Summary

About

Contact

Locations

Elections Division
Secretary of State
1019 Brazos St.
Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 1 (800) 252-VOTE (8683)

Web Links

• Elections Division
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Facebook

Registering to Vote

General Information

Who can registerTo register in Texas you must:

• be a citizen of the United States
• be a resident of the county in which the application for registration is made
• be at least 17 years and 10 months old (you must be 18 to vote)
• not be finally convicted of a felony, or if a convicted felon,
• you must have fully discharged your punishment, including any incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or be pardoned
• have not been declared mentally incompetent by final judgment of a court of law

How to register

1. Use our Register to Vote form below to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
2. Sign and date your form. This is very important!
3. Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
4. Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.

Election Day registration
N/A

Voting Rights restoration

If you have been convicted of a felony and have questions about whether you can register to vote, visit Restore Your Vote to determine your eligibility.

Registration Status (form)

New Registration (form)

Voting

General Information

Voting as a Student

Learn more from Campus Vote Project about voting for students.

Overseas and Military Voting

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

Voting with Disabilities

If you have a sickness or physical condition that prevents you from voting without personal assistance or voting could negatively impact your health, you are eligible to vote using the early voting by mail materials on election day, at the main early voting polling place, or at your precinct polling place.

If you are physically unable to enter the polling place, an election official may deliver the ballot to you at the entrance or curb of the polling place. If you are physically unable to mark your ballot, or cannot read the ballot, you are eligible for assistance. You may choose anyone as an assistant except your employer or an officer of your union, or an agent of either. The assistant must take an oath of assistance administered by an election official. The assistant may read the ballot to you and mark your ballot. If you do not choose your own assistant, two election officials (of different political parties in the General Election) may assist you. Poll watchers and inspectors can observe the assistance by election officials.

An interpreter may be used if you and the election official cannot speak the same language. The interpreter must be a registered voter of the county, must take the oath of assistance and may interpret for any number of voters. Under HAVA, all Texas counties must provide one direct electronic voting machine (DRE) at each polling place for use by voters with visual disabilities, so they may cast their ballot without assistance. These machines are equipped with headphones and a keypad.

To find out more about how you may receive support while voting, click here.

For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.

If you are a person with a disability and have questions about your voting rights, call Disability Rights Texas’ Voting Hotline at 1-888-796-VOTE (8683)

Early Voting

In person early voting is available to any registered voter in Texas beginning on the 17th day (12th day before a May election) before an election  – unless it’s a weekend then early voting starts on Monday, and ending on the fourth day before Election Day. No excuse is needed to vote early in person. Early voting in person is conducted in the building that houses the office of the County Clerk or City Secretary, or in a place designated by the County Commissioners or City Council.

Vote by Mail (Absentee)

Absentee ballot rules

You may vote by absentee ballot in Texas if:

• you are 65 years or older;
• you are disabled;
• you will be out of the county on Election Day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance; or
• you are confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.

How to get Absentee ballot

1. Use our Absentee Ballot Form below to prepare your application.
2. Sign and date the form. This is very important!
3. Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
4. All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
5. Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
6. Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.

What to do next

1. Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
2. Sign and date where indicated.
3. Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
4. Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.

Absentee ballot application deadline

• In Person: 11 days before Election Day.
• By Mail: 11 days before Election Day.

Absentee ballot submission deadline

Postmarked by Election Day and received by the day after Election Day.

Absentee Ballot (form)

Elections Alert (Form)

Pollling Information

Polling Place Locator

You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.

If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

Polling Place Hours
On election day the polling place will be open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Poll Worker Information

In order to be a poll worker in Texas:

• You must be registered to vote in Texas
• You must be at least 18 years of age
• Political affiliation generally required
• You must be a resident of the precinct for 30 days prior to the election
• You must complete required training

You will be entitled to compensation

For information about student elections clerks, aged 16 or older, visit your state resource.

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

Division of Elections

The Secretary of State is the chief election officer for the State of Texas. The Secretary of State’s Elections Division provides assistance and advice to election officials on the proper conduct of elections. This includes hosting seminars and elections schools, providing calendars, ballot certification, primary election funding, and legal interpretations of election laws to election officials. We also provide assistance to the general public on voter registration and other election issues through our 1-800 toll-free number, 1-800-252-VOTE (8683), and via the Internet.

Secretary of State

The Secretary of State is one of six state officials named by the Texas Constitution to form the Executive Department of the State. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor, with confirmation by the Senate, and serves at the pleasure of the Governor.

The first Secretary of the Republic of Texas was Stephen F. Austin.

The Secretary serves as Chief Election Officer for Texas, assisting county election officials and ensuring the uniform application and interpretation of election laws throughout Texas. The Office of the Secretary of State also provides a repository for official and business and commercial records required to be filed with the Office. The Secretary publishes government rules and regulations and commissions notaries public. The Secretary also serves as keeper of the state seal and attestor to the Governor’s signature on official documents.

In addition, the Secretary serves as senior advisor and liaison to the Governor for Texas Border and Mexican Affairs, and serves as Chief International Protocol Officer for Texas

Ruth Ruggero Hughs was sworn in as the 113th Texas Secretary of State on August 19, 2019. Secretary Hughs is one of six state officials named by the Texas Constitution to form the Executive Department of the State. In addition to serving as Texas’ Chief Elections Officer, Secretary Hughs is also senior advisor and liaison to the Governor for Border and Mexican Affairs, and is the state’s Chief International Protocol Officer. In that role, she serves as the Border Commerce Coordinator, facilitating communication and coordination of border initiatives among local officials, state agencies, and the federal governments of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as well as chairing the Border Trade Advisory Committee, which works to identify and address key border trade transportation challenges facing Texas.

Secretary Hughs has a proven record of public service, most recently having served as Chair and Commissioner Representing Employers at the Texas Workforce Commission, where she worked to foster opportunities for economic growth by partnering with the business community to provide employers with a variety of resources to expand their businesses, as well as implementing initiatives for youth, veterans, women entrepreneurs, and people with disabilities.

Prior to her appointment, Secretary Hughs worked as a licensed attorney and was a small business owner. She also previously served at the Office of the Texas Attorney General as the Director of Defense Litigation, where she was responsible for the successful management and oversight of the civil litigation divisions representing agencies across the state.

Secretary Hughs received a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Juris Doctor degree from the Rutgers Camden School of Law, and she earned a certificate in Leader Development at the U.S. Army War College’s National Security Seminar.