Handle Ballots Delivered by Email

This topic explains how to process a mail ballot delivered to UOCAVA and absentee voters via email, from the initial request through return of the voted ballot.

Typically, requests for email delivery come from UOCAVA voters who have made FPCA or all-elections requests. You can also record a single-election request for an email delivery, provided that the request comes from a UOCAVA voter or their representative.

Requests for mail ballot email delivery come in the form of an Application For Ballot By Mail (ABBM) from voters who:

  • Are 65 years or older on election day
  • Have a disability, defined as a sickness or physical condition that prevents voting in person
  • Expect to be out of the county during voting hours
  • Are confined in jail
  • Are requesting to vote in all elections for which they are eligible
  • Expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day
  • Is civilly committed under Chapter 841, Health and Safety Code

...and in the form of a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) from voters who are uniformed services members and merchant marines, their dependents, and U.S. citizens living abroad.

ABBM request for email delivery:

ABBM all-elections requests—Follow the instructions in Scan ABBM Requests and Process ABBM Requests.

FPCA requests—Follow the instructions in Process FPCA Applications.

For both types of requests, select E-mail as the preferred delivery method and enter the valid email address.

For annual ABBMs and for FPCAs, when an election that was not present at the time of processing is added, the system automatically adds a request for the voter (if eligible for the election) using the ABBM or FPCA information previously entered. The new request is created by a scheduled task that runs daily. You can manually run the task at any time. See Generate Ballot By Mail Requests for All-Elections and FPCA Voters for instructions.

Important: For ABBMs, ballots cannot be delivered by email until a signed paper copy of the original application is received within four business days of the request and recorded.

My county uses the Email run to email ballots to all voters found by the run.

2a  Set Up the Automatic Emailing of Ballots

2b  Use the Email Run to Email Ballots to Voters

My county uses the Email run to update voter records to Delivered but we email ballots manually (one-by-one) to voters found by the Email run.

Find Email Voters, Record Delivery, and Email Ballots Manually

I just need to email a ballot to an individual voter...I'm not doing an Email run.

Email a Ballot to an Individual Voter

Note: Before doing an Email run, we recommend you read Verify the Success of Outgoing Emails.

From the Voter Focus standpoint, ballots delivered by fax and then voted and returned—regardless of the method of return (mail, fax, or email)—are processed like any other returned ballot. Your county might have special procedures for handling these ballots, but the return processing through Voter Focus is the same as for ballots mailed out in the conventional way. See About Returned Ballots for instructions.

Keep in mind that although absent domestic military voters are eligible to receive their ballots by email, they must return their ballots by mail and, in some cases, by fax. They may return ballots by fax only in hostile fire pay, imminent danger pay, or combat zone duty using authorized channels. Returns from these voters by email is not permitted under Texas law.