TEXAS — Texas will hold its primary election on March 5, but there’s no need to wait until then. Early voting begins on Feb. 20 and will be available until March 1.
There’s a lot at stake in this election and there are some key things and dates you should be aware of.
The deadline to register to vote in time for the primary was Feb. 5. If you need to check your voter registration status, you may do so on the Texas Secretary of State’s website, here.
If you’re sending an absentee, or mail-in, request, the deadline is Feb. 23.
Your absentee ballot must be postmarked by March 5 and received by March 6 in order to be accepted.
Texas has restrictions for who can receive a mail-in ballot. To vote absentee in Texas, you must:
- Be 65 years old or older
- Be sick or disabled
- Be out of the county on Election Day or during the early voting period
- Be expected to give birth within three week before or after Election Day
- Be in jail but otherwise qualified
You can generally find early voting locations on county websites. For instance, locations for Travis County are available here. You can vote at any designated location in the county in which you’re registered.
Remember that you can only vote in one party’s primary, and you must vote in the same party’s runoff. You can vote for any candidate in the general election, however.
The runoff is set for May 28. If no candidate receives a majority vote in the primary, the top two candidates will compete in the runoff.
Do I need to bring anything to the polls?
You need a valid form of ID, which includes the following:
- Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
- Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
- Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
- Texas Handgun License issued by DPS
- United States Military Identification Card containing photograph
- United States Citizenship Certificate containing photograph
- United States passport
If you don’t possess an acceptable form of photo identification and cannot reasonably obtain one, you may present a supporting form of ID and execute a Reasonable Impediment Declaration. Below is a list of supporting forms of ID:
- Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate
- Copy of or original current utility bill
- Copy of or original bank statement
- Copy of or original government check
- Copy of or original paycheck
- Copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document)
Notable races
Voters will decide on candidates for president, U.S. Senate, the Railroad Commission, judicial seats and congressional office.
On the Republican side, Texas voters have indicated strong support for former President Donald Trump in recent polling, but also on the ballot are former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and others.
President Joe Biden has a number of challengers.
The marquee match is for U.S. Senate. Incumbent Ted Cruz is seeking a third term. He has two Republican challengers, Rufus Lopez and Holland “Redd” Gibson.
There are nine Democrats vying to take on Cruz in November. That includes Texas Rep. Colin Allred, Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez and former Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez.
The Texas Secretary of State has a list of offices up for election in 2024. It is available here.