Can I Register To Vote In Texas

The Texas Secretary of State volition be closed Friday, April 15th in observance of Skillful Fri. Holiday Closure Details.

Texas Voting

The Elections Division of the Secretary of State's Office is open from 8:00 a.one thousand. until 5:00 p.m. weekdays. The Elections Division is as well open during the hours that the polls are open on all compatible ballot dates (2d Sabbatum in May and 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November), on the primary and primary runoff election dates (1st Tuesday in March of fifty-fifty-numbered years and 2nd Tuesday in April following the primary), and the dates on which special statewide and federal elections may be ordered. Answers to questions on ballot constabulary and procedures may be obtained by telephoning the Elections Partition cost-free at 1.800.252.VOTE (8683) or direct at 512.463.5650.

Thank you for your interest in Texas elections. Please telephone call the Elections Sectionalization staff if we can be of help.

Who can vote in Texas?

To be eligible to register to vote in Texas, a person must be:

A United States citizen;
A resident of the Texas county in which application for registration is made;
At least 18 years old on Ballot Day;
Not finally bedevilled of a felony, or, if so convicted must have (1) fully discharged the judgement, including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision, or completed a menstruum of probation ordered by any court; or (2) been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting inability to vote; and
Not determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be (1) totally mentally incapacitated; or (2) partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

How do you annals?

Registering to vote is easy in Texas. It doesn't even require a postage! Official applications to annals to vote are stamp-paid by the Land of Texas.

In virtually Texas counties, the Canton Tax Assessor-Collector is besides the County Voter Registrar. In some counties, the County Clerk or County Elections Administrator registers voters. Yous may obtain an application from the County Voter Registrar'southward role, the Secretary of State's Office, libraries, many post offices, or loftier schools. From our website, you may asking that we send you an official, postage-paid application. Or, you lot may download an informal application, but you will be required to affix a stamp before mailing. Y'all may besides register to vote when y'all apply for or renew your driver'due south license.

Read the instructions on the class, make full it out and postal service it postage-free to the Canton Voter Registrar, or hand-evangelize it to the County Voter Registrar's office.

You must be at least 17 years and 10 months of age on the date you apply. If for any reason you lot cannot register yourself, with your permission, your spouse, parent or child may make full out and sign an application for you if that person is a registered voter or has practical for voter registration. This person is known as your "agent."

The application must exist received in the County Voter Registrar's role or postmarked 30 days before an ballot in gild for y'all to be eligible to vote in that election. You lot volition receive a voter registration certificate in the mail after the County Voter Registrar has processed your voter registration application. Upon receipt of the voter registration certificate, sign it, fold it and proceed in it in your wallet and accept information technology to the polls with you when you vote.

All voters who registered to vote in Texas must provide a Texas driver'southward license number or personal identification number issued by the Texas Section of Public Safety or the concluding 4 digits of your social security number. If you have not been issued whatever of these numbers, then you must land that fact on the application past checking the designated box.

What if I don't have a driver'southward license, personal identification number, OR a social security number? Can I however register to vote in Texas?

A voter who has not been issued a driver'due south license or social security number may annals to vote, but such voter must submit proof of identification when presenting himself/herself for voting or with his/her post-in ballots, if voting by mail service. These voters' names are flagged on the official voter registration list with the annotation of "ID." The "ID" notation instructs the poll worker to request a proper form of identification from these voters when they present themselves for voting, unless they are a voter with a permanent exemption on the voter registration certificate. The voter must present one of the seven (seven) acceptable forms of identification:

Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Prophylactic (DPS)
Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
Texas curtained handgun license issued by DPS
United States armed services identification card containing the person's photograph
United States citizenship certificate containing the person's photograph
United states passport

Voter registration certificate

Once you utilise, a voter registration certificate (proof of registration) will be mailed to y'all within xxx days.
Check your certificate to be sure all information is correct. (If there is a mistake, make corrections and return it to the voter registrar immediately.)
If y'all lose your certificate, notify your County Voter Registrar in writing to receive a new one.
You will automatically receive a new certificate every ii years, if you haven't moved from the address at which you lot are registered.

If you move within the county

If you move within the same canton only get to the Secretary of State's web site and alter your address online or promptly notify the County Voter Registrar, in writing, of your new address by:

correcting your current voter registration certificate on the back and returning information technology to the County Voter Registrar;
filling out a new voter registration application form and checking the "change" box; or
making simultaneous changes to your driver'due south license and voter registration when you employ for or update your driver's license.

You will receive a new document with your new address. You volition be able to vote in your new precinct 30 days later on your change of address is submitted. If you miss the deadline (thirty days before an election), you may vote in your erstwhile precinct every bit long every bit y'all however reside in the political subdivision conducting the election.

