HOUSTON — Heliodoro Martinez, 18, headed to the polls early last week, excited for the opportunity to vote, but that excitement quickly turned to frustration after he was turned away without casting a ballot.
"They looked me up in their database and I wasn't showing up," Martinez said. "And they said I couldn't vote at this time so just wait a couple of weeks. Wait until your voter card comes in and you can go and vote."
He walked out really disappointed.
"I felt pretty bummed," he said. "I felt really sad because I couldn't get my voice across. I couldn't pick my candidates who I wanted to represent me."
Fortunately for him, his older sister was with him and also voting that day.
"She knows her way around them," Martinez said. "She knows there is a provisional ballot which is a kind of supplementary ballot."
And she knew even if her brother wasn't in the database, he could still cast a provisional ballot and have his eligibility verified later.
KHOU 11 political expert Brandon Rottinghaus said it's important you, or someone you're voting with, know your rights.
"People make mistakes," Rottinghaus said. "They will be aware of the rules, will enforce their rules unevenly, so it's better if they know the rights as a voter and if they really have a problem, ask someone there and clarify with the election judges."
That's what Martinez and his sister did. They went back inside the polling location and a precinct worker quickly determined they made a mistake and Martinez was, in fact, in the system.
"People who don't know there is not a provisional ballot, they would have just walked away and not voted at all," Martinez said. "I felt really happy I could vote."
Although Martinez's voting experience did not go as smoothly as he had hoped, he said it was all worth it just to cast his vote.
Other things to remember:
- Phones and cameras are not allowed within 100 feet of voting stations
- Wearing clothing that supports current political candidates is illegal
- METRO is offering free round-trip rides to Houston-area polling locations