Updated at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 1 to include updated information.
Election Day is on Tuesday. Our readers have shared a keen interest in these elections, and we’ve fielded questions about how to vote and put all the frequently asked questions in one place.
When is the election?
Election Day for the presidential elections is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Early voting ran from Oct. 13 through Oct. 30.
You can check your voter registration with your county elections administrator (DallasCountyVotes.org for Dallas) or on the Secretary of State’s website www.votetexas.gov.
There is high interest in this year’s election. As of last month, the state reported 16,955,519 million registered voters — a new record. That’s 1.8 million more than during the last presidential election in 2016.
The state has also already exceeded its voter record turnout from 2016 before a single ballot is cast on Election Day. As of Monday at 11 a.m., the state reported 9,719,100 votes during early voting, surpassing the turnout record in the state of 8,969,226 set four years ago.
I sent in my voter registration and got the little orange and white card to check if my information is correct. Do I need to designate the party I want to be affiliated with?
That is your Voter Registration Certificate and it’s proof that you’re registered to vote. Review the information on the card to make sure it’s accurate. If you see any errors, correct them and mail it back to your county registrar. Otherwise, just hold on to it and don’t forget to sign it.
In Texas, you don’t have to register with a political party. The only time you’ll be asked about this is in primary elections or in runoffs and you’ll only be allowed to vote for the party you choose. But in general elections, this isn’t an issue.
Does my address on my driver’s license and voter registration need to match?
No. The state does not require your driver’s license address to match your voter registration card.
While it’s always good to have your license up to date, nearly 700,000 Texas driver’s licenses expired when the Department of Public Safety shut down licensing operations early in the pandemic.
That has created a backlog in expired licenses. But state officials say that will not impact voting and those licenses may still be used as a form of photo ID at the polls.
The state’s voter identification law allows voters to cast a ballot with a license that has been expired for up to four years. Voters over 70 can use any expired license.
What forms of documentation can I use to meet the state’s voter ID rules?
You must provide one of the seven following types of photo ID:
- Texas driver’s license
- Texas election ID certificate
- Texas personal ID card
- Texas handgun license
- U.S. citizenship certificate with photo
- U.S. Military ID card with photo
- U.S. passport
If you cannot reasonably obtain one of these, you may still cast a ballot by signing a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and providing one of the following:
- Birth certificate
- Current utility bill
- Bank statement
- Government check
- Paycheck
- Government address with your name and address, including your voter registration certificate
How can I vote by mail?
Texas does not have “no excuse” mail voting. There have been efforts to expand mail voting to all Texas voters during the pandemic, but those have been stopped by courts.
The Supreme Court of Texas has said that lack of immunity to COVID-19 alone does not qualify a person to vote by mail. Voters must have another physical condition that prevents them from going to the polls because of risk to their health.
But the court has not specified what those conditions are. It has left that determination up to voters, who risk violating state law.
To qualify to vote by mail, Texans must fall under one of four qualifications.
- Be 65 or older.
- Plan to be away from your county of residence for the duration of the election (this will include members of the military, college students and those stationed overseas for work)
- Have a disability.
- Be confined in jail without having been finally convicted of a felony.
Read our story on how to apply to vote by mail and pitfalls to avoid when trying to do so.
I requested a mail ballot but haven’t received one. What’s the deal?
Texas begins sending mail ballots beginning 45 days before an election. That 45-day threshold was Sept. 19.
If you still don’t have your ballot, you should contact your local election administrator.
Experts are urging voters who didn’t receive their mail ballots to cancel them and vote in person. To do so, voters who did not receive their mail ballots will have to attest that they did not receive them. Then, they will be allowed to cast a provisional ballot which will be counted as long as no mail ballot is received for that voter.
When does voting start?
Voting on Election Day will start at 7 a.m. and run through 7 p.m. If you are in line to vote by 7 p.m. but have not been let into the polling location, stay in line. Polling sites must allow people to cast their vote if they are in line by 7 p.m.
In Dallas County, voters can cast their ballot at any of the countywide voting centers listed on the county elections website. Voters are not tied to one precinct location. The Dallas County elections website tracks which polling locations have long lines and which lines are moving more quickly.
I got a mail ballot but now want to vote in person. How do I do that?
If you decided to wait until Election Day to return your mail ballot, you may still vote it by returning it in person to your early voting clerk on Tuesday before 7 p.m.
If you want to vote your ballot at a polling location, you’ll have to take your mail ballot with you so they can cancel it. Cancelling your mail ballot is the only way they’ll allow you to vote in person. But you should be able to do all of that at the same time. Don’t forget to take an approved form of photo ID to verify who you are.
Some Dallas voters who cast mail ballots in the July primary runoffs are wary of mail voting because their ballots didn’t reach the elections office in time to be counted. If you’re worried about this for November, the Dallas county elections office provides a list of the mail ballots they receive each day or you can call them at 469-627-8683 to check the status of your ballot.
By state law, all early voting clerks have to maintain a daily register of the ballots cast in each of their polling locations and publish that list on their website. So if you live outside of Dallas County, you can call your elections administrator’s office and check if they’ve received your mail ballot.
Are there ballot drop-off sites in Texas?
No, the Texas election code does not allow them. But if you have asked for a mail ballot and qualify, Abbott’s order has made it so that you can drop off your ballots in person at your county’s early voting clerk’s office during early voting and on Election Day. You will still need to provide a photo ID.
State and federal courts have ruled that Texas counties may only have one drop-off site in accordance with an order by Abbott on Oct. 1.
What if I’m attending college out of state but reside in Texas and want to vote?
Request a mail ballot.
Where can I vote?
Each county will list their early voting sites on their website.
Here are all the Dallas County and Tarrant County voting centers that will be open on Election Day.
Dallas and Tarrant have both moved to county-wide vote centers. That means voters here can cast their ballot at any of the open polling locations in the county, increasing voter flexibility and convenience.
Is curbside voting available?
Yes. Curbside voting must be available at all polling locations for voters who are physically unable to enter a polling location without personal assistance or have a likelihood of injuring their health.
If you have a voting assistant with you, they can notify an election official inside the polling place that you are requesting curbside voting. In Dallas County, you can call 214-819-6338 to tell election officials you will need curbside voting.
Election officials will check that you meet the requirements to curbside vote and then bring you everything you need to cast your vote.
Once you fill out your ballot, the election official takes it back inside to be cast like any other vote.
Voters are not required to wear masks, but they are encouraged to do so. Election officials assisting voters who are curbside voting are required to wear face coverings, as is anyone who is assisting the curbside voter.
Need help evaluating the candidates? Check out our fall voter guide.
Correction, Sept. 25, 2020, 12:56 p.m.: A previous version of this story said Abbott’s order only allowed voters to hand deliver their ballots to their early voting clerk during the early voting period and on Election Day. The order allows voters to return it any time after they receive their ballot.
