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There’s another election right around the corner for Texans in cities such as San Antonio and Fort Worth.
During the May 3 elections, voters in many parts of Texas will cast their ballots for local leaders or initiatives.
Here’s how to see if there are elections in your community and how to register to vote by the April 3 deadline.
What’s on the ballot?
Though some cities and school boards held elections in November, many local governments in Texas hold their elections in May of odd-numbered years. That’s why some communities will have elections and others will not.
In addition to school boards and cities, some other special districts, which help manage services like water, hospitals and libraries, may also hold elections. To see if there are any local elections in your community, check your county’s election website for notices of local elections. You can also check out the League of Women Voters’ local chapters to see if they have information about elections in your area.
These elections may be to elect local leaders or for initiatives that require voters’ approval, such as tax increases and taking on bond debt to fund projects.
Some notable elections include:
* San Antonio’s mayor and city council (San Antonio Report voter guide)
* Fort Worth city council (Fort Worth Report candidate guide)
* Dallas city council (D Magazine voter guide)
* Dallas ISD school board (D Magazine voter guide)
* Northside ISD (San Antonio Report school board elections guide)
* San Antonio ISD school board (San Antonio Report school board elections guide)
* El Paso ISD school board (El Paso Matters school board elections guide)
* Denton city council (Denton Record-Chronicle)
* Denton ISD school board (Denton Record-Chronicle/KERA)
Here are the county election websites for Texas’ largest counties:
What dates do I need to know?
April 3 is the last day to register to vote and to submit an address change for the May local election.
How do I check if I’m registered to vote?
You can check to see if you’re registered and verify your information through the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
You’ll need one of these three combinations to log in:
* Your Texas driver’s license number and date of birth.
* Your first and last names, date of birth and county you reside in.
* Your date of birth and Voter Unique Identifier, which appears on your voter registration certificate.
Generally speaking, if you registered to vote in a previous election, you should still be registered, but there are various reasons why you may want to verify your registration status. You also need to update your registration after a name or address change.
What if I moved after the voter registration deadline?
You must reside in a Texas county or political subdivision by the voter registration deadline to vote in the upcoming election unless you qualify for absentee voting. You can read more about absentee and mail-in voting here.
You can vote at your previous polling location if you moved within the same political subdivision, such as your city or school district. If there are elections you would qualify to vote in at both polling locations, you may be able to vote at your new location on a limited ballot. But limited ballots are available only during early voting at the main polling place, which should be noted in a county or political subdivision’s list of early voting locations.
How do I register to vote?
U.S. citizens in Texas can register to vote in the election if they are 18 or older or if they will be 18 by election day, which is May 3. Learn more about voter registration eligibility requirements here. Typically, voters have to submit a paper application 30 days before the election. For this election, the deadline is April 3.
There are several options to submit a last-minute application by the deadline:
* Visit the voter registrar office in your county (find yours here)
* Register through a volunteer deputy voter registrar (for instance, local chapters of the League of Women Voters often hold voter registration events)
* Mail the application to the voter registrar in your county
If you decide to mail an application, it must be postmarked by the April 3 deadline for you to vote in the May 3 election. You can request a postmark at your local post office. Applications left in mailboxes or mail drop off boxes may not always be postmarked the same day.
You can ask for an application at county voter registrars’ offices and some post offices, government offices, or high schools. You can also print out the online application and mail it to the voter registrar in your county. This will require an envelope and postage like regular mail. Download your application here.
To avoid any issues, some local voter registrars in the past have recommended completing or delivering an application in person if you’re registering close to the deadline.
If you are renewing your driver’s license, you may be able to register to vote through the Texas Department of Public Safety. If you’re allowed to renew your license online, you may also be able to register online. This is the only form of online registration in the state.
After you register to vote, you will receive a voter registration certificate within 30 days.
Eligible people experiencing homelessness can vote, as long as they provide on their registration an address and description for where they are residing, such as a shelter or a street intersection. If needed, their mailing address can be different, but P.O. Box addresses are usually not considered residence addresses.
What does it mean if my voter registration is in “suspense”?
If a county receives a non-deliverable notice after sending a voter registration certificate or suspects an address change, a voter is placed on a “suspense list” and asked to confirm their address.
Voters on the suspense list can still vote if they update or confirm their address before the voter registration deadline or fill out a “statement of residence” when voting. But they may have to vote at their previous polling location or vote on a limited ballot. If no action is taken by a suspended voter, they are removed from the voter rolls after about four years, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office.
If you’re concerned about your voter registration, you can verify it online here.
What do I do if I run into issues with my voter registration?
If you have questions or concerns about your registration, you can find your county’s voter registration contact here.
Inside polling locations, there are typically “resolution desks” where poll workers can address registration issues.
You can also find answers to frequently asked voting questions at votetexas.gov.
April 22 is the last day to apply to vote by mail.
This option is limited in Texas. Read more about who qualifies here.
When do I need to drop off or mail an application?
Applications must be received by the early voting clerk in your county — not postmarked — by April 22. Applications can also be submitted by fax or email, but the county must receive a hard copy within four business days. They can also be dropped off in person.
You can download an application here or request an application to be mailed to you here.
If you’re looking to vote by mail, give yourself as much leeway as possible. You’ll need to budget for the time it may take your county to get your ballot to you in the mail after you apply.
What is the deadline to mail my ballot?
The deadline for mail-in ballots to be returned to the county is election day, May 3. If a ballot is postmarked by 7 p.m. locally that day, it’ll be counted if the county receives it by 5 p.m. on May 5.
Absentee ballots can also be delivered to county election offices in person with a valid form of ID while polls are open on election day.
