Lee esta historia en español. Early voting for Texas’ primary runoff began Monday ahead of the July 14 election. Local officials are urging voters to take extra precautions during in-person voting as Covid-19 cases have been rising in the state. Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir said her office has set up 20 early voting locations […]
Travis County Clerk
Dana DeBeauvoir.
Posted inElections
DeBeauvoir: More than 25,000 ballots in the mail
If you are one of more than 25,000 Travis County registered voters who requested to vote by mail in the July 14 primary runoff and special election, your ballot is likely on its way to you. Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir told the Austin Monitor that her staff has been working hard to process those applications […]
Posted inElections
Texas officials try to clarify who can vote by mail, but they might not be able to just say everyone
The Texas Secretary of State’s Office sent local election officials an advisory Thursday that was meant to give them guidance on how to handle elections during the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, they tried to tackle an issue voting rights groups have flagged since the start of the outbreak: Who qualifies to vote by mail during […]
Posted inElections
Worrying about elections in the time of coronavirus
While some people may be worrying about their health or their business, it is Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir’s job to worry about elections. One of her major worries is how she’s going to conduct the July 14 runoffs for the Democratic and Republican primaries. After that, she wonders if the coronavirus will still be […]
Posted inTravis County
Travis County approves new voting system
The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a new electronic voting system for Travis County Tuesday morning. The $8.2 million contract with Election Systems and Software’s (ES&S) ExpressVote system was recommended by Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir after 15 years of work to bring a system of its caliber to Travis County voters. “We have […]
Posted inTravis County
STAR-Vote collapses
Lack of interest from the private sector has sunk Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir’s plans for a proprietary new voting system. On Tuesday, DeBeauvoir told the Travis County Commissioners Court that STAR-Vote is all but dead. The news marked a major disruption in a process that began in 2009 with a study group convened by […]
Posted inElections
Record turnout expected as early voting begins
The end is near. Early voting in Austin kicks off on Monday, heralding the imminent conclusion of 2016’s drawn-out election cycle, and Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir says her team is bracing for record turnout. Last Tuesday, DeBeauvoir told the Travis County Commissioners Court that she expects 488,000 voters to make their voices heard on […]
Posted inTravis County
County clerk bristles at sweeping departmental survey
The Travis County Commissioners Court voted on Tuesday to officially receive a massive third-party study of county departments, delivering in the process what County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir called “a slap in the face.” DeBeauvoir’s office obtained a copy of the draft report last month. Chief Deputy Clerk Ronald Morgan sent an email to County Judge […]
Posted inElections
County moves to correct shortened voting hours
Officials from Travis County and the city of Austin became aware shortly after early voting started this week that a failure to communicate meant that some voters have not been able to vote early in the morning or after work, as both city and county officials had intended. That mistake meant that voters hoping to […]
Posted inCourts
County Clerk speaks out against MERS ruling
Travis County isn’t hiding its displeasure with a recent ruling by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Though the ruling on Dallas County, Texas, et al. v. MERSCORP Inc., et al. came down this summer, it was last week that the Travis County Commissioners Court and Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir issued a statement […]
Posted inTravis County
Travis County looking to collect millions in unpaid fines and fees
Travis County is missing out on more than $55 million thanks to outstanding fines and fees, but the Commissioners Court is working on ways to collect. At their regular voting session on Tuesday, the commissioners gave the green light to contract modifications with two third-party firms that would expand the number of unpaid fines and […]
Posted inLocal Government
County clerk hopes to ease lawyers into mandatory electronic filing
Starting in January, attorneys in Austin and other large cities in Texas will be required to file all of court documents electronically. While e-filing court papers is not new – the process has been available for civil and probate cases for several years – it will inevitably mean that some law firms may have to […]