Voting in Texas
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
At a glance
You must register before the deadline below.
Without one of 7 accepted photo IDs, if you have a reasonable impediment you can show a supporting document (e.g. utility bill, birth certificate) and sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration to vote; otherwise vote provisionally and show ID within 6 days; Election Identification Certificate is free from DPS. No ID? Ask your election office whether it offers a free one for voting. First-time voters who registered by mail may need to show ID under federal law.
Excuses: age 65+, disability, absent from county during early voting and Election Day, expected childbirth within 3 weeks, confined in jail but eligible; annual application available for 65+/disabled Return deadline: received by 7 p.m. Nov 3; or postmarked by 7 p.m. Election Day and received by 5 p.m. Nov 4.
Oct 19 to Oct 30.
Rights restored automatically after completing the full sentence including parole/probation.
Deadlines
| Step | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Register by mail | Monday, October 5 | |
| Register in person | Monday, October 5 | |
| Election Day | Tuesday, November 3 | Polls close times vary; check your state. |
Mail ballot request: received Oct 23 (11 days before). Mail ballot return: received by 7 p.m. Nov 3; or postmarked by 7 p.m. Election Day and received by 5 p.m. Nov 4.
Where the road gets harder
Every rule is a cost, and it doesn't fall on everyone the same. A deadline, a document or a trip to an office is easy for some people and a real obstacle for others: people who work hourly jobs, move often, live far from an office, don't drive, or have a disability. Here is what that looks like in Texas.
- Registration closes before Election Day (in person: Monday, October 5). Miss it and you can't vote in this election. If you've moved, your registration may need updating by then too.
- Registration isn't automatic. Each person has to sign up on their own, which leaves out people who don't know the rules or move often.
- There's no online registration. Signing up means a paper form by mail or a trip to an office.
- You need an accepted reason to vote by mail. Excuses: age 65+, disability, absent from county during early voting and Election Day, expected childbirth within 3 weeks, confined in jail but eligible; annual application available for 65+/disabled. Everyone else votes in person.
- After a felony conviction: Rights restored automatically after completing the full sentence including parole/probation.
- The Sentencing Project estimated in 2024 that 479,097 people in Texas (2.5% of the voting-eligible population, and 5.19% of Black voting-eligible residents) could not vote because of a felony conviction.Source: The Sentencing Project, Locked Out 2024
- A 2019 Leadership Conference Education Fund study found Texas closed 750 polling places after the 2013 Shelby County decision, the most of any state studied.Source: Leadership Conference Education Fund, Democracy Diverted
- In the March 2022 primary, the first under Texas's new ID-number rules for mail voting, nearly 23,000 mail ballots (about 13%) were rejected, compared with a typical rate of around 1%.Source: Associated Press via KRWG
News from Texas
Recent election, voting and policy headlines that mention Texas, newest first. They are found automatically and not checked: a headline shows what someone published, not that it is true.
News appears here once the news feed is connected.
Official links
Texas Secretary of State Elections Division. These go straight to the government, not to us.
Sources
Checked October 12, 2026. Laws and court rulings change, sometimes close to an election. If anything here disagrees with your state or county election office, they are right and we are wrong; please tell us.
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voter-registration-deadlines
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/online-voter-registration
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/automatic-voter-registration
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/same-day-voter-registration
- https://www.usvotefoundation.org/texas-election-dates-and-deadlines
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/table-11-receipt-and-postmark-deadlines-for-absentee-mail-ballots
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/early-in-person-voting
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/table-2-excuses-to-vote-absentee
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id
- https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/felon-voting-rights
- https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/locked-out-2024-four-million-denied-voting-rights-due-to-a-felony-conviction/
- https://civilrights.org/democracy-diverted/
- https://www.krwg.org/regional/2022-03-17/texas-mail-ballot-rejections-soar-under-new-restrictions