AUSTIN, Texas — With President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic nominee and both Harris and former President Donald Trump picking their running mates, a lot of Americans have voting on their minds.
Chatter on social media and from local political experts implies that many prospective voters are planning to head to the polls on Nov. 5 to make their choice for the next president.
But there's a lot to know about voter registration before you can cast your ballot. Some of it is simple – for example, you must be a U.S. citizen to vote. But some of it is more complicated – like how different states have different rules for what age you can register.
Here's a breakdown of what you need to know about voter registration in Texas.
Who is eligible to vote?
In Texas, you are eligible to register to vote if:
- You are a U.S. citizen and
- You are a resident of the county where you submit your application and
- You are at least 17 years and 10 months old on the date your voter registration application is submitted, you are 18 years old on Election Day and
- You are not a convicted felon (though 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
When is the deadline to register to vote?
The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election is Oct. 7. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 25.
Early voting begins on Oct. 21.
How to register to vote
If you've never voted in Texas before, all you need to do is complete a voter registration application and return it to your county election office at least 30 days before the upcoming election date.
To complete an application, you have a couple of options. You can:
- Complete an application using the online voter registration application. Fill out the required information, then print, sign and mail the completed application to your county election office, or
- Request a printed application. The Texas Secretary of State's Office will mail a postage-paid voter registration application to the address you provide, or
- Contact or visit your local voter registrar to complete the voter registration process
You can also register to vote online when renewing, replacing or changing your contact information for a Texas Driver's License or a state identification card through the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Just follow the steps on the DPS portal, and you'll be given the option to register to vote when renewing or updating your information.
How to check your voter registration status
If you have voted in the past and you want to check if you're all set to vote in the upcoming election, you can visit the Secretary of State's Office's My Voter Portal. There, you can choose from three selection criteria to look up your voter registration status.
Once it gets closer to the election, the same process will also let you see polling locations in your county.
If you've recently moved, changed your name or your voter registration record is on "suspense" – meaning your county of registration has received information that you no longer live at the address on your voter registration record – you can update all the information on your record online.
However, to log into the Texas.gov portal and update your record, you will need your Voter Unique Identifier. You can find your VUID by visiting the My Voter Portal Page.
