Powered By People

We love hearing this! Think of our volunteers as your personal voting guides. We’re here to make sure you never miss a beat in the election process.

Here’s how you get connected:

• Were you registered by one of our volunteers? Awesome! That volunteer is your dedicated guide. They sent you a text right when you registered. Save their number and feel free to reach out with any questions—that’s exactly what they are there for! They will also proactively text you with key updates like early voting reminders and polling place details.

• Did you register another way? No problem! We still want to be your guide. We can answer any questions you have about your specific ballot, your polling location, and key voting dates (like when early voting starts!).

Ready for the VIP treatment? Sign up for your personal voting guide by filling out this form.

• If you already have a guide, we’ll let them know you have a question.
• If you don’t have one, we’ll happily set you up with one right away!

You are eligible to register to vote in Texas if:

• You are a United States citizen;
• You are a resident of the county where you submit the application;
• You are at least 17 years and 10 months old on the date your voter registration application is submitted, and you are 18 years of age on Election Day.
• You are not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole); and
• You have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

How do I register for the first time?

Texas does not offer first time registrants an option to register online. In Texas, you must complete and submit a written application at least 30 days prior to the election. To do this you can:

• Complete an application with a Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar (like one of us) at our Powered by People Voter Registration Events.
• Visit your local county voter registrar to complete an application.
• Complete a mail-in application. Fill in the required information, print, sign and mail the completed application directly to your county election office. Your application must be postmarked no later than 30 days prior to the election.
  Postmark Disclaimer: Just dropping your application in a box on the deadline does not guarantee a timely postmark. Automated sorting often applies the next day’s date. To protect your deadline, we recommend mailing as early as possible. If you must mail on the final day, go inside the post office and ask the clerk to hand-cancel your envelope to ensure it receives the official, correct date stamp.
  

How do I update my name or address on my voter registration?

If you are already a registered Texas Voter, and just need to update your name or address, you can:

• Complete an application with a Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar (like one of us) at our Powered by People Voter Registration Events.
• Visit your local county voter registrar to complete an application.

Update your voter registration information online.   
Please note: To update your voter registration online, you will need your Voter Unique Identifier (VUID). You can find your VUID by visiting the Texas SOS My Voter Portal.

First off, congratulations! Seeing that card means you’re officially registered to vote!

What is it?

Your Voter Registration Card is usually a small, official-looking postcard or piece of paper sent to you by your county election office. It confirms that your voter registration has been processed and is active at the address shown.

What should I do with it?

The most important step is simple: DO NOT MAIL IT BACK! Just sign it, put it somewhere safe (like with your important papers), and refer to it for your precinct and other important info. This is a legal document that can be used to prove your place of residence (for voting, and elsewhere!)

If you notice the phrase “Return Service Requested” on the card (see the image below), please understand that this is not an instruction for the voter. This phrase is a standard postal instruction intended only for the U.S. Post Office. It informs the Post Office that if the card is undeliverable, it must be returned to the county election office. If you return the card, the county office will assume the Post Office was unable to deliver it to you. This provides reason for them to believe you have moved since registering, which will place your voter registration status on “suspense.”

TLDR: Sign your card, keep it in a safe place, and do not mail it back.

If you are currently registered to vote in Texas but have moved or legally changed your name, you must update your voter registration by clicking here to submit your new information online. This information must be submitted and received 30 days prior to the election for the update to be processed and active when you go to the polls.

To vote in person in Texas, you need to present one of the seven acceptable forms of photo identification. You can bring a Texas Driver License, U.S. Passport, a Texas Personal ID Card, Texas Election ID Certificate, a U.S. Citizenship Certificate with photo, a U.S. Military ID Card, or a Texas Handgun License.

Important Note: In Texas, a Student ID Card is NOT considered an acceptable form of photo identification for voting purposes.

If you do not have one of these forms of ID or if it is expired, you can still vote, please see: What if I don’t have one of the approved forms of ID?

You can still vote! If you do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of the seven forms of Photo ID, you will simply use the Reasonable Impediment Declaration (RID) process at the polls.

The RID sounds intimidating, but it is straightforward: it is a simple form where you check a box to affirm the reason why you could not obtain one of the approved photo IDs. Common impediments include: lack