Texas

Land Acknowledgement

Texas is the home of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, and the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo. Texas also recognizes the Lipan Apache Tribe and the Mount Tabor Indian Community. It is also the traditional homeland of many tribes.

Overview

You can register to vote by mail or in person. If you register to vote online, you will need to print out the online form and mail it. The deadline to register to vote is October 11. If you are not already registered to vote but have an existing Texas driver's license or State ID card, you can register to vote online when renewing, replacing, or changing your contact information for either of these cards through the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Key Dates

October 11 - Deadline to register to vote by mail or in person

October 24 - Early voting begins

October 28 - Deadline to request an absentee ballot

November 4 - Early voting ends

November 8 - Election Day and deadline to return an absentee ballot by mail or in person

Contacts

Texas Voting Guide

Note: The information below is not legal advice on how to vote. Because voting information is changing rapidly during this election, make sure you check the links provided and check with your state about deadlines and voting specifics.

Registering to Vote

  • The deadline to register to vote is October 11.

  • In Maverick County, polling places will provide registration material in Kickapoo. In Polk County, polling places will provide registration material in other American Indian languages. Contact Polk County for more information at (936) 327-6801.

  • You must provide either a Texas driver's license number, a State ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security Number. You must also provide a residential and mailing address.

  • Texas requires a residential address or a description of where you live to register to vote. If you opt for a description of your home's location, include a mailing address such as a P.O. box, rural box, or general delivery to make sure you receive any registration related correspondence.

  • You may contact your County Registrar to verify that your address or description is valid. Find your County Registrar here. You may also check to see if your address is valid using Texas' Voter Registration Verification System.

  • You may get a Texas driver's license or State ID at your local Department of Safety office here.

  • You can download the registration application and fill it out, print, sign, and return it in person to your County Registration Official.

  • No.

  • You can register to vote in person at your County Voter Registration office, which can be found here.

  • You can register to vote by mail by requesting an application from your County Voter Registrar's Official. Your office will mail a postage-paid voter registration application to the address you provide. You can download the application, fill in the required information, print, sign, and mail the completed application your County Voter Registrar's Official. You can find your County Voter Registrar's office here. You can find the online application here.

  • You can register to vote once you have been fully discharged from your sentence or have been pardoned. Your right to vote will be automatically restored. You can register to vote here or contact your County Registration Official here for any help regarding your registration status.

  • You can contact your County Voter Registration Official or call the Texas Secretary of State at (800) 252-VOTE (8683).

  • The deadline to register to vote is October 11.

  • Yes, under federal law you can assist someone in registering to vote if they do not speak English well, if they have trouble reading or writing, or if they have a disability.

Checking & Updating Voter Registration

Voting by Mail/Absentee/Ballot Drop-Off

  • The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 28. You must have a reason to vote by mail using an absentee ballot. You cannot use a student ID to vote. A family member within the second degree of affinity or third degree of consanguinity (descending from the same ancestor) or a household member can return your ballot on your behalf.

  • Yes. Please check that you have filled out all required fields and signed your ballot. USPS recommends you mail in your ballot a week before the deadline to ensure your ballot is received on time. However, please factor in your personal experience with mail delivery times to and from your place of residence or where you drop off your ballot.

  • You can request an Application for Ballot by Mail (ABBM) from the County Voter Registrar Official in the county where you are registered, from the Secretary of State's office, or online and have one mailed to you. Fill out and sign the ABBM form and return it to your early voting clerk by mail, fax, or email. If you fax or email your ABBM, you must have your original, hard copy of ABBM mailed and received by your early voting clerk no later than the fourth business day after it was originally submitted. You can find your local early voting clerk's information here.

  • Yes. You are eligible to vote early by mail in Texas if you meet one of the following criteria: you are 65 years old or older; you are sick or disabled; you will be out of the county on Election Day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance; you are expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day; or you are confined in jail, but otherwise eligible. College students who are registered at a residence in Texas, such as a parent's home, but are studying out of state can apply for absentee ballots.

