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What You Need to Know When Voting In Texas

Shelby Tauber
/
The Texas Tribune
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 6.

Did you register to vote yet? Are you even eligible to vote? All important questions — especially if you're not sure.

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 6 midterm election is Oct. 6. 

Who Is Eligible To Vote?

The short answer: All U.S. citizens, who will be at least 18 by Election Day are eligible to register to vote. But there are a few exceptions.

To be eligible to register to vote in Texas, a person must be:

  • A resident of the Texas county where the application of the registration is made
  • 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.
Am I Registered?

If you're not sure if you are registered to vote, visit the state's online database. Additional information is available on the Texas Secretary of State's votetexas.gov site.

RELATED | Bexar County Processing 1,000 Voter Registrations Daily As Deadline Arrives

How do I Register?

Online registration is currently not an option. But you can mail in your registration after filling out this form and sending it to your local election office. Voter registration materials must be postmarked by Oct. 9.

You can also register to vote in person. Find your local election office for more information.

In Bexar County, the elections department will be open on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. On Monday and Tuesday, the department will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The local office is at 1103 S. Frio, Ste. 100, in San Antonio.

WHERE DO I MAIL MY REGISTRATION (complete state list by county):

  • Bexar County: Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen, 1103 S. Frio, Ste. 100, San Antonio, TX 78207
  • Comal County: County Clerk Bobbie Koepp, 396 N. Seguin Ave., New Braunfels, TX 78130
  • Kendall County: Elections Administrator Staci L. Decker, 221 Fawn Valley Drive, Suite 100, P.O. Box 2384, Boerne, TX 78006
  • Guadalupe County: Elections Administrator Lisa Adam, P.O. Box 1346, Seguin, TX 78156-1346
  • Wilson County: Elections Administrator Olga M. Marrero 1103 4th St., Building B, Suite 101, Floresville, TX 78114
  • Atascosa County: Elections Administrator Janice Ruple, 914 North Main, Suite 115, Jourdanton, TX 78026
  • Medina County: Elections Administrator Lupe Torres, 1202 14th St., Hondo, TX 78861
  • Bandera County: Tax Assessor-Collector Gwenda Tschirhart, P.O. Box 1882, Bandera, TX 78003

WHAT IF I MOVED?

Even if you're a student and changed dorm rooms or you're simply moving next door, you need to update your registration. And if you've moved to a completely new area, you're most likely in a different legislative, congressional and/or city council district.

For those who moved within the same county, you can update the address of your voter registration online.  If you moved to a different county, you’re going to have to register again. All changes to your registration have to be made by Oct. 9.

Ask Us About The 2018 Midterm Elections

NPR member stations in Texas want to know what you want to know about the 2018 elections. What topics do you want to hear more from the candidates about? Is education at the top of your list? How about roads, or taxes, or the environment? Let us know and we'll do our best to give you as much information as possible before you head to the polls.

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Important Dates

Oct. 9: Deadline for registering to vote in time for the Nov. 6 election

Oct. 22: Early voting begins

Oct. 26: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot (received, not postmarked)

Nov. 2: Last day of early voting

Nov. 6: Election Day

Vince Kong can be reached at vince@tpr.org or on Twitter @teamvincek