En español | Texas’ Nov. 8 general election includes races for U.S. House, state House and Senate, governor and several other state offices. The state's primaries were March 1, and primary runoffs will be on Tuesday, May 24.

What’s new this year?

A new state law introduced in 2021 has changed voting in Texas, including:

• A ban on drive-through and 24-hour early voting.

• Mail-in-ballot voters must now provide either their Texas driver’s license, personal ID or election ID certificate number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number on both the application and the return envelope for their completed ballot.

• Those who assist someone else in filling out a ballot at the polls must sign a form disclosing their relationship to the voter. They also must recite an oath stating that they did not pressure or coerce the voter into choosing them as their assistant.

Also, a new redistricting plan has changed the boundaries of some state legislative and U.S. congressional districts and may affect which candidates appear on your ballot. Visit votetexas.gov for more information.

Essential info:

• Mail-in voting: Mail-in ballots (formerly called absentee ballots) are available only to registered voters who are 65 or older, are sick or have a disability, are incarcerated but otherwise eligible, or will be out of their home county on Election Day and during the early voting period.

• Early in-person voting: Texas offers early in-person voting from Monday, May 16, to Friday, May 20, for the primary runoffs and from Monday, Oct. 24, to Friday, Nov. 4, for the general election.

• In-person voting on Election Day: The primary runoffs are Tuesday, May 24 and the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

How do the primary runoffs work?

For races in which no candidate received more than half of the vote in the March 1 primaries, the top two vote-getters will face off on in a runoff election on Tuesday, May 24. Dozens of primary races are going to a runoff election, including U.S House seats, Texas Senate and House seats, attorney general, lieutenant governor and more. See a full list of the primary runoff races on the state's Candidate Information webpage.

If you voted in the primary election under a certain party, you can only vote in that party’s runoff – you can't switch parties. But you can vote in a primary runoff election if you didn’t vote in a primary election.

How do I register to vote?

• By mail: Complete a voter registration application online, then print, sign and mail it to the voter registrar in your county. If you’d prefer to complete the application by hand, make an online request or call your voter registrar to have them mail you a registration form. You can also pick up an application form from your voter registrar’s office or from public libraries, government offices or high schools and mail it to your voter registrar once complete.

• In person: Visit the voter registrar in your county.  

The voter registration form requires you to provide either your Texas driver’s license number, your state ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you don’t have one of those, you must indicate that on the form.

The last day to register to be eligible to vote is Monday, April 25, for the primary runoffs and Monday, Oct. 10, for the general elections.

Check to see if you’re already registered at the state’s Am I Registered? webpage. Note that you must reregister if you move to a different county. You can update your address online through the secretary of state’s Voter Name and Address Changes portal.

Once registered, you’ll be mailed a voter registration certificate or card with your name, address and the number of the precinct in which you’ll vote.

How can I get a mail-in ballot? Are there important deadlines?

Mail-in ballots (formerly called absentee ballots) are available only to voters who are 65 or older, are sick or have a disability, are incarcerated but otherwise eligible, or will be out of their home county on Election Day and during the early voting period. You can request a mail-in ballot:

• By mail: Download the application for a ballot online, or contact your county’s early voting clerk or the Secretary of State’s office and request that an application be mailed to you. Once complete, mail it to your county’s early voting clerk. 

• In person: You can also submit your application in person to your county’s early voting clerk.

For the primary runoffs, mail-in ballots must be received (not postmarked) by Friday, May 13. For the general election, applications can be submitted starting Friday, Sept. 9, and must be received (not postmarked) by Friday, Oct. 28, by noon or close of business, whichever is later.

• By email or fax: If you think you may miss the deadline to submit your application for a ballot by mail, you can email your application to your county’s early voting clerk — or fax it, if your county clerk has a fax machine. You must then also mail the original application so that the clerk receives it no later than the fourth business day after it was received via email or fax.

