Voting in Texas

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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.

This article includes the following information about voting policies in Texas:

See Election administration in Texas for more additional information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, and post-election auditing practices.

Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.

Voter registration

Eligibility and registration details

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Texas, an applicant must be a United States citizen, a resident of the county in which he or she is registering, and at least 17 years and 10 months old.[1]

The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before the election. Prospective voters can request a postage-paid voter registration form online or complete the form online and return it to the county voter registrar. Applications are also available at a variety of locations including the county voter registrar’s office, the secretary of state’s office, libraries, and high schools. Voter registration certificates are mailed to newly registered voters.[2]


In-person voting

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

In Texas, all polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote. Texas is divided between Central and Mountain time zones.[3]


Voter identification

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Texas requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[4]

The following list of accepted ID was current as of February 2023. Click here for the Texas Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

  • Texas driver’s 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 handgun license 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 (book or card)

Identification provided by voters aged 18-69 may be expired for no more than four years before the election date. Voters aged 70 and older can use an expired ID card regardless of how long ago the ID expired.[4]

Voters who are unable to provide one of the ID options listed above can sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and provide one of the following supporting documents:[4]

  • Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate
  • Copy of or original current utility bill
  • Copy of or original bank statement
  • Copy of or original government check
  • Copy of or original paycheck
  • Copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document)

The following voters are exempt from showing photo ID:[4]

  • Voters with a disability
    • Voters with a disability "may apply with the county voter registrar for a permanent exemption to presenting an acceptable photo identification or following the Reasonable Impediment Declaration procedure in the county."
  • Voters who have a religious objection to being photographed

Voters who do not have a photo ID can obtain a Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC) at any Texas driver’s license office during regular business hours. Voters can also obtain an Election Identification Certificate from a mobile station. Locations are listed here.[4]

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Texas permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

Texas voters are eligible to vote absentee in an election if:

  • They cannot make it to the polls on Election Day because they will be away from the county on Election Day and during early voting;
  • They are sick or disabled;
  • They are 65 years of age or older; or
  • They are confined in jail.[5]

To vote absentee, a request must be received by county election officials no later than close of regular business on the eleventh day before the election. The completed ballot must then be returned by the close of polls on Election Day.[6]


Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for convicted felons

In Texas, people who receive a final felony conviction regain their voting rights automatically upon completion of their entire sentence, including incarceration, parole, probation, or supervision–voting rights can also be restored before the completion of the sentence with a pardon. A final felony conviction includes only the sentence pertaining to the crime. Click here for more information on Texas' treatment of felony convictions and voting rights.[7]

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[8]


Election agencies

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See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Texas can contact the following state and federal agencies.

Texas Secretary of State

James E. Rudder Bldg.
1019 Brazos St.
Austin, Texas 78701
Telephone: 512-463-5650
Email: elections@sos.texas.gov

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Telephone: 301-563-3919
Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

Noteworthy events

2021

Gov. Abbott signs SB1 into law, making several changes to the state's election administration procedures

On September 7, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed SB1 into law, making a series of changes to Texas' election administration laws. These changes included, but were not limited to, the following:[9][10][11]

  • Early voting: SB1 extended early voting hours, requiring that polling sites be open at least nine hours per day, from no earlier than 6 a.m. to no later than 10 p.m. State law previously required that early voting locations be open at least eight hours per day.
  • Absentee/mail-in voting: SB1 established that an individual voting by absentee/mail-in ballot must include either a driver's license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number on the return envelope for the ballot. SB1 also established that local election officials must give individuals the opportunity to correct absentee/mail-in ballot defects, provided that officials determine "it would be possible for the voter to correct the defect" before polls close on Election Day.
  • Voter assistance: SB1 established that an individual assisting a voter must sign a document, under penalty of perjury, attesting that the voter requires assistance due to physical disability or inability to read the ballot language.
  • Poll watchers: SB1 established that a poll watcher must "not be denied free movement where election activity is occurring." SB1 also established that election officials who deny access to poll watchers could be subject to criminal prosecution.
  • Crimes: SB1 established the following activities as crimes:
    • "In-person interaction with one or more voters, in the presence of the ballot or during the voting process, intended to deliver voters for a specific candidate or measure" in exchange for payment or another benefit.
    • "Unlawful solicitation and distribution of a ballot by mail, which will occur when a public official sends an application to vote by mail to somebody who did not request it."

