Local voter says registration message caused confusion before early voting, warns others

Описание: An Abilene woman said a confusing online message about her voter registration status almost kept her from casting her ballot.

KTXS spoke with that resident to find out more about the issue.

RELATED | Early voting turnout in Abilene region doubles compared to 2022 with two days left

“My husband and I moved to Abilene last April,” Abilene resident, Cassandra Newman, said. “I'm from Abilene. This is our hometown. We moved from Illinois, and we got set up with our voter registration licenses at that time. So almost a year ago.”

Newman said that with early voting underway, she decided to double-check her voter registration after seeing videos on online of people who claimed that when they showed up to vote, they ran into some obstacles.

“I came across some videos on social media of other Texas residents that were sharing their story about showing up for early voting and then not being registered,” Newman said. “So I naturally kind of had some concerns like, ‘oh no, did we register?’ Because I have a memory of registering.”

RELATED | Governor Greg Abbott visits Abilene to promote early voting

When Newman went online to confirm her status, she told us that she received what appeared to be an error.

“I entered my information and my husband's information and based on what it gave back, I perceived I was not registered to vote because the only option on that site was a button that said ‘Register to vote,’” she said.

After noticing this, Newman called the Taylor County Elections Office.

“They were very helpful and shared information that actually we are registered to vote,” Newman said. “That their system, I believe, is different from the states. And she actually verified that we were in a pending status with the state.”

RELATED | Contested races fuel Taylor County’s early voting surge, officials say

She told us that when she asked about that status, the elections office told her they would submit a request to move the status along.

“She did verify that in Taylor County I am able to vote,” Newman said. “So I will be showing up to vote. And she said to bring my ID. And she specifically shared that because Taylor County is on a different system that I am good.”

She told us that if she hadn’t called the elections office for the confirmation, she would have assumed she was not eligible to vote.

“I would have assumed that I made an error and that we just didn't do something correct,” she said. “And we just would have missed out and not voted.”

RELATED | Early voting so far in Taylor County about doubled 2022 turnout, elections say

Newman told us that she wanted to raise awareness for others who may encounter similar confusion.

She encourages people to check their status and contact local elections offices with any questions so they don’t miss their opportunity to cast a ballot.

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