Have you ever wondered who is donating to the candidates on your ballot? You can find campaign finance reports for your federal candidates (US House & US Senate candidates) on OpenSecrets.org. 

For your statewide and state legislative candidates, you can visit your state's campaign finance resource. 

When an election is coming up in your state, the League of Women Voters will publish a voter guide on VOTE411.org. If you enter your address and don't see your candidates yet, please check back closer to Election Day to see them published online.  

If you see a candidate listed on VOTE411 who has not yet filled out the candidate questions, please reach out to them, asking them to fill out the VOTE411 voter guide! The more candidates who fill it out the more helpful it is for voters in your community.  

One great option with the VOTE411 voter guide is that you can print your choices to take with you to vote. The use of mobile phones and tablets are prohibited in Texas voting booths, but the law allows you to bring the printed voter guide with you. 

A drop box is a secure, locked structure operated by election officials where voters can deliver their absentee ballot any time, day or night. Ballot drop boxes are not allowed in Texas elections.  

To submit an absentee ballot in person, voters can hand-deliver their ballot to their county election official on Election Day only. Voters must show their ID and sign a form.  

Please contact your county election officials for more information. 

Early in-person voting in Texas starts 17 days before the election (unless it falls on the weekend) and ends 4 days prior to Election Day.  

You may vote at any voting location in your county, and weekend voting may be available. Check in with your county election officials for more information. 

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If there is an upcoming election in your area, it will be listed in the dark blue box at the top of this page (scroll up) or by clicking on https://www.vote411.org/texas. 

You can also contact your local Board of Elections for more information. 

• A US citizen 

• A resident of the county in which you intend to vote (See below for information if you have recently moved) 

• At least 18 years old (you may register at 17 years and 10 months) 

• Not convicted of a felony (unless your sentence is completed, including any probation or parole) 

• Not declared mentally incompetent by a court of law 

• Be registered 30 days before the election in which you plan to vote 

All citizens wishing to vote must be on the official list of registered voters. Voters may use one of seven forms of photo ID to cast their ballot. IDs may be expired up to four years, and people who are seventy years of age or older may use an expired ID. 

If you have recently moved:

If you are already registered to vote in Texas and have moved or changed your name, you may update your voter registration online.

You will need to have the following information to update your voter registration online:

• Current Texas Driver's License or Texas ID Card
• Social Security Number
• Voter Registration Card VUID (Voter Unique Identifier). The VUID  is on your voter registration card, or you can find it by checking your voter registration status here

If you live in the same county and missed the voter registration deadline, you may return to your old precinct to vote, but you will be required to complete a statement of residence confirming your new address in your new precinct.

Incarcerated Voters & Returning Citizens: 

In Texas, you lose your voting rights if you are convicted of a felony. Once someone has "fully discharged" their sentence, including court-ordered supervision, probation, or parole, their right to vote is automatically restored. Pretrial detention and misdemeanor convictions do not restrict your voting rights in Texas. 

Voters without traditional residence: 

It is not mandatory for citizens to possess a "permanent home" for voter registration. A citizen can provide an alternative description of their residence, even if they are experiencing homelessness, as long as it enables the authorities to identify and assign a voting precinct to them. This precinct assignment ensures that the voter receives the appropriate ballot. The mailing address on their registration form can be a P.O. box, local shelter, advocacy organization, outreach center, or the home of someone who will accept mail for them. 

To register to vote in Texas, you must include your state driver's license number or personal ID number issued by the State Department of Public Safety on the application form.  

If you do not have either of these numbers you may provide the last four digits of your social security number on the form. If you don't have a social security number you must check the box stating you do not have this information. 

For more information, please visit our Registration Deadline resource. 

All citizens wishing to vote must be on the official list of registered voters. Voters may use one of seven forms of photo ID to cast their ballot. IDs may be expired up to four years, and people who are seventy years of age or older may use an expired ID.  

Acceptable forms of ID are: 

• Driver's license 

• Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC) 

• Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS 

• Texas license to carry a handgun issued by DPS 

• US military identification card containing the person’s photograph 

• US citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph 

• US passport (book or card) 

CAN I USE MY STUDENT ID TO VOTE? 

