The November 8th election is fast approaching, so we thought we'd cover eligibility and registration procedures for voting in Texas elections. You can also check out our research guide to Voting in Texas. 

Am I Eligible to Vote in Texas?

Texas sets out who can vote in Texas elections in Article 6 of the Texas Constitution and Sections 11.001 – 11.002 of the Texas Election Code.

To be able to vote in a Texas election, you must: 

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be a United States citizen
• Be a Texas resident
• Not have a felony conviction, unless you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole, or were pardoned (please see our Legal FAQ for more details)
• Not have been found to be partially or fully mentally incapacitated by a court exercising probate jurisdiction

If you are eligible to vote, you can complete your voter registration with your county's election office.

Register to Vote

Are you registered to vote in the November 8th election? You must register by Tuesday, October 11th.

This means that you must either:

• Turn in your application in person to your county elections office on or before the 11th, or
• Mail in your application and have it postmarked by this date

If you've never registered to vote in Texas before, don't worry! You can usually find printed voter registration applications at places like public libraries or government offices, or get one at your county elections office.

The Texas Secretary of State (SOS)'s office also has a voter registration application available on their website. 

Not sure where to find your county election office? The Secretary of State has a directory of county voter registration officials on their website.

Check and Update Your Registration

If you aren't sure if you're registered or not, you can check your registration status on the Texas SOS My Voter Portal.

If you've registered in the past but have since moved or changed your name, you will need to update your registration. You can do this online through the SOS's website.

Keep in mind that you'll need your Voter Registration Card VUID (Voter Unique Identifier) Number to update your info. You can find your VUID in the My Voter Portal by searching your name, birthdate, and county.

We'll cover voting procedures in our next Spotlight post, so stay tuned! In the meantime, you can let us know if you have any questions.