What happens if my ballot is damaged, mismarked or 'spoiled?'

[RandySF]

Most ballots print and are counted without an issue. But occasionally, a voter may run into trouble if they accidentally select someone they didn't intend to on the touch screen or if their ballot somehow jams in the printer.

When those things happen, what happens next?

If a voter needs a new ballot, the original ballot is considered "spoiled." When a ballot is spoiled, the Texas Election Code spells out exactly what's supposed to happen next.

First, the voter is entitled to receive a new ballot by returning the spoiled ballot to an election officer. However, there's a limit to how many ballots a person may receive. The Texas Election Code stipulates a voter can receive as many as two additional ballots but no more than three.

The election officer takes the spoiled ballot and notes the voter's name and ballot number in the Register of Spoiled Ballots and the Official Ballot Register. The spoiled ballot is then placed in a Secrecy Sleeve and deposited into a special ballot box dubbed Ballot Box No. 4, which is not counted.




https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/lone-star-politics/wrong-candidate-damaged-ballot-texas/3678796/?os=io...&ref=app

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. I had a voter who this happened to

The ballot reader kept spitting the ballot out with an error message. The election judge tried turning the ballot around and upside down. The judge was able to cancel the ballot and the voter did another ballot. I was pleased that the voter compared the choices on his "spoiled" ballot with the new ballot before feeding the new ballot into the reader.