No, a student ID is not a form of valid voter ID. 

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A PHOTO ID? 

Registered voters without photo ID, who cannot reasonably obtain one, may sign a form and present the original or a copy of one of the following documents with the voter’s name and address to vote a regular ballot: 

• Voter registration card 

• Certified birth certificate 

• Current utility bill 

• Bank statement 

• Government check 

• Paycheck 

• Any other government document, such as an out-of-state driver’s license or expired Texas driver’s license 

CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE FORM I NEED TO FILL OUT IF I DON’T HAVE A PHOTO ID? 

The form is called a “Voter’s Declaration of Reasonable Impediment or Difficulty.” The voter must mark on the form one of the following reasons for not providing a photo ID.* 

• Lack of transportation 

• Disability or illness 

• Lack of birth certificate or other documents needed to obtain an acceptable form of photo ID 

• Work schedule 

• Family responsibilities 

• Lost or stolen identification 

• Acceptable form of photo ID applied for but not received 

*ID address does not have to match the voter registration address. 

Once you sign the form and show your ID you will be able to cast a normal ballot at your polling place. 

The name on your photo ID and the list of registered voters must match. If your name is substantially similar*, you may still be able to vote a normal ballot; however, you must also submit an affidavit stating that you are the same person as is listed on the list of registered voters. 

If you do not have any of these forms of ID, you can get an Election Identification Certificate to present at the polling place. To find out more about these certificates, click here. 

*“Substantially similar” means if your name is slightly different, is a common variation of your formal name, contains an initial, middle name or former last name or your first, middle or last name is in a different field on the ID than on the list of registered voters. 

Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline 

Official results are never available on Election Day. Election officials work around the clock to count ballots, and it’s essential that they take the time to make sure every vote is counted. 

Absentee ballots start being counted four days before Election Day. Provisional ballots are counted between 7-13 days after the election. 

Counting will take time. Voters should expect a delayed official count, which means the system is working. Official election results will be uploaded on Texas’ Secretary of State website as they become available. 

You are considered a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas, OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To register and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation. 

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas, you can contact your county election officials or the Overseas Vote Foundation. 

Poll workers are essential to a thriving democracy, and each year millions of Americans serve their communities during early in-person voting and on Election Day.  

Poll workers usually attend a training held by election officials and then work at polling locations to help the voting process run smoothly through tasks like checking in voters and issuing ballots. 

To find out more and apply to be a poll worker, head to WorkElections.org. 

WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW TO APPLY? 

To be a poll worker in Texas, you must be a US Citizen and registered to vote in that county. 

Your county election officials may offer training, and the Texas Secretary of State offers general online poll worker training. For information about student elections clerks, aged 16 or older, visit your state’s resource page.

On Election Day, Texas polling sites are open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. 

Check with your county election office  for hours during early voting. 

You can find your polling place by utilizing Texas’ My Voter Portal, which is populated two days before Election Day. 

If you have further questions about your polling place location, please contact your county election official. 

Texas is an “open primary” state, which means you can choose any one party’s ballot for which you wish to vote. This decision does not register you with that party, and it is a private decision. 

In a primary election, if a candidate does not win with the majority of the votes (50%+1), a primary runoff election will be scheduled for a few weeks after the primary election date. The two candidates with the most votes in that race advance to the runoff election to ensure that one receives a majority of votes before advancing to the General Election. 

If you have any questions about Texas’ primary election, please contact your local election officials. 

Provisional ballots are used to ensure that all voters are able to cast a ballot even if voter eligibility is uncertain at the time they vote. Voters can mark a provisional ballot, and election workers set it aside until eligibility is verified at a later time. 

You are eligible to vote a provisional ballot if: 

• You claim to be an eligible voter, but your name does not appear on the list of registered voters, and your registration cannot be determined by the voter registrar 

• You have applied for a ballot by mail, but have not returned it or canceled it 

• You vote during extended polling hours ordered by a state or federal court 

• You do not present any acceptable form of identification (read below) 

If you claim to be registered, but your name is not on the list of registered voters, the presiding election judge will call the voter registrar to determine if you are registered. If registration can be confirmed and you can show identification, you may vote a regular ballot or be directed to the correct precinct if you are in the wrong precinct.  

