Dallas County caught up with backlog of mail-in ballot requests, county official says

DALLAS - Dallas County says it is caught up on mailing out all of the ballots voters have requested.

However, County Judge Clay Jenkins says he now knows from personal experience that if you do mail your ballot, it is a good idea to make sure it has been received.

Judge Jenkins says everyone who requested a mail-in ballot by last Friday's deadline should have that ballot in hand by Thursday.

And if you've already cast your ballot, Jenkins says his mom discovered that you may want to take one more step to make sure your vote has been counted.

In a year with more people voting by mail than ever before, Judge Jenkins' own mother is an example of why it's important to track the process.

JoAnn Jenkins used a third-party online tool to see if the ballot she mailed three weeks ago was in fact received.

“We then checked with the elections department to see if there was a problem with the tool. There wasn't. Her ballot had been lost,” Jenkins said.

Fortunately for JoAnn, there is time to request a replacement ballot or cast a provisional ballot in person.

“I worried about others whose ballot may be lost in the mail,” Jenkins said.

While Dallas County initially had a backlog of mail-in ballot applications, Jenkins says the county is now caught up with the final ballots going in the mail Tuesday.

The total number of legitimate requests was about 100,000, and 63,000 of those ballots mailed out have now been cast.

As for JoAnn, she hasn't yet decided if she will request a replacement mail ballot to deliver in person or cast a provisional ballot.

“I am comfortable with what mama's comfortable with,” Jenkins said. “It is safe. Probably safer than to go to the grocery store.”

Texas does not have an official statewide ballot tracking system. Some counties do have a way to track your ballot online, but not all.

If you want to find out if your ballot has been counted, one surefire way is to call your local elections office. They can look up your ballot using your name.