Completed ballots from military or overseas voters are accepted if they’re received by May 8. (Military and overseas voters can go through a different ballot request and return process.)
Early voting in person runs from April 22-29. If you can’t vote inside of a polling place because of COVID-19 or a disability, you may be eligible for curbside voting. Read more here.
Election day is May 3.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on election day.
What dates do I need to know for possible runoffs?
Runoffs will take place on June 7 in any race where no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes. The last day to register or update your voter registration for the runoffs will be May 8. Applications to vote by mail must be received by the early voting clerk in your county — not postmarked — by May 27. Early voting is scheduled for May 27-June 3.
What do I need to know about mail-in voting?
How do I know if I’m eligible to vote by mail?
This option is fairly limited in Texas. You’re allowed to vote by mail only if:
* You will be 65 or older by election day.
* You will not be in your county for the entire voting period, including early voting.
* You cite a sickness or disability that prevents you from voting in person without needing personal assistance or without the likelihood of injuring your health.
* You’re expected to give birth within three weeks before or after election day.
* You are confined in jail but otherwise eligible (i.e., not convicted of a felony).
College students who are registered at a residence in Texas, such as a parent’s home, but are studying out of state can apply for absentee ballots. Students studying in Texas who are from other states can also choose to register to vote with their dorm or Texas address.
If you are voting absentee, such as from out of state or overseas, and want to see what will appear on your ballot, you can get a sample ballot from your county. In most cases, sample ballots can be found on your county’s election website.
What identification do I need to vote by mail?
Voters must provide an ID number on both their application for a ballot and the carrier envelope used to return a completed ballot. This must be one the following ID numbers:
* A driver’s license number
* A state ID number
* The last four digits of their Social Security number
* Texas election ID certificate number (a photo ID issued by DPS and which is different from the number found on your voter registration certificate)
If you don’t have any of these, you can also check a box indicating you have not been issued that identification.
This identification rule was added by the Texas Legislature in 2021. Some voters have had their ballots or applications rejected because they didn’t provide an ID number or the number they provided did not match the one the state had for the voter.
If you don’t have a license number on file or are unsure about which ID number you provided, the secretary of state has previously suggested contacting your local voter registrar to ask about how to add one to your voter registration record.
Other voting advocates have suggested voters include both their driver’s license or state ID number and the last four digits of their Social Security number, if they have both, to avoid issues.
What’s the state’s definition of a disability ?
The Texas election code’s definition for disability is broader than other federal definitions. A voter is eligible to vote by mail if they have a “sickness or physical condition” that prevents them from voting in person without the likelihood of “needing personal assistance or of injuring the voter’s health.” It’s up to the voter to decide this, and election officials don’t have the authority to question a voter’s reasoning.
While a lack of immunity to COVID-19 alone does not allow a voter to request a ballot based on disability, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that it was up to voters to decide if that lack of immunity, combined with their medical history, meets the state’s eligibility criteria.
What kind of postage do I need to return my mail-in ballot?
It depends on where you live. Postage for mail-in ballots will vary by county because the style and size of the ballot could be different from county to county — and some counties may pay postage for you. Local elections offices should have the specifics once ballots are finalized. That said, if you don’t have enough postage, your ballot is not supposed to be returned to you. Instead, the Postal Service is supposed to deliver the ballot and bill the county for the insufficient or missing postage.
What if there’s an issue with my mail-in ballot?
Texas will allow voters to correct their mail-in ballots if the ballots are at risk of being rejected for a technical error, including missing information or signatures. This also applies to issues with the applications for those ballots. County officials are responsible for alerting voters if there is a defect with their application or ballot.
Voters can use an online ballot tracking tool to check the status of both their application to vote by mail and their ballot. The tracker can also be used to make corrections. You can access it here. The deadline to correct mail-in ballot applications is April 22. The deadline to correct a mail-in ballot is May 9.
What do I need to know about going to the polls?
Who is eligible to vote early?
Anyone registered to vote may vote early, but it must be done in person unless you qualify to vote by mail.
How do I know where to vote?
Local political subdivisions, such as school districts, are not required to use county election precincts or polling locations for the May 3 election, so voting may be limited to one or a few polling locations run by that governing body. For instance, school districts may use one of their buildings for voting.
Polling locations for early voting and election day should be listed on your county’s website or on a governing body’s notice of an election on their website, such as on a school district’s webpage or announcement of a bond election.
What form of ID do I need to bring?
You’ll need one of seven types of valid photo ID to vote in Texas:
* A state driver’s license (issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety).
* A Texas election identification certificate (issued by DPS).
* A Texas personal identification card (issued by DPS).
* A Texas license to carry a handgun (issued by DPS).
* A U.S. military ID card with a personal photo.
* A U.S. citizenship certificate with a personal photo.
* A U.S. passport.
Check out this story for more details.
What if I don’t have a valid photo ID?
Voters can still cast votes if they sign a form swearing that they have a “reasonable impediment” from obtaining a proper photo ID. However, those voters will also have to present one of the following types of supporting identification documents:
* A valid voter registration certificate.
* A certified birth certificate.
* A document confirming birth admissible in a court of law that establishes your identity (which may include a foreign birth document).
* A copy of or an original current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other document that shows the voter’s name and address. (Any government document that contains a voter’s photo must be an original.)
If you have a valid photo ID but forgot it, you can cast a provisional ballot but will have to visit the local voter registrar’s office within six days of the election to present an acceptable ID or documentation in order for the ballot to be counted. A registered voter without a valid photo ID or any of the supporting documents can also cast a provisional ballot.
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