Polls open for the 2018 midterm primary elections Tuesday.
At the end of the early voting period, turnout nearly doubled that of the last midterm election four years ago, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans. After the last day of early voting Friday, Democrats had shown a 105 percent spike over 2014 numbers. On the Republican side, there had been only a 15 percent uptick.
Before Heading To Polls
Double-check your polling site since it may have changed since the last election.
As part of the state’s voter ID law, presenting a photo ID is required at all polling locations. A federal court in 2016 ruled the photo ID may be expired up to four years. Seniors ages 65 years and older can use a photo ID expired up to seven years.
If you don’t have a photo ID, an alternative form of identification is allowed, but a signed form explaining why a photo ID is not available is required.
Acceptable forms of photo ID:
- Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
- Texas Election Identification Certificate
- Texas personal identification card
- Texas license to carry a handgun
- U.S. military identification card
- U.S. citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
- U.S. passport
If one of the above forms of ID is not available, the following forms of ID will also be accepted along with a signed Reasonable Impediment Declaration, explaining why a photo ID was not available:
- Valid voter registration certificate
- Certified original birth certificate
- Original or copy of a current utility bill
- Original or a copy of a bank statement
- Original or a copy of a government check
- Original or copy of a paycheck
- Original or a copy of a government document with your name and an address
What's On My Ballot?
No need to wonder what to expect before heading to the polls. Just plug in your address, and you'll see every race for the primary you plan on voting in.
Vince Kong can be reached at vkong@tpr.org or on Twitter @teamvincek
