Three nonpartisan election volunteers outside a poll site on a sunny day wearing sunglasses

Texas Voter Information

Important dates

General Election for President, U.S. Congress, State House & Senate Offices, County Council Seats

Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

More than 3,890 positions are up for election in Texas, see what’s on your ballot.

Register:

Vote Absentee:

  • Friday, October 25, 2024: Last Day to Apply for an Absentee Ballot, the application must be received by this date.
  • Tuesday, November 5, 2024 (Election Day) at 7:00 p.m. if your ballot is not postmarked, or Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 5:00 pm if your absentee ballot is postmarked by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. (Different deadlines may apply for overseas and military ballots.)

Given mail delays, we recommend that you request and return your absentee ballot application as soon as possible.

Recent updates

For Harris County, election duties have been delegated to the County Clerk and the County Tax Assessor as of September 1, 2023 as a result of Senate Bill 1750. For questions about your new or current voter registration, please email voters@harrisvotes.com or call 713-274-8200 to be assisted in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, or Chinese.

Voter checklist

*Due to a recent decision from the 5th Circuit, Texas Voters are required to have a “wet ink” signature on voter registration applications. While Texas does not yet have online voter registration, Texans who submit their voter registration applications electronically or through fax must also submit a physical copy of their application containing their “original” pen-on-paper signature to their county registrar. If you print and mail in your voter registration application, please be sure to visit your county registrar to verify that it was properly received.

Do you know who is on your ballot?

We’ve compiled an index of some of the major elected positions in state and local government and their functions to help you prepare to vote and become acquainted with how state and local government impacts your life and your community.

View the guide

Know your rights

Under Federal law, you have a right to:

  • Vote free from intimidation.
  • Cast a vote by provisional ballot if there is uncertainty regarding your registration status or eligibility.
  • Receive assistance when voting if you are unable to vote unaided due to blindness, disability, illiteracy, or inability to read English; and you have a right to choose who assists you, so long as they are not your employer or union representative.

Under Texas law, you have a right to:

  • Receive up to two more ballots if you make a mistake while marking the ballot.
  • Vote if you are a pre-trial detainee awaiting sentencing or if you have been sentenced to a misdemeanor offense.
  • Vote after serving a felony conviction if you have (1) fully discharged the sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision, or (2) completed a period of probation ordered by any court.
  • Vote curbside if you are physically unable to enter the polling place.
  • Vote if you are physically in line by the time polls close.

Eligible detained voters in Harris or Dallas County are able to vote on-site at the jail-based polling place. See below for more details.

ID requirements

When voting in-person on Election Day, you will be asked to present one of the following forms of ID:

  • TX Driver’s License
  • TX Election Identification Certificate
  • TX Personal Identification Card
  • TX Handgun License
  • Federal Military ID
  • US Citizenship Certificate
  • US Passport

Don’t have an ID?

You can show a supporting form of ID and make a Reasonable Impediment Declaration or you can cast a provisional ballot.

Here is a list of supporting forms of ID:

  • 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; or
  • 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).

Forgot your ID?

You can cast a provisional ballot if you forgot your ID. However, for your vote to count, you must provide one of the accepted photo IDs to the county election office in person prior to the certification of the election.

Mail-in Ballot Requirements

Senate Bill 1 went into effect on December 2, 2021 and Vote by Mail requirements have changed. Learn more.

Tips for filling out the Vote by Mail Application:

  • Use the same ID number on the Vote by Mail application and envelope that is used on your voter registration.
  • Provide your ID number from: A TX Driver’s License; a TX Personal ID; Election Identification Certificate; or if none of these has been issued, then the last four of your Social Security Number.
  • Provide the address where the ballot is to be mailed.
  • Voters with disabilities, check the box marked disability.
  • If you are 65 years or older, or are sick or disabled, mark the box for “Annual Application.”

Report issues

Have you experienced or observed voter suppression efforts (e.g. polling place changes, voter purges, intimidation, or local practices that result in long waits to vote on Election Day)?

Report an issue

About Black Voters on the Rise

LDF’s Black Voters on the Rise (“BVOTR”) project broadens monitoring and tracking of voter suppression efforts in targeted jurisdictions months in advance of Election Day to identify as early as possible those suppression measures that warrant a responsive action.

Our local partners

BVOTR and local partners connect voters with a resource team to combat suppressive measures using public exposure/media coverage, advocacy efforts with local actors/decisionmakers (e.g. calls, letters, petitions), and, if necessary, a referral to litigation.

Jail Based Voting in Texas

If you are a person being held pre-trial, and you meet the following requirements:

  • A United States citizen;
  • A resident of the Texas county in which application for registration is made;
  • At least 18 years old on Election Day;
  • Not finally convicted of a felony, or, if so convicted must have (1) fully discharged the sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision, or completed a period of probation ordered by any court; or (2) been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disability 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.

You will be able to vote on site at the Dallas County Jail and Harris County Jail polling places. You are also eligible to vote via mail-in voting.

Disclaimer: The information here is a resource and not legal advice. It is provided for informational purposes only and not as a substitute for or supplement to the legal advice necessary to address the specific concerns of any individual. Moreover, Texas may revise its laws after the publication of this site. Therefore, it is your responsibility to determine how all applicable laws concerning voter registration, voting, and the restoration of voting rights in Texas affect you.