Early Voting Starts Monday. Here Are the Texas Voting Rules You Need to Know.
Bring one of seven photo IDs. If you don't have one, there is a backup. No straight-ticket voting, no drive-thru, and curbside voting for voters with disabilities.
Early voting for the Nov. 3 election runs Monday, Oct. 19, through Friday, Oct. 30. Texas has a record 19 million registered voters, and many will meet rules that have changed over the past two decades. Here is what to know, drawn from a Texas Tribune guide and the state's VoteTexas.gov site.
Bring a photo ID
Texas voters must show one of seven forms of photo ID at the polls:
A Texas driver license, Texas election identification certificate, Texas personal identification card or Texas handgun license, all issued by the Department of Public Safety.
A U.S. military ID card, U.S. citizenship certificate or U.S. passport.
Voters who do not have one and cannot reasonably get one can still vote by signing a reasonable impediment declaration and showing a supporting document with their name and address, such as a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government document. Reasonable impediments include lack of transportation, disability or illness, work schedule, family responsibilities, a lost or stolen ID, or an ID applied for but not yet received.
Voters who simply forget their ID can cast a provisional ballot, but must visit the county voter registrar within a week after Election Day for it to count, the Tribune reported.
Other rules
No straight-ticket voting. Since 2020, Texans must mark each race; there is no single box for one party.
Help at the polls. Voters with a disability or who cannot read or write may be assisted by a person of their choice, as long as that person is not affiliated with the voter's employer or union. Assistants may read the ballot aloud and mark it but may not influence the voter.
Curbside, not drive-thru. Polling places must offer curbside voting for voters with disabilities. Drive-thru voting and 24-hour polling places were banned in 2021.
Where you vote. In the 103 counties in the Countywide Polling Place Program, you can vote at any location in your county. In the other 151 counties, Election Day voting is limited to your precinct. During early voting, Texans may vote at any early voting site in their county.
Mail ballots
Voting by mail is limited to voters 65 or older, those who are sick or disabled, those expecting to give birth within three weeks of Election Day, those out of the county during the election and eligible voters confined in jail. The application must be received by Oct. 23, as we reported earlier, and both the application and ballot need an ID number that matches your registration.
Be ready
Clear rules protect every honest vote. Check your ID before you leave home, look up your polling place on VoteTexas.gov, and see what is on every Texas ballot so you can vote with a clear conscience.
Related on Dock Line: Texas Hits a Record 19 Million Registered Voters as Early Voting Opens Monday; Pro-Cruz PAC Launches Seven-Figure Spanish Ad Buy Against Talarico
