Thousands of Collin County Ballots Remain Unresolved as November 9 Deadline Approaches

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — Just 134 votes separate the candidates in Texas House District 61, while the race in District 67 stands at 203 votes.

Those are the unofficial results from Tuesday’s election, but thousands of provisional and mail ballots across Collin County were rejected or remain pending review. Some voters still have until Monday, November 9, to correct problems that could prevent their ballots from being counted.

Whether those ballots will make a difference in either House race is unknown. What is clear is that certain voters still have an opportunity to resolve problems before the deadline.

Thousands of Ballots Rejected or Pending

According to Collin County’s November 3 preliminary election reconciliation report, election officials recorded 469,090 voters but counted 460,900 ballots.

The county identified 3,755 provisional ballots and 3,980 mail ballots as rejected or pending review, totaling 7,735.

In a separate section titled “Ballots That Could Be Added to the Final Count,” the county lists 4,727 mail ballots as not returned or pending voter action, along with an estimated 3,755 provisional ballots.

Not all these ballots will qualify for counting, and the figures may overlap. The county has not disclosed how many belong to HD-61 or HD-67.

Two House Races, Two Narrow Margins

In HD-61, Republican incumbent Keresa Richardson leads Democrat Brittany Black by 134 votes, 44,760 to 44,626. Green Party candidate Anissa Chilmeran received 1,692 votes.

In HD-67, Republican incumbent Jeff Leach leads Democrat Jordan Wheatley by 203 votes, 42,566 to 42,363.

Both Democrats led after early voting results were released Tuesday evening, but Election Day votes put the Republican incumbents ahead.

Although all 90 Collin County voting locations have reported, the results remain unofficial. The number of outstanding ballots in either district has not been established.

With margins this narrow, additional qualifying ballots could affect the final totals. Whether that happens depends on how many ballots are accepted and counted.

Who Has Until Monday to Correct a Ballot?

Collin County Democratic Party Chairman Jeremy Sutka told TX3DNews that some voters whose ballots were not accepted may still be able to correct the problems.

“Some provisional ballots are due to not having your photo ID. You can bring the photo ID to the office within a few days to ‘cure’ those,” Sutka said.

Under Texas law, voters who cast provisional ballots because they lacked acceptable identification generally have until Monday, November 9, to present the required identification or complete an applicable alternative procedure.

Other provisional ballots undergo an eligibility review and may not require further action from the voter.

Sutka also pointed to missing signatures on mail ballots.

“Some mail ballots are rejected because they are missing a signature. The Voter is able to ‘cure’ the ballot by going to the CC Elections office and sign it,” he said.

According to the Texas Secretary of State, some missing or mismatched identification numbers can be corrected online through the Ballot by Mail Tracker. Other problems may require a corrective action form or an in-person visit.

Not every rejected ballot qualifies for correction.

How to Check a Ballot’s Status

Collin County voters who cast provisional ballots or voted by mail and are unsure whether their ballots were accepted can contact the Elections Department.

Collin County Elections Office
2010 Redbud Blvd., Suite 102
McKinney, TX 75069
Phone: 972-547-1990
Email: election@collincountytx.gov
Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

The Texas Secretary of State also provides information about correcting mail ballot problems through VoteTexas.gov.

What Happens After November 9?

Sutka said additional mail ballots could still arrive after Election Day, including ballots sent from overseas.

“International mail ballots have a few more days to arrive,” he said.

Qualifying domestic mail ballots had until 5 p.m. Wednesday, November 4, to arrive, provided they met the applicable mailing requirements. Certain overseas and military ballots can arrive through November 9.

Sutka said those late-arriving ballots might account for most of the remaining votes, although additional provisional ballots may also need review.

The November 9 correction deadline does not end ballot counting. The county voter registrar has until November 13 to complete the provisional-ballot review, while the Early Voting Ballot Board has until November 16 to finish counting qualifying outstanding ballots.

TX3DNews has requested information from Collin County Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux about how many outstanding ballots belong to HD-61 and HD-67.

Collin County Republican Party Chairman Byron Henry has also been contacted for comment.

Richardson and Leach maintain their narrow unofficial leads. How many additional ballots will be counted, and whether they will affect either race, remains unknown.