Your residence is located in a specific "precinct," which is an area inside the county. There are many precincts inside a county. The place where yous will vote on Ballot Day is located in your precinct. In that location may exist combined precincts in gild to accommodate joint local elections; therefore, in some elections you may vote exterior your designated precinct. The Canton Clerk or County Elections Ambassador tin requite y'all the specific location of your polling place, or you tin can cheque on-line to meet if the County Clerk or Elections Ambassador has that data posted. The Secretary of State's Office may also provide polling place data at the "Where exercise I vote" link on its webpage prior to the chief, primary runoff and November compatible election date elections.

If you movement to another county

Yous must re-register! Fill out a new application and mail it, or take it in person, to the Voter Registrar of your new county. You lot may not register online if you move from i canton to another. You volition exist registered thirty days after your awarding is submitted. Yous will receive a new certificate.

Later changing residence to another county, a person may be eligible to vote a "limited" election in his/her new county of residence on candidates or issues mutual to the former and new counties. A "express" ballot may be voted only during early voting by personal advent or by mail (non on Election Twenty-four hours) if:

the person would have been eligible to vote in the county of former residence on Election Twenty-four hour period if notwithstanding residing in that county;
the person is registered to vote in the county of old residence at the fourth dimension the person offers to vote in the county of new residence; and
a voter registration for the person in the county of new residence is not effective on or earlier Election Day.

Name change

Promptly notify the County Voter Registrar, in writing, of the name change using the same steps every bit for IF Y'all MOVE WITHIN THE County. You will receive a new document xxx days later your name change notice is submitted. Y'all may continue to vote during this catamenia. If y'all do not have your document in hand, you may sign an affidavit at the polls and present a form of identification.

Commonly Asked Questions From Voters:

Q. Who is my County Voter Registrar?

A. Most often in Texas, your County Voter Registrar is the County Tax Assessor-Collector. All the same, if your County Commissioners Court has established the position of County Elections Administrator and a County Elections Administrator has been appointed, so the Canton Elections Administrator is the County Voter Registrar. A County Commissioners Court may also transfer the duties of voter registrar from the County Revenue enhancement Assessor-Collector to the County Clerk; in this case, the County Clerk is your County Voter Registrar. If you call any of these officials or the County Courthouse (the numbers should be under your County's name in the phone directory), you will be directed to your County Voter Registrar.

Q. Where do I vote?

A. Polling places are unremarkably listed in your local newspapers in the weeks earlier the election. Your County Clerk or County Elections Administrator and local political subdivisions (school districts, cities, water districts, etc.) may also accept websites with a list of where polling places are located. Call your Canton Clerk, County Elections Administrator, or local political subdivision conducting the election in gild to discover your polling location. The Secretary of State's Office may also provide polling place information at the "Where do I vote" link on its webpage prior to the primary, master runoff and Nov uniform ballot appointment elections.

Q. What is "early on voting?"

A. "Early on voting" is a style to cast your election earlier Election Twenty-four hour period either in person or by mail.

Early Voting In person - Phone call your County Clerk or County Elections Administrator or the local political subdivision conducting the ballot for early voting dates, hours and polling places.
Early Voting By mail - If you will be: (1) out of the county during early voting and on Election Day; (ii) historic period 65 or older; (3) sick or disabled; or (4) confined to jail, you can impress an application for a ballot by mail (PDF) from our website and mail information technology to your Early Voting Clerk.

For more data, Contact:

Secretary of Country'south Office toll-gratis at ane.800.252.VOTE (8683)
Your local County Clerk (volition be listed in the bluish pages of your phone book)
Your local Canton Elections Administrator
Your County Voter Registrar (Taxation Assessor-Collector)

Secretary of State
Elections Division
P.O. Box 12060
Austin, Texas 78711-2060
512.463.5650 or
1.800.252.VOTE (8683)
Fax 512.475.2811
TTY vii.ane.1

Federal Election Commission
999 East Street, N.Westward.
Washington, D.C. 20463
1.800.424.9530

Texas Ethics Committee
P.O. Box 12070
Austin, Texas 78711-2070
512.463-5800
i.800.325.8506

Republican Party of Texas
211 E 7th St., #915
Austin, Texas 78701
512.477.9821

Texas Democratic Political party
1106 Lavaca St., #100
Austin, Texas 78701
512.478.9800

Libertarian Party of Texas
1111 Congress Ave. Suite 400
Austin, Texas 78701
800.422.1776

Green Party of Texas
P.O. Box 271080
Houston, TX 77277-1080
210-471-1791

Rev: 4/eight/13