Voting in Texas

COVID-19 & Voting in Texas

Visit our COVID-19 headquarters to learn about voting protocols during the pandemic.

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Important dates

October 5, 2020 - Last day to register to vote in November election

October 13, 2020 - First day of in-person early voting

October 23, 2020 - Last day to apply for ballot by mail (i.e. mail-in voting)

October 30, 2020 - Last day of in-person early voting

November 3, 2020 - Election day and postmark deadline for mail in votes

Countdown to Next Election Day

What's at stake?

An election brings a variety of essential issues and voting pieces to the table. Here are the seats that may be up for election and what power these positions hold:

Federal

House of Representatives: Serves two year terms. Responsibilities include introducing bills and resolutions, offer amendments, and serve on committees
Senate: Serves six year terms with two-thirds of senate elected every two years. Responsibilities include writing and passing laws, ratifying treaties, and confirming or rejecting the President's nominees for judgeships

State

TX House of Representatives: Represent various smaller districts with the power to introduce taxing legislation
TX Senate: Represent various larger districts and have the power to confirm the Governor's appointments
State Board of Education: Setting curriculum standards, reviewing and adopting instructional materials, and establishing graduation requirements
Governor: Highest ranking political leader in the state who is responsible for implementing state laws
Lieutenant Governor: Presiding officer over the Texas Senate and leads the Legislative Budget Board
Attorney General: Chief legal advisor and Chief law enforcement officer who sets law enforcement priorities for the state
Comptroller of Public Accounts: A state's bookkeeper, fiscal organizer, and Chief financial officer
Commissioner of Land: Manages mineral rights, state assets, and general land use as an advisor to the Governor
Commissioner of Agriculture: Leads agriculture industry standards for the state
Railroad Commissioner: Regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry, and surface coal and uranium mining

County

County Commissioner: Controlling county property including the courthouse, hospitals, library, jail, and the equipment and facilities
District/County Attorney: Prosecuting attorney and represents the state in a criminal case.
Sheriff: Manages duties of countywide law enforcement through deputies.
Constable: Preserve the peace and perform judicial duties to serve writs, warrants, and bail pieces.
County Clerk: Acts as a recorder of all bonds, deeds, birth and death certificates, assumed names and livestock brands.
District Clerk: Indexes and secures all court records, collects filing fees, and handles funds held in litigation, coordinates the jury panel selection process.
County Treasurer: Receives and deposits all county revenues
Tax Assessor-Collector: Calculates and collect property tax rates for the county including cities and schools.
County Judge: Presiding officer of the Commissioners Court. Most have broad judicial duties. Serves as head of emergency management.
Justice of the Peace: Hears traffic, civil cases, landlord/tenant disputes, and truancy cases.
County Courts at Law: Held in a variety of courts that oversee topics including probate, criminal, criminal appeals, and civil court matters.

Local

City Council: Member that governs a city or town
School Board: A typical school board meeting will include approving the school calendar, adopting curriculum, overseeing construction and approving contracts with outside vendors.
Mayor: Most powerful local elected office that chairs the City Council. Based upon your government system, your mayor may serve in a: Council-Manager System or a Mayor-Council system.

Where do you start?

Follow these steps when trying to figure out if and when you can participate in an upcoming election cycle. Texas has special voting requirements that are more strict than other states.

Register

Find out if you are registered to vote in Texas

Learn More >

Learn

Receive an issue-based sample ballot

Learn More >

Locate

Find your nearest qualified polling place

Vote

Protect your rights when you head to the polls

Texas Voter ID Laws

In the State of Texas, a photo ID must be brought with you when you vote for any level of office. For more information on official Texas Voter ID laws, visit here.

Acceptable Forms of ID

TX driver's license or personal identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety
TX Election Identification Certificate issued by the DPS
TX license to carry a handgun issued by the DPS
U.S. military identification card containing a photograph
U.S citizenship certificate containing a photograph
U.S. passport

*With the exception of the citizenship certificate, identification must be current or have not expired more than 4 years before voting.

Voters without ID

Voters without an acceptable form of ID can bring a supporting form of ID only if they cannot obtain an acceptable form of ID due to a reasonable impediment. The supporting forms of ID are:

Valid voter registration certificate
Original certified birth certificate
Copy of or an original current utility bill
Copy of or an original bank statement
Copy of or an original government check
Copy of or an original paycheck
Copy of or an original government document with voter's name and address (if it has a photograph, it must be the original)

Absentee Voting

Absentee voting is a an option for folks who have an impairment preventing them from making it to the polling place or folks who will be out of the county during the period of early voting and election day. To place an absentee vote, you must mail your votes after you apply.

Eligibility

To be eligible to vote early by mail in Texas, you must:

be 65 years or older;
be disabled;
be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance; or
be confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.

How to Apply

Instructions for submitting an Application for Ballot by Mail (“ABBM”):

Print (PDF) the ABBM form OR submit an order online and an ABBM will be mailed to you.
Complete Sections 1 through 8.
Sign and Date Section 10.
If you were unable to sign the application and someone witnessed your signature, that person must complete Section 11.
If someone helped you complete the application or mailed the application for you, that person must complete Section 11.
Affix postage.
1. If you printed the application you must place it in your own envelope and add postage.
2. If you ordered the application online and it was mailed to you - fold the application in half, moisten top tab, seal and add postage.
Address and mail the completed ABBM to the Early Voting Clerk in your county. You may also fax the application if a fax machine is available in the early voting clerk’s office. You also have the option of submitting a scanned copy of the completed and signed application to the Early Voting Clerk via email. If an ABBM is faxed or emailed, then the original, hard copy of the application MUST be mailed and received by the early voting clerk no later than the 4th business day.
1. The Early Voting Clerk is the County Clerk or Elections Administrator for your county
2. Contact information, including fax numbers if available, and email addresses for the Early Voting Clerks are available on this website.

Questions? Visit 866 Our Vote through the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law at their website or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683).

Additional resources

Texas November 2020 Election Guide by Texas Tribune: a nonpartisan resource regarding candidates and issues for the November 2020 election
2020 Voting Guide for Seniors by RetireGuide: a nonpartisan resource for older voters with information about items on the 2020 ballot
State-by-state Guide to Voter Registration by MyMove: a nonpartisan resources for folks planning to move between states before the 2020 election
College Students' Voting Guide for 2020 by Study.com: a nonpartisan resource for current college students