At a Glance: Texas

Texas Voting Rules

Voter Registration Form:
Forms can be found here.

Deadline to Register:
October 6, 2008 (30 days before Election Day, but that is a Sunday so it has been moved to following Monday).

Voter Eligibility:
In order to vote in Texas you must be a U.S. citizen, be a resident of the county, be 18 years old (you may register at 17 years and 10 months), not a convicted felon (unless a person's sentence is completed, including any probation or parole), and not be declared mentally incapacitated by a court of law.

Identification Requirements:
IA voter certificate, a driver's license or personal identification card issued to you by the Department of Public Safety or a similar document issued to you by an agency of another state, regardless of whether the license or card has expired, a form of identification containing your photograph that establishes your identity, a birth certificate or other document confirming birth that is admissible in a court of law and establishes your identity, United States citizenship papers issued to you, a United States passport issued to you, official mail addressed to you, by name, from a governmental entity, a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address, or any other form of identification prescribed by the Secretary of State.

Where to Turn in Your Registration:
County Clerks Office. This can be found at this website.

How to Register Others:
The state of Texas requires a sworn-in deputy registrar to be present wherever voter registration cards are collected. You will need at least one person deputized in each county for which you are registering voters to be on-site staffing the table at all times. To get deputized, contact your County Voter Registrar, who, in most Texas counties, is also the Tax-Assessor Collector. In many places, the Registrar’s office can coordinate with you to have a group swearing in. Once you are sworn-in, you are certified through December 31 of even-numbered years. After the drive, it is the responsibility of the deputy registrar to turn in the completed cards within five days to the county voter registrar.
For specific details of your county’s laws to register voters please call the Secretary of State at 1.800.252.VOTE (8683), or visit these websites: Texas Secretary of State or the State of TX Volunteer Registrar Deputy Guide.

Absentee Voting:
Absentee voting is available. You must have an excuse. The following are acceptable: You will be away from your county on Election Day and during early voting, are sick or disabled, are 65 years of age or older on Election Day, or are confined in jail.
Begin the Application Process
Dates: October 28, 2008 (must be received, not merely postmarked)

Early Vote:
Early Vote is available, from October 20, 2008 to October 31, 2008 (17 days before Election Day, but that is a Saturday so it has been moved to following Monday).

For More Information
Texas Secretary of State
Elections Division
Secretary of State
208 East 10th Street
Rusk Building, Third Floor
Austin, Texas 78701
1.800.252.VOTE (8683)
512.463.5650

Visit their website

Info about veterans, voting in other states, etc.

Please see this website for more information on U.S. Military Voter Services and voting overseas.

Click here to return to our Voter Registration Action Center home page.

Read our voter registration event guide here.

Visit Texas' state home page.