The new state voter law requires mail-in ballot voters to provide either their Texas driver’s license number, personal ID or election ID certificate number (which is different than your Voter Unique Identifier number), or the last four digits of their Social Security number on both the mail-in ballot application and the return envelope for completed ballots.

If you require assistance to complete your mail-in ballot request form and/or mail-in ballot, your assister’s name, address and signature must be included on the request form and/or the carrier envelope used to return your ballot to the early voting clerk. Voters may not be assisted by their employer, an agent of their employer, or an officer or agent of their union.

How do I submit a mail-in ballot? Are there important deadlines?

Texas voters can deliver completed mail-in ballots only by mail or in person to their county’s early voting clerk; drop boxes are not available. Your completed mail-in ballot must be received by your county’s early voting clerk:

• By 7 p.m. on Election Day if the carrier envelope is not postmarked.
• By 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, if it’s postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Note that the new law requires you to provide either your Texas driver’s license number, personal ID or election ID certificate number (which is different from your Voter Unique Identifier number), or the last four digits of your Social Security number on your mail-in ballot envelope. There were reports of ballots being rejected during the primaries because voters did not meet this new requirement. 

Also note that postage may be required to both apply for a mail-in ballot by mail and to return your mail-in ballot. Texas counties aren’t required to prepay postage, but some counties do.

Can I track my absentee ballot?

You can check the status of your mail-in ballot as well as correct any missing or incorrect information identified by county election officials via the state’s official online Ballot by Mail Tracker.

Can I vote in person before Election Day?

Yes, registered voters can vote at early voting sites in their county from Monday, May 16, to Friday, May 20, for the primary runoffs and from Monday, Oct. 24, to Friday, Nov. 4, for the general election.

Early voting locations and hours will be posted on the secretary of state’s web portal two days before early voting begins. Hours for early voting vary from county to county but can happen only between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Counties with more than 55,000 residents must have polls open for at least 12 hours each weekday during the second week of early voting. Drive-through and 24-hour early voting are no longer permitted.

Note that the recent redistricting in Texas means your polling location may have changed. Lawsuits over the new redistricting are pending.

When is Election Day? When are polls open? 

The primary runoffs are Tuesday, May 24, and the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voting sites will be listed on the secretary of state’s web portal two days before Election Day (Sunday, May 22, for the primary runoffs and Sunday, Nov. 6, for the general election). 

All polling places in Texas must be accessible for voters. If you require assistance to cast your ballot you may receive assistance from either a person of your choosing (aside from your employer, an agent of your employer, or an officer or agent of your union) or from two election workers. Those who assist others must sign a form disclosing their relationship to the voter. They also must recite an oath stating they did not pressure or coerce the voter into choosing them as an assistant.

Voters who can't read English may use interpreters at the polls. If a voter is physically unable to enter a polling place, curbside voting is also available.

Do I need identification to vote?

Yes. You must present one of the seven acceptable forms of photo ID, which include a Texas driver’s license, an election identification certificate and a U.S. passport.

If you don’t have a photo ID you can fill out a declaration at your polling place, where you must also present one of the acceptable forms of supporting ID, such as a certified copy of a domestic birth certificate, current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or government check; or the voter registration certificate from your county voter registrar.

If you have an acceptable photo ID but don’t have it at your polling place, you can still vote a provisional ballot. You will have six days (until Monday, May 30, for the primary runoffs and Monday, Nov. 14, for the general election) to present the acceptable ID to your county registrar or to process an exemption in order for your vote to count.

What races are on the ballot?

• U.S. House: All 38 seats; Texas gained two seats in the House, as determined by population growth in the 2020 census
• State Senate: All 31 seats
• State House: All 150 seats
• Governor
• Lieutenant governor, attorney general and other state offices
   

Editor’s note: This guide was updated on March 27, 2022, with information on the state's primary runoff elections. The guide was first published on July 30, 2020.

Also of Interest:  

• Follow AARP's political coverage at aarp.org/elections  
• Keep up with local events and AARP advocacy efforts at states.aarp.org/texas