  • Yes.

  • The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 28.

  • Since early voting varies by location, counties will mail ballots depending on their early voting dates. Your ballot must be sent to your address within seven days of the delivery of your application. You should contact the Early Voting Clerk for State and County Election in your county for early voting locations. You may contact them here. Many newspapers publish early voting polling locations as well. You can find your early voting location two days prior to the first day of early voting here.

  • You can have your ballot mailed to your mailing address on your voter registration form.

  • No. All mail-in ballots come with a postage-paid return envelope.

  • Your ballot must be postmarked by 7PM on Election Day.

  • Yes. You can drop off your completed ballot at your County Voter Registrar's office, which can be found here.

  • A family member within the second degree of affinity or third degree of consanguinity (descending from the same ancestor) or a household member can return your ballot on your behalf. Examples of third degree family members are great-grandparents, great-grandchildren, or first cousins. If someone helps you with your mail ballot, you must put your helper’s name and address on the carrier envelope, which is the one used to return your ballot to the early voting clerk. Your helper must also sign the carrier envelope.

  • No.

  • No.

  • County officials are responsible for alerting you if there is a defect with your application or ballot. Texas will allow you to correct your absentee ballot if the ballot is at risk of being rejected for a technical error, including missing information or signatures. This also applies to issues with the application for those ballots. The deadline to correct absentee ballots is November 14. You can check your ballot status here. You can also contact your county official here.

  • Yes. You can track your ballot here.

  • You can contact your Elections Administrator here.

Voting In-Person

  • You can find your polling place and hours online here.

  • In Maverick County, the polling places will provide voting material in Kickapoo. In Polk County, the polling places will provide voting material in other American Indian languages. Contact Polk County for more information at (936) 327-6801.

  • Yes.

  • You will need a photo ID to vote. The acceptable forms of ID include: Texas driver's license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Texas Election ID Certificate issued by DPS, Texas Personal ID card issued by DPS, Texas Handgun license issued by DPS, U.S. Military ID card containing your photograph, U.S. Citizenship Certificate containing your photograph, U.S. passport (book or card). If you do not have an acceptable form of ID you can still vote with one of the following supporting forms of ID, which includes a voter registration certificate, current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, certified birth certificate, or any other government issued document such as an out-of-state driver's license. If you provide one of the following supporting ID, you will also have to sign a "Reasonable Impediment Declaration," swearing that you could not reasonably obtain an acceptable form of ID. A reasonable impediment includes lack of transportation, disability or illness, lack of birth certificate or other documents needed to obtain an acceptable photo ID, work schedule, family responsibilities, lost or stolen ID, or acceptable form of ID applied for but not received. You may not use a student ID as an acceptable or supporting ID to vote. If you are under 70 years old, you can use an expired license to vote as long as it expired within the last four years. If you are 70 years old or older, it does not matter when your ID expired, you can always use it to vote.

  • You can get a valid ID to vote at the Texas Department of Public Safety.

  • Yes. You are eligible to vote a provisional ballot if you claim to be an eligible voter, but your name does not appear on the list of registered voters, and your registration cannot be determined by the Voter Registrar; you have applied for a ballot by mail, but have not returned it or cancelled it; you vote during extended polling hours ordered by a state or federal court; or you do not present any acceptable forms of ID. You are required to visit the Voter Registrar's office within six calendar days of the election with an acceptable ID in order for the provisional ballot to count. You will receive a notice in the mail by November 18 letting you know if your provisional ballot was counted, and if it was not, the reasons why.

  • Yes. Under federal law (Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act), you are entitled to bring anyone you trust, such as a friend, family member, or neighbor, to the polling place AND into the polling booth to assist with voting. However, that person may not be your employer, running in the election, or a representative of your labor union. The person giving assistance also may not tell the voter how to vote.

  • You can contact your local County Voter Registrar's Official or call your Secretary of State's office at (800) 252-VOTE (8683).