If you vote a provisional ballot, be sure to bring your acceptable form of ID to your local voter registrar’s office within six calendar days after the election so that your provisional ballot is counted. Provisional voters will receive a notice in the mail by the 10th day after the election letting them know if their provisional ballots were counted and if they were not counted, the reasons why. 

If you are a voter with a disability, you may vote by mail if you have a sickness or physical condition that prevents you from voting in person without needing personal assistance or injuring your health.  

Voters with disabilities may fill out an annual application to vote-by-mail or may also apply with the county voter registrar for a permanent exemption to presenting a photo ID. 

Voters who are physically unable to enter the polling place may use curbside voting during early voting and on Election Day. 

WHAT IF I NEED A HELPER TO VOTE IN-PERSON? 

If you vote in person, the notice of voting order allows a voter with a disability and their helper to request to move ahead of other voters in line. 

Persons who assist voters with an absentee ballot application, absentee ballot, or an in-person ballot must provide their relationship to the voter and address. For the absentee and in-person ballot, the person who assists must sign an oath and mark that they did not receive compensation. 

WHAT IF I AM PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO MARK MY BALLOT? 

If you are physically unable to mark your ballot or cannot read the ballot, you are eligible for assistance. 

• You may choose anyone as an assistant except your employer, an officer of your union, or an agent of either.  

• The assistant must take an oath of assistance administered by an election official.  

• The assistant may read the ballot to you and mark your ballot.*  

• If you do not choose your own assistant, two election officials (of different political parties in the General Election) may assist you.  

• Poll watchers and inspectors can observe the assistance by election officials. 

*New Texas laws have gone into effect that may affect voter assistance. Please contact your county election officials for the most up–to-date information. 

WHAT IF I NEED AN INTERPRETER? 

An interpreter may be used if you and the election official cannot speak the same language. The interpreter must be a registered voter of the county, must take the oath of assistance at the polls, and may interpret for any number of voters.  

WHAT IF I HAVE VISUAL DISABILITIES? 

All Texas counties must provide one direct electronic voting machine (DRE) at each polling place for voters with visual disabilities so that they may cast their ballot without assistance. These machines are equipped with headphones and a keypad. 

WHAT OTHER RESOURCES ARE THERE FOR VOTERS WITH DISABILITIES? 

To find out more about how you may receive support while voting, click here. 

For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource. 

If you are a person with a disability and have questions about your voting rights, call Disability Rights Texas’ Voting Hotline at 1-888-796-VOTE (8683) 

If you are already registered to vote in Texas and have moved, you may update your voter registration online. 

You will need to have the following information to update your voter registration online: 

• Current Texas Driver's License or Texas ID Card 

• Social Security Number 

• Voter Registration Card VUID (Voter Unique Identifier). The VUID is on your voter registration card, or you can find it by checking your voter registration status here or by contacting your County Voter Registrar. 

You may also update your voter registration when you update your driver's license online, or you may fill out a new paper voter registration application. 

WHAT IF I MISSED THE VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE AFTER I MOVED? 

If you live in the same county and missed the voter registration deadline, you may return to your old precinct to vote, but you will be required to complete a statement of residence confirming your new address in your new precinct. Many Texas counties have county-wide voting, so voters can vote at any precinct within their county. 

If you moved to a new county and missed the voter registration deadline, you may be eligible to vote a limited ballot at your county’s main voting location during the early voting period. The limited ballot application will also act as a voter registration application. You may NOT vote a limited ballot on Election Day.  

For more information on updating your voter registration, click here or contact your county election officials. 

You must be registered to vote 30 days before an upcoming election. There is no length of residency requirement before registering to vote in Texas.  

Check your voter registration status at Am I Registered? or with your county voter registrar.  

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO REGISTER IN TEXAS? 

To register in Texas, you must be: 

• A citizen of the United States, 

• A resident of the county, and 

• 17 years, 10 months old (to vote you must be 18 years old by Election Day). 

You must not have been declared mentally incapacitated by a court of law. 

