots without the board race on them. Neither Harris County nor the Texas Secretary of State issued a separate public statement about the error in the materials available as of publication.
Why it matters
The Woodlands Township is unincorporated, and the Board of Directors is its primary governing body. A ballot that omitted the board race would have denied affected voters a say in who governs the Township.
The error's 10-day window, Oct. 19 through Oct. 28, covered most of the early voting period. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
