KATY, Texas – The two envelopes labeled as official election mail and addressed to the Dale County Absentee Election Manager in Ozark, Alabama were found in the Houston area. Denise Fierros said the mail was delivered to her hundreds of miles away in Katy this week. The absentee election manager’s telephone number is listed as the third and final line of the address. The phone number 334-774-5003, which includes the digits 77450, a zip code for the Katy area. Fierros said she did not open the envelopes and plans to turn them into a city official in Katy on Monday.

HOUSTON – As the counting continues in several states a judge has issued another order to the United States Postal Service to locate any other mail-in ballots that have yet to be delivered. The order is focusing on states that have extended vote delivery deadlines including North Carolina and Pennsylvania. “That means he can find the postal service in contempt. It means he can call them out.”The postal service says in order to expedite the process ballots were scanned when they arrived but not when they were sent out of facilities making it appear as if they hadn’t been delivered. “But beyond that, I think the integrity and the reputation of the United States Postal Service is at stake.”Wice says he can’t guarantee the judge’s orders will make a difference but he believes they can make a difference, which is why the orders were issued.

HOUSTON – A federal judge in Washington D.C. ordered USPS to “sweep” the Houston processing facility on Wednesday for any undelivered mail-in ballots after the agency failed to meet a court-ordered deadline on Election Day. To “sweep” means to “examine every place in the plant to make sure no ballots have been left behind,” USPS said in court documents. Judge Sullivan ordered USPS to provide an update on compliance with the order at 10 a.m. on Thursday. In Houston, 1,347 mail-in ballots were unaccounted for or not scanned. In fact, last Friday, USPS ordered its offices to identify mail-in ballots and deliver them directly to election offices before they could be scanned at processing facilities.

HOUSTON – The League of United Latin American Citizens announced Thursday that it is filing a lawsuit against the State of Texas regarding Gov. Greg Abbot’s mail-in ballot drop off location order. Abbott ordered Thursday that each county would have only one mail-in ballot drop-off location, thus closing all other locations selected by local leaders. Domingo Garcia, the national president for LULAC, the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization, said Abbott is trying to suppress the Hispanic vote. What Governor Abbott did today is disgraceful.”

HOUSTON – With concerns about mail delivery issues ahead of the election, our KPRC Investigates team put the United States Postal Service in Houston to the test. Mail service put to the testTo find out how common problems are we set up our own test. We sent letters to Southwest Houston, Kingwood, Missouri City, Tomball, West Houston, North Houston, The Woodlands, Cypress, Galveston, Liberty County, and Montgomery County. While no one at the postal service would talk to us about delivery issues, we did some digging and found out some interesting information about mail delivery timing. If you are having issues with your mail delivery, you should report it to the United States Postal Service.

Ten states plan to conduct their elections exclusively by mail, while another 22 states are temporarily implementing an all-mail system, though voters can choose to cast ballots in person. In all, 44 states either mail ballots or applications directly to voters or allow voters to request a ballot or application. To see how it works, KPRC 2 went to Oregon, the first state to implement an “all mail” election system. Over the past three presidential elections, Texas has averaged 59% voter turnout while Oregon has averaged 83%. “I have more confidence voting in a by-mail election than I do in a polling place election,” Trout said.

Ingram demanded the county drop its plan by Monday to avoid legal action by the Texas attorney general. Earlier this week, the Harris County Clerks office announced it would be sending every registered voter an application for a mail-in ballot for the general election. Not all Harris County voters would ultimately qualify. The secretary of states office has advised counties seeking to proactively send out applications to limit those mailings to voters who are 65 and older to avoid confusion about eligibility. Disclosure: The Texas secretary of states office has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

Restrictions and types of early voting vary by state, but 40 states and the District of Columbia do offer some form of early voting. Turning in ballots at a local election office or polling locationJust about every state allows voters to bring ballots in person to turn them in at local election offices. If you’re not close to a local election office to turn in a ballot, some states allow ballots to be turned in to alternate locations or the polling locations. New Hampshire and Vermont allow voters to return ballots to a polling place. Drop boxesThese are special containers that allow voters to drop off absentee or mail-in ballots in sealed envelopes.