It’s the time of year when campaign ads have seemingly conquered everything fun — our television screens, our phones, our text messages. And it’s probably the time of year you receive the most texts from unknown numbers claiming they’ve “never needed your support more.”
It’s also the first time in six years that you might find yourself asking: What exactly does the Texas Railroad Commissioner do? (Hint: it has less to do with railroads and more to do with oil.)
That’s all to say, it’s midterm election season. This October and November, Texans will have a chance to select who represents them both Washington, D.C. and in Austin.
This campaign cycle has been characterized by a handful of competitive races, notably between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and State Representative James Talarico. It’s also been marked by controversy, as Tarrant County commissioners cut polling sites and 1.2 million Texas voters found themselves on a “suspense” list.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
Can I vote?
In order to vote in Texas, you must:
be a U.S. citizenbe a resident of the county you are applying to vote inbe at least 18 years old by Election Daynot have been declared mentally incapacitated by a courtnot be a convicted felon (though you may be eligible if you were pardoned or completed your sentence, probation and parole)
How do I register to vote?
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 5.
To register to vote, visit your county’s website: Collin County, Denton County, Dallas County and Tarrant County.
You can check to see your registration status on the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
What do I do if I am on the voter suspense list?
What a voter should do depends on whether they have moved since they last registered to vote.
If you haven’t moved, you can still vote even if you’re on the list. You’ll need to complete what’s called a Statement of Residence when voting by mail or at the polls to confirm your address.
If you moved within the same county, you can update your address before the Oct. 5 voter registration deadline. If you don’t update it before then, you can still vote. On Election Day, you can return to the precinct where you previously lived and complete a Statement of Residence before casting your ballot.
If you moved to a different county and haven’t updated your registration, you can apply for a limited ballot during early voting at the main early voting polling place in your new county. A limited ballot allows you to vote in races and measures for which you are eligible in both your old and new counties.
You can find more information what to do here.
How do I vote?
Make sure you bring an acceptable form of photo identification to your polling place:
Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPSTexas personal identification card issued by DPSTexas handgun license issued by DPSUnited States military identification card containing the person’s photographUnited States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photographPassport
Remember, you won’t be able to use your phone or other devices once you are in the voting booth or within 100 feet of voting stations.
In Texas, you must meet certain requirements to vote by mail. Those are:
be 65 years or olderbe sick or disabledbe out of the county on election day and during the period of early voting be personal appearancebe expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Daybe confined in jail, but otherwise eligible
For the Nov. 3 election, the last day to apply for ballot by mail (received, not postmarked) is Oct. 23. The last day to receive ballot by mail is Election Day Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. (not postmarked) or Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. (postmarked). Learn more about the deadlines for vote by mail at the Texas Secretary of State’s website.