The Texas Secretary of State’s office is shipping newly revised applications for a mail-in ballot to election administrators in hopes that more explicit instructions to voters will avoid further questions on returned ballots.

The new applications - see here - were designed with help from a group of election administrators and county clerks. After the 2008 election, Election Division Director Ann McGeehan said, counties dealt with a number of mail-in ballots that were not filled out correctly. See the old application here.

The form is supposed to be more user-friendly. But is also aims to be more clear that “if someone is helping you fill out that form, they need to document it,” McGeehan said.

The form has a clearly marked border sectioning off the space for information on assistance and asks that the witness/assistant write his or her relationship to the voter rather than check a box for the appropriate connection.

The new applications will go into use as elections offices run out of the old ones.

Contact Steve Miller at 832-303-9420 or stevemiller@texaswatchdog.org.

Photo of a mailbox by flickr user jahansell, used via a Creative Commons license.