Early Voting for the November 3 Election Runs October 19 Through October 30

Early voting for Texas’s November 3 general election begins Monday, October 19, and runs through Friday, October 30, according to the Texas Secretary of State. Applications for a ballot by mail must be received by October 23.

During early voting, registered voters may cast a ballot at any early voting location in their county of residence. Hours vary from one location to the next, and county elections offices set them. The Secretary of State’s My Voter Portal, which also shows a voter’s registration, lists early voting locations two days before early voting begins.

On Election Day, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. statewide. In counties that take part in the Countywide Polling Place Program, voters may use any polling place in the county. In other counties, voters must go to the polling place for their precinct, which is printed next to the year of birth on the voter registration certificate.

What to bring

Texas law requires a voter who has one of seven forms of photo identification to show it at the polls. The seven are a Texas driver license, a Texas Election Identification Certificate, a Texas personal identification card or a Texas handgun license, all issued by the Department of Public Safety; a U.S. military identification card with a photograph; a U.S. citizenship certificate with a photograph; and a U.S. passport, book or card.

For voters 18 to 69, an ID that expired no more than four years ago still counts. For voters 70 and older, an otherwise valid ID counts no matter when it expired. The citizenship certificate does not expire.

A voter who does not have one of the seven and cannot reasonably get one may vote a regular ballot by showing a supporting document, such as a voter registration certificate, a current utility bill, a bank statement, a government check or a paycheck, and signing a Reasonable Impediment Declaration. Giving false information on that declaration is a crime. A voter who has an approved ID but leaves it at home may vote a provisional ballot and must then show the ID to the county voter registrar within six days of the election.

The registration backlog

In Travis County, election staff have processed more than 32,000 voter registration records that the Department of Public Safety failed to send to counties, and about 20,000 more applications filed before the October 5 deadline were still waiting to be processed, KUT reported October 9. Voters in any county can confirm their registration through the My Voter Portal before they go.

Texas writes the rules for its elections in its own Election Code, and county offices across the state carry them out.