If you have been convicted of a felony, you may register to vote only after you have completed the punishment phase of your conviction, including any terms of incarceration, parole, supervision, or probation period ordered by the court. 

HOW DO I UPDATE MY REGISTRATION IF I MOVE OR HAVE A NAME CHANGE? 

If you are already registered to vote in Texas and have moved or changed your name, you may update your voter registration online. 

You will need the following information to update your voter registration online: 

• Current Texas Driver's License or Texas ID Card 

• Social Security Number 

• Voter Registration Card VUID (Voter Unique Identifier). The VUID is on your voter registration card, or you can find it by checking your voter registration status here 

I JUST MOVED TO TEXAS OR MOVED TO A NEW COUNTY IN TEXAS. HOW DO I REGISTER TO VOTE? 

Ways to register to vote if you are a new Texas voter or new to the county: 

• Update your information online

• Print and fill out the Voter Registration Form  

• Pick one up at a library, government office, or high school 

• Call your county voter registrar  and ask for a voter registration application to be mailed to you 

• Request a printed application with a paid-postage envelope (no stamp needed), which will be sent to your address 

Fill out the form, and then sign, stamp and mail it in or turn it in to your county election office. If you need assistance registering, Volunteer Deputy Registrars are certified by each county to help voters register to vote.  

For more information on how to register after moving, please visit Registering after Moving. 

WHERE SHOULD I VOTE IF I DON’T HAVE A RESIDENCE? 

For voters without a residence, in the space on the registration form for residence address, it’s safest to put the street address of an agency where you receive aid. If you have a P.O. box where you receive your mail, put that P.O. box number in the space for the mailing address.  

As a Texas resident and college student in Texas, you have the freedom to choose where you register to vote. You can register to vote at the address you consider your primary residence, be it your family's home or your school address. To register in Texas, however, you must have declared residency and possess a Texas ID.

Remember that you can only be registered to vote at one location. Registering to vote in your college community will not affect your Federal Financial Aid, status as a dependent on your parents’ taxes, or tuition status. 

WHAT DO I NEED TO REGISTER TO VOTE? 

Here is what you need to know to register in Texas: 

• On the application form, you must include your state driver's license number or personal ID number issued by the State Department of Public Safety. 

• If you do not have either of these numbers, you may provide the last four digits of your social security number on the form.  

• If you don't have a social security number, you must check the box stating you do not have this information.  

• All voters must present an acceptable form of photo ID to vote at the polls. A list of acceptable forms of photo ID can be found here.   

• A student ID is not a form of valid voter ID. 

Use our online tool to register to vote today!  

Employers must grant employees paid time off if they don't have two consecutive hours outside of working hours to do so on Election Day or during early voting.  

To verify your voter registration status

The voting systems used in Texas are optical scan, DRE, and paper ballots. 

WHAT IS OPTICAL SCAN VOTING? 

With optical scan voting, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it.  

• With a pen or pencil, you fill in a little box, circle, or space between two arrows.  

• When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box.  

• Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes. 

WHAT IS DIRECT RECORDING ELECTRONIC VOTING?  

Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) is the newest system in use in the U.S. All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen like a TV or computer screen. 

There are many variations of DREs because many companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties, and states are trying them out.  

• Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card that you slide into a device to start your voting session. 

• Some of these devices will show all candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Often, with these big screen devices you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure).  

• On other DREs, the screen is set up to show pages. There will probably be one thing on which to vote on each screen or page. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for the president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for a senator. Often these small-screen devices have a touch screen, where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for.  

• Other devices have a keypad, and some have a keyboard, so you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for. 

• You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad. 

WHAT IS PAPER BALLOT VOTING? 

Paper ballots are one of the oldest ways of voting in America. They are still used in a few places on Election Day.  

• When you come to the polling place, you will get a paper ballot from the poll worker.  

• You take it to the voting booth, and use a pen or pencil to mark a box next to your candidate and issue choices.  

• You then drop the marked ballot into a sealed ballot box. 

The following vendors are currently certified by the State of Texas: Election Systems & Software (ES&S) and Hart InterCivic 

You can learn more about voting systems by checking out the Elections Assistance Commission's (EAC) resource.