The following was submitted from the Office of Brown County Judge, Dr. Paul Lilly.

Constituents frequently ask Judge Paul Lilly about voter rolls in Brown County. How does the county ensure that only legitimate, registered Brown County voters, vote during elections? How often are Brown County Voter Registration rolls updated? Who is responsible to ensure the rolls are accurate? How do they do it?

Elections Administrator Larry Franks confirmed the following information.

Voter Identification: When you go to the polling location to vote, you will be asked for a picture identification card. That identification card will be checked against the voter rolls.

Voter rolls are updated daily through a system called TEAM (TEXAS ELECTION ADMINISTRATION MANAGEMENT).  Voter rolls are amended every time a person receives a new driver’s license (or updates a current driver’s license, provided  they check the box on the bottom of the form). Too, whenever anyone passes, the Voter Rolls are updated via Abstract of Death Certificates from County Clerks all over Texas as well as the National Death Registry.

There is a misconception among some that if you own land in the county, you are automatically entitled to vote there. This is not true. You may indeed own much land in a county, but that does not entitle you to vote there. Rather, you must reside at an address within that county to be able to vote there.

Can convicted felons vote? Yes, as long as they meet the following conditions. They must have completed parole or not be on parole. They must have completed probation or not be on probation.  Being on any sort of deferred adjudication is not a disqualifier and will not prevent them from voting.  Once they complete any parole or probation, they must physically register in order to become eligible to vote again.

The Elections Administration and the Secretary of State screen felons automatically. If a voter moves within a county, you can update your registration online. If you change counties, you must update or register in person.

For additional information, please visit the official site, VOTETEXAS.GOV.