On August 31, 2021, both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas State Senate approved SB1. The House voted 80-40, with 80 Republicans voting in favor and 40 Democrats and one Republican voting in opposition. The Senate voted 18-13, with all Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats voting in opposition.[11]

After the enactment of SB1, several entities filed lawsuits contesting various provisions of the law:

  • Houston Justice v. Abbott (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas; complaint).
  • La Union del Pueblo Entero v. Abbott (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas; complaint).
  • Texas State Conference of the NAACP v. Abbott (Harris County District Court; complaint).
  • OCA-Greater Houston v. Texas Secretary of State (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas; complaint).
  • Lulac Texas v. Esparza (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas; complaint).
  • United States v. Texas (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas; complaint).

2018-2020

On March 30, 2018, United States District Court Judge Orlando Garcia issued an order indicating that Texas officials had violated the federal National Voter Registration Act by failing to register eligible voters who updated their driver's license records online. The National Voter Registration Act requires states to provide for voter registration opportunities when citizens apply for or renew their driver's licenses. The one-page order did not detail a required remedy for the violation. On May 10, 2018, Garcia ordered the parties to the suit to submit proposed remedies to the court by May 17, 2018. In this order, Garcia wrote the following:[12][13]

“ [The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)] encourages Texans to use its online services to renew their driver's license and change their address because it is easier and more convenient. It cannot, at the same time, deny simultaneous voter registration applications when those online services are used. DPS is legally obligated, as a designated voter registration agency under the [National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)], to permit a simultaneous voter registration application with every transaction. Asking motor voters whether they are interested in voter registration and sending them to [the Secretary of State] for an entirely separate application process is not enough. The NVRA demands much more from voter registration agencies.[14] ”
—Judge Orlando Garcia

On May 31, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit temporarily stayed Garcia's ruling pending appeal, permitting voter registration in Texas to proceed as it had prior to Garcia's ruling. On November 13, 2019, a three-judge panel of the appeals court reversed Garcia's ruling, finding that the plaintiffs who brought the original suit did not have standing to sue because they had, since suing, successfully registered to vote and no longer suffered harm under the state's registration practice.[15][16]

On August 28, 2020, Garcia again found that Texas had violated the federal National Voter Registration Act by failing to register eligible voters who updated their driver's license records online. Garcia ordered state officials to "immediately take all remaining steps necessary to come into compliance with the NVRA and the U.S. Constitution and establish a DPS System that treats each online driver's license renewal or change-of-address applications as a simultaneous application for voter registration."[17]

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See also

Elections in Texas


External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, “Request for Voter Registration Applications,” accessed February 27, 2023
  2. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, “Voter Registration,” accessed February 27, 2023
  3. ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "Who, What, Where, When, How," accessed February 27, 2023
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Texas Secretary of State, "Required Identification for Voting in Person," accessed February 27, 2023 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "tvid" defined multiple times with different content
  5. ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "FAQ," accessed December 16, 2013
  6. ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "Early Voting," accessed December 16, 2013
  7. ↑ Texas Secretary of State Ruth R. Hughs, "Request for Voter Registration Applications," accessed February 27, 2023
  8. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
  9. ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas voting bill into law, overcoming Democratic quorum breaks," September 7, 2021
  10. ↑ Austin American-Statesman, "From polls to ballots, here's what a new Texas voting law means for you," updated September 7, 2021
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Texas Legislature, "SB1," accessed October 28, 2021
  12. ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Federal judge: Texas is violating national voter registration law," April 3, 2018
  13. ↑ United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, "Stringer v. Pablos: Order," May 10, 2018
  14. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  15. ↑ Star-Telegram, "Appeals court temporarily blocks online voter registration for Texas drivers," May 31, 2018
  16. ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Appeals court overturns mandate for Texas to implement online voter registration for drivers," November 13, 2019
  17. ↑ United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, "Stringer v. Hughs: Second Order Granting Motion for Preliminary Injunction," August 28, 2020
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