Voter Registration in Texas

Attention: Voter information and identification requirements may change prior to an election. Please check with the Secretary of State website to make sure you have the most current information.
In Texas, voter registration applications are available online or at your local Department of Public Safety offices, post offices, libraries, and many other places. You may also request a postage-paid application online.

NOTE: Voter information and application forms are also available in Spanish.

Normally, voter applications take 30 days to process once they have been received and approved. The 30 days starts on the date the application was postmarked or, if hand-carried, the date of the application's arrival at your local voter registrar's office.

TX Voter Eligibility

You may register to vote any time after you have reached the age of 17 years and 10 months so that your registration can be processed in time for an election falling on or after you turn 18 years old.

Other voter eligibility requirements include:

  • You must be a citizen of the United States.
  • You must reside in the county where you are registering.
  • You must NOT be a convicted felon who is currently incarcerated, on parole, or probation.*
  • You must NOT have been declared mentally incompetent in a court of law.

Once you have completed your period of incarceration, parole, and/or probation your voting rights are restored. You may need to re-register to vote.

Just Moved?

Find all the information you need to finish your moving requirements with the DMV.

Register to Vote in Texas

To register to vote in Texas, you must complete and submit a voter registration application. Postage is paid on official applications.

The official application is available:

  • At County Voter Registrars' offices.
  • At the Secretary of State's office.
  • At libraries, high schools, and many post offices.

You can also get an application by:

On the application, you must provide:

  • Your TX driver's license number.
  • A personal identification number from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
    OR
  • Your Social Security number.

If you DO NOT have one of these numbers, you will be required to show proof of identification at the polls. The TX SOS website provides a complete list of accepted ID.

After you submit your voter registration application to the County Voter Registrar, you will receive a voter registration certificate in the mail to bring with you to the polls.

Deadline for TX Voter Registration

Applications to vote must be either received or postmarked no later than 30 days prior to the election to be able to vote in that election.

Military & Overseas Voter Registration

If you are deployed as an active-duty military member or dependent, or are currently overseas for another reason, you can register to vote by completing a Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) (Form 76). Submit your completed FPCA to your county voter registration official.

This form also acts as a request for an absentee ballot.

For more information—including registration and delivery deadlines—refer to the state's page on military and overseas voters.

Vote By Mail

You can register to vote using the same processes as outlined above under “ Register to Vote in Texas."

However, to actually cast a vote, you must request to vote early by mail (Texas no longer calls this process “absentee voting").

First, determine whether you're eligible to vote by mail; then, refer to the state's page on voting early by mail for instructions on getting an application to vote, what to do if you need help completing any applications, and specific deadlines.

Voter Registration Changes

Change Your Name

If you still live in the same county/precinct listed on your current voter registration, you can either:

You will receive a new certificate within 30 days of the registration official receiving your request.

NOTE: If you no longer live in the same county/precinct, refer to “Moved to Another County" below.

Change Your Address

The process to change your address depends on where you moved.

Moved Within the County

If you moved within the same county/precinct listed on your voter registration certificate, you can change your address by either:

  • Using the state's online Voter Name and Address Change.
  • Changing your address on the back of your current voter registration certificate and mailing it to your voter registration official.
  • Completing a new voter registration application, noting your new address, and mailing it to your voter registration official.
    • See “Register to Vote in Texas" above for instructions on obtaining a new application.
  • Changing your voter registration information with your local Texas Department of Safety (DPS) office whenever you apply for or update your existing driver's license.

You'll receive your new voter registration certificate at your new address, and may vote in your new precinct 30 days after your address change is submitted. If you miss the 30-day deadline, you can vote in your former precinct as long as you still live in the political subdivision of the election.

Use the state's Am I Registered? tool to determine registration status and poll location.

Moved to Another County

If you moved to another county, you must re-register. Refer to Register to Vote in Texas above for instructions.

You'll be registered to vote 30 days after submitting your application, and your new county voter registration official will mail you a new voter registration certificate.

Forms

76
Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request Federal Post Card Application
If you're a U.S. citizen living out of your voting jurisdiction, use this form to register to vote AND/OR request an absentee ballot.
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