What you need to know about drive-thru voting in Harris County

Friday, October 16, 2020

Here's how drive-thru voting works in Harris County

Harris County officials continue allowing voters to do so from inside their vehicles in effort to make sure everyone feels safe while casting their ballot.

An appeals court threw out a last minute lawsuit after the Texas GOP sued to end drive-thru voting in Harris County. That means, as of now drive-thru voting is still an option to cast your vote from the comfort of your vehicle.

Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church near the Heights is one of the 10 drive-thru locations in Harris County.

"They'll be handed a voting device. It's the same type of instrument that we have used for years for people who were disabled or could not get through the walk-up," Pastor Treash said. "We've had these devices for a long time."

Harris County is the first jurisdiction in Texas history to offer this voting method.

"So they drive through a tent and in the middle there, they have all these fans set up to increase the air circulation and make sure it's even safer," Treash said.

Here are the rules:

1. Look for a DTV sign at the entrance

2. A greeter will offer hand sanitizer and a face mask

3. Turn off your engine and all electronics like your cell phones
4. Display a valid ID card

5. You will be handed a portable voting machine through your window to vote

6. If there are multiple voters in your car, each will take turns to vote

"People can come in [with] more than one in an automobile. Then, what happens is they each have to vote serially," he said. "The first person has to vote and then they have to wait for the next person to get ready to vote. So, you can bring all your voters in your household together."

The average wait time depends on the location. The Harris County Clerk's Office told ABC13 that some locations are seeing an average of five to 10 minutes in wait time, while other voters said it takes 30 minutes.

Drive-thru voting is available to any registered voter in Harris County.

Here are the locations that offer drive-thru voting: