What Are: Signature Verification Committees and Early Voting Ballot Boards?

All mail-in ballots are reviewed by a Signature Verification Committee and/or an Early Voting Ballot Board.

Signature Verification Committees (SVC):

The only purpose of an SVC is to compare the signature on a voter’s ballot carrier envelope certificate (except those signed for a voter by a witness) with the signature on the voter’s Mail-in Ballot Application 

• The SVC does NOT count ballots

• The creation of an SVC is not mandatory under the Election Code

  • Many larger counties have an SVC while many smaller counties do not

• In General Elections, the SVCs Chair, Vice Chair, and Clerks are appointed by the County Election Board from lists provided by the two political parties who received the most votes in the last Gubernatorial Race in that county

  • The County Election Board consists of the County Judge, County Clerk, Voter Registrar, Sheriff, and the county Democratic and Republican Chairs

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Early Voting Ballot Boards (EVBB): 

• The EVBB qualifies, accepts or rejects, AND COUNTS all timely delivered VBM ballots AND provisional ballots

  • In counties without an SVC, the EVBB will also verify signatures as well 

• All 254 counties in Texas are required to have an EVBB under the Election Code

• In General Elections, the EVBB’s Presiding Judge, Alternate Judge, and Clerks are appointed by the County Election Board from lists provided by the two political parties who received the most votes in the last Gubernatorial Race in that county

There is a process for curing Mail-in Ballots found to be defective by either an SVC or an EVBB