No Cellphones in the Voting Booth
Voting is under way across Texas. Photo by Filipa Rodrigues/KUT NewsMore than 117,000 Travis County residents have cast ballots so far during early voting and by mail. If you’ve been to the polls already, you may have noticed signs telling you not to take your mobile device into the booth with you.
State law bans electronic recording devices from polling places. And since almost every cellphone now has a camera or video camera, that means they’re not allowed.
Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir suggests you keep your cell phone in your pocket or purse. And if you’re taking notes into the voting booth, they can’t be on your mobile device.
“Do bring notes only; don’t take them on your iPad,” DeBeauvoir said. “We really do mean paper notes. They can be newspaper notes, brochure notes, your own notepad notes, anything you like on paper. It helps you speed things up when you go to vote. You can remember how you were going to vote on particular propositions and candidates. It’s very helpful and certainly appreciated by the voter behind you in line.”
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and tomorrow. Wednesday through Friday they’ll be open until 9 p.m. Election Day is Nov. 6.
