Registration for primary election ends on Monday
By BARRY HALVORSON bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com

Monday will be the final day to register to vote in the upcoming March 4 primary election.

And while registering Monday will beat the deadline, Wharton County Elections Administration Judy Owens said those registering on the last day will be limited in the days they can vote.

"Anyone filing after Jan. 29 will only be allowed to vote on Election Day," she said. "They will not be able to vote during the early voting period because state guidelines state you have to be registered 30 days before the end of early voting to take advantage of it."

For the primary, early voting will run from Feb. 19-29.

The next major deadline in the voting process is Feb. 26. On that date, applications to vote by mail have to be received before the close of business.

"And once early voting starts, those applications can only be received by mail," Owens said. "Before the start of early voting, those applications can be submitted in person."

Those persons eligible to vote by mail include the disabled, 65 or older or in jail. Persons planning to be out of the county during the election period can also vote by mail but fall under different guidelines.

Operating under their own set of guidelines are those Wharton County residents serving in the military or working overseas along with their spouses and dependents of voting age. They can file a federal postcard application to receive a ballot.

"I recently received five such requests," she said.

"We are required to hold those applications for four years so I'm sending them out to persons that sent in a postcard in 2004. And we get a lot of those back because people have since changed addresses."

She encouraged those with family members who are living overseas or military living outside of Wharton County to contact her with current information.

"They can call my office or send an e-mail," she said. "And because this is a primary election, they need to indicate a party preference because they can only vote in one of the primaries."