U.S. Politics

To vote in Texas, you must be registered. Simply pick up a voter registration application, fill it out, and mail it at least 30 days before the election date. The deadline to register and be eligible to vote in the November 6, 2012 General Election is October 9, 2012. This can be either the postmark date or the date the application is received in the office of the voter registrar. You may, of course, register at any time before that date to ensure that your registration is effective for voting in November. You can obtain a voter registration application from your voter registrar's office, libraries, most post offices, high schools, or from this office.

To register to vote in the State of Texas, an individual must meet the following qualifications:

• You are a United States citizen;
• You are a resident of the county where you submit the application;
• You are at least 18 years old on Election Day;
• You are not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole); and
• You have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

Where, when, and how to vote

• Pick up a voter registration application at your library, any government office, or download one from this site. Mail your completed application to the Voter Registrar in your county. Upon acceptance, your voter registration will be effective 30 days from registration.
• You'll be mailed a voter registration certificate or card with your name, address, and the number of the precinct in which you'll vote. (A precinct is a geographic area in your county.) Check your local newspaper on the Saturday before the election for the address of the polling place for your precinct and, on election day, arrive there between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. to cast your ballot. Show your voter registration card or a valid I.D. to the election official and, depending on the type of voting machine they use, they'll provide you with a paper ballot or, for an electronic voting machine, a number or ballot activator card that enables you to vote on the machine.

Click here to register to vote

Election Offices In texas

• Uniform Election Day - November 5,2013

Check state complete events calendar - Deadlines,ID requirements,Poll Hours ...

Who is Eligible to Vote Early in Texas??

• In Person: Any registered voter may vote early in person.
• To vote early by mail, a voter must meet one of the following criteria:
• Have a sickness or disability
• Be 65 years old or older on Election Day
• Expect to be absent from your county during early voting and on Election Day
• Be confined in jail, but eligible to vote

Click here for Early Voting Dates and Locations

How Can I Acquire an Early Voting Ballot?

• Early voting in person starts on the 17th day before each election, and ends four days before each election. Call your election official for information on voting sites
• Curbside Voting: An election official will bring your ballot to your car outside the polling place. Simply call ahead to notify the early voting clerk that you want to vote from your car. Curbside voting is available during early voting, and on Election Day.
• By Mail: You may obtain a formal application from the Secretary of State's office or the early voting clerk in your county

How do I Return the Early Voting Ballot and What is the Deadline?

• In order to be counted, an early ballot must be received by the clerk by 7 p.m. on Election Day. If you are mailing your ballot from outside the United States, the early voting clerk must receive your ballot by the 5th day after Election Day. (You must mail it no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day.)

Military and Overseas Voters -- Click here

Click here to request absentee ballot

Students can establish residency in Texas if they have a present intention to remain at their Texas school address for the time being, and they intend to make it their principal home.The Texas Attorney General has stressed that students have the right to determine their residence.

Like all states, Texas allows students to keep their voting residency even if they move out of the district to attend school, and the only way you will lose this residency is by establishing residency in a new state.If you have established residence in another state and are moving back to Texas with the intent to reside here, you will have to follow the normal registration procedures to re-register at home.

Under federal law, if you move within 30 days of a presidential election, you are allowed to vote for President and Vice President in your former state of residence, either in person or by absentee ballot.

If you moved to Texas from another state, you must register to vote in Texas to be able to vote. The last day to register in time to vote in the next election is thirty days before the election. If you moved from out of state, you may register to vote the same day you become a resident of the State of Texas.

If you moved to a new address that is covered by the same polling place as your old address, you can vote at that polling place after confirming your change of address. This is true regardless of how close to the election you moved.

If you moved to a new address within the same county but with a different polling place, you can vote at the polling place associated with your old address after confirming your current address, and eligibility.

If you moved to a new address in a different county within thirty days of the election, you can vote a limited ballot through in-person early voting or early voting by mail if you would have been eligible to vote at your previous address. Voters restricted to a limited ballot can only vote for statewide offices and measures, and those offices and measures on the ballot in both your old and new polling place.

If you moved to a new address more than 30 days before the election, you should complete a new registration form to update your registration records.Any qualified voter is eligible for in-person early voting.To qualify for early voting by mail, you must expect to be absent from your county of residence on Election Day and during the regular hours for in-person early voting.