The last day to register to vote in the upcoming Nov. 2 election is Monday, Oct. 4. If you need to check your registration status or register to vote, details are below.
National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan civic holiday dedicated to registering eligible voters. The day is held annually on the fourth Tuesday in September and organizers say nearly 4.5 million voters have been registered to vote on the holiday since 2012.
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Along with any local elections that are held on Nov. 2, the State of Texas will also ask voters to consider eight proposals. The proposals are amendments to the Texas Constitution that were approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate during recent legislative sessions and they must be approved by Texas voters before they are enshrined as law.
Check Voter Registration Status/Register to Vote
If you're unsure of your current voter status, you can check your voter registration status on the Texas Secretary of State's website on the "Am I Registered?" page. If you have moved to a new address within the same county or have changed your name, you can update your information online as well.
Unregistered people who wish to vote will need to have completed their registration by Monday, Oct. 4. There are a number of ways to register to vote in Texas:
- On the Texas Secretary of State's online voter registration page, you can fill out and then print and sign your registration form. You MUST still mail the form to your county election office and it must be postmarked by the April 1 deadline.
- If you don't have a printer you can request an application be mailed to you, but that returned application must also be postmarked by the April 1 deadline.
- You can also register to vote through your county registrar.
Texas Requires ID to Vote
Once you're registered, you'll still need a valid ID to vote in the state of Texas. The state accepts seven forms of identification:
- A Texas driver's license
- Texas election ID certificate
- Texas ID card
- Texas handgun license
- U.S. Citizenship certificate with a photo
- U.S. Military ID with a photo
- U.S. Passport.
For voters ages 18-69, photo IDs CAN be expired for up to four years. For those over the age of 70, a photo ID can be expired for any length of time.
If you do not have a photo ID, you may qualify for a Reasonable Impediment Declaration by showing a copy or an original of one of the following:
- Certified domestic birth certificate or court admissible birth document
- Current utility bill
- Bank statement
- Government check
- Paycheck
- Government document with your name and address including your voter registration certificate.
Upcoming Election Info
Early voting for the upcoming November election began Monday, Oct. 18 and ran through Friday, Oct. 29. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail (received, not postmarked) was Friday, Oct. 22. Mail-in ballots must be received by Nov. 2 (ballot can be received Nov. 3 if postmarked by 7 p.m. on Nov. 2).
The next election after November 2021 is the primary on March 1, 2022. If you miss registering to vote in the November election, the last day to register to vote in the March primary is Jan. 31, 2022. Early voting in the primary runs Feb. 14-25, 2022.
Voters with questions about how to cast a ballot in the upcoming November 2021 uniform election can call 1-800-252-VOTE or visit VoteTexas.gov for more information.
