Texas Voting Information

 

 

AUSTIN — Texas Secretary of State Carlos H. Cascos reminds Texas voters that the last day of early voting in person for the general election is Friday, Nov. 4.

“The last day of early voting is fast approaching,” Secretary Cascos said. “We encourage all Texans who haven’t voted yet to plan when they will go to the polls.”

Early voting in person began on Oct. 24 and ended Friday (Nov 4). During early voting, voters may cast a ballot at any polling location in their county of registration. On Election Day, polls are open 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Voters casting a mail ballot by mail need to take action as well. If a voter has not received their requested ballot yet, they should contact the early voting clerk for the county as soon as possible.

Tuesday (Nov 8) at 7:00 pm is the deadline to return mail-in ballots unless it is an overseas ballot. Ballots from outside the United States, including overseas military ballots, must be in the mail by 7:00 pm on Election Day and received by Monday (Nov 14).

Here is what voters should know at the polls.

Currently, Texas voters who do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of the seven forms of approved photo ID have additional options when casting their ballots. As provided by court order, if a voter does not possess and is not reasonably able to obtain one of the seven forms of approved photo ID, the voter may vote by (1) signing a declaration at the polls explaining why the voter is reasonably unable to obtain one of the seven forms of approved photo ID, and (2) providing one of various forms of supporting documentation.

Supporting documentation can be a certified birth certificate (must be an original), a valid voter registration certificate, a copy or original of one of the following: current utility bill, bank statement, government check, or paycheck, or other government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, although government documents which include a photo must be original and cannot be copies. If a voter meets these requirements and is otherwise eligible to vote, the voter will be able to cast a regular ballot in the election.

The seven forms of approved photo ID are:

· Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
· Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
· Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
· Texas license to carry a handgun issued by DPS
· United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph
· United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
· United States passport

Except for the U.S. citizenship certificate, the approved photo ID must be current or have expired no more than four years before being presented for voter qualification at the polling place.

Voters with questions can visit VoteTexas.gov or call 1-800-252-VOTE. Texans can join the #VoteTexas conversation this election by following Vote Texas’ Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social platforms.