For voters in the upcoming November elections, early voting in the general election starts on Oct. 21 and continues until November 1, 2024.
This election cycle is crucial, as voters will choose the next President and vice president of the United States. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate will be contested, determining the membership of the 119th U.S. Congress. There are also 11 state governorships and 85 of 99 legislative chambers will hold regular legislative elections, along with other local and special elections.
In Texas and Houston, voters will weigh in on the U.S. Senate race, now a tussle between incumbent Ted Cruz (Sen. R-TX) and Rep. Colin Allred (Rep. D-TX 32nd District), as well as the race for the House District 18 that was left vacant after the passing of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. For this, there are two races on the ballot: one to finish her term until January, in which Jackson Lee’s daughter Erica Lee Carter is running, and the other to take it over for at least the next two-year term, between former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Lana Centonze.
The HISD $4.4 billion bond proposal is also on the ballot, which has two bond items: Prop A, which asks for $3.96 billion for infrastructure, renovations, school safety, and security, and Prop B, which asks for $440 million for technology.
Of course, the race between former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris is one of several decisions voters must make.
What’s on your ballot?
Find a voting center
Mind the dates!
Here are the dates you should keep in mind before voting:
- October 21: First day of early voting in person,
- October 25: Last day to apply for ballot by mail (received, not postmarked),
- November 1: Last day of early voting in person, and
- November 5: Election Day and the last day to receive ballots by mail
Are you registered? You can still check
Once a voter registers, their registration is recorded, but they should also verify their status, especially if they changed their name or address. In Texas, the changes can be made online. Registrations have closed, but you can verify your details on the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
To log in, you will need your:
- Driver’s license number and date of birth, or
- Your first and last name, date of birth, and county where you live,
- Your date of birth and Voter Unique Identifier Number, which appears on your voter registration certificate.
Once election officials verify your registration, you should receive a registration certificate within 30 days. They receive a new certificate if they update their voter information or if it’s two years.
If you receive a non-deliverable notice or are notified that your address has changed, your registration may be placed on the “in-suspense” list and will be required to confirm your address. This does not affect one’s ability to vote when you turn up at the polls if you sign an affidavit of residency. You can also be placed on the “challenged list if a private individual challenges a person’s eligibility to vote through written statements that are based on personal knowledge.
Application for a ballot by mail
To vote early by mail in Texas, you must:
- be 65 years or older on Election Day,
- be sick or disabled,
- be outside the U.S. on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance,
- be expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day, or
- be confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
You can get a formal application for a ballot by mail (ABBM) by:
- Downloading an application for a ballot by mail,
- The Secretary of State’s office, or
- The Early Voting Clerk in your county
On the ABBM, you must have one of the following numbers:
- “Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or Election Identification Certificate Number issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (NOT your voter registration VUID number), or
- If you have not been issued one of the numbers above, the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number, or
- If you have not been issued a Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or Texas Election Identification Certificate Number, or a Social Security Number, you must indicate so by checking the appropriate box on the ABBM.”
You can also write your own application for a ballot by mail, but it must be in writing and should include these, mentioned on the votetexas.gov website.
You can send in your ballot by mail application to the Early Voting Clerk by these methods:
- In-person delivery;
- Regular mail;
- Common or contract carrier; or
- Fax (if a fax machine is available to the Early Voting Clerk)
- Email (send a signed, scanned application as an attachment to an email to the early voting clerk)
Once sent, you can track your mail-in ballot through the Ballot by Mail Tracker, available on the Texas Secretary of State’s ‘My Voter Portal.’
What should you bring for in-person voting?
List of the acceptable forms of photo ID:
- Texas Driver’s License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS),
- Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS,
- Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS,
- Texas Handgun License issued by DPS,
- United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph,
- United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph,
- United States Passport (book or card)
For voters between age 18 and 69, their photo identification should not be expired for more than four years, except the U.S. Citizenship Certificate, which does not expire. For voters aged 70 or older, the acceptable form of photo identification may be expired for any length of time if the identification is otherwise valid.
If a voter does not possess one of the forms of acceptable photo IDs and cannot reasonably obtain one, they can refer to these supporting forms of ID:
- Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate;
- Copy of or original current utility bill;
- Copy of or original bank statement;
- Copy of or original government check;
- Copy of or original paycheck; or
- Copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document).
Voters may notice a cone or a distance marker placed 100 feet from the entrance of the polling center. Inside the mark, voters are not allowed to “post, use or distribute any political signs or literature relating to a candidate, political party or measure” or “use wireless communications devices within 100 feet of voting stations. Additionally, persons are not allowed to use mechanical or electronic devices to record sound or images within 100 feet of the voting stations.”
Moreover, these devices cannot be used in the polling place:
- Cell phones
- Cameras
- Tablet computers
- Laptop computers
- Sound recorders
- Any other device that may communicate wirelessly or be used to record sound or images.
What not to wear to the polls
In Texas, a person cannot wear clothes or a similar communicative device relating to a candidate, measure, or political party.
If found wearing these, a presiding judge can enforce the law within the 100-foot marker outside of the polling place entrance, and you may even be asked to remove or cover up the clothes before entering the building.
