Texas voters who need help casting ballots can choose a helper, with limits

As early voting wraps up and Election Day approaches on Tuesday, voters who need help casting a ballot have resources available to them.

Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act allows voters who are blind, have a disability or cannot read or write to choose someone to help them at the polls.

That person can read the ballot with the voter and mark the selections the voter chooses. Helpers can include interpreters who assist voters who do not speak English in communicating with election officials.

If you are in need of this kind of assistance, you will not be able to choose your employer, a representative of your workplace, an officer or an agent of the voter’s union.

If you are selected to help someone needing assistance, you must take an oath that you will not try to influence the voter’s vote, will mark the ballot as instructed, and will not tell anyone how the voter voted.

All of these details and other resources people needing assistance may use to cast their ballot can be found at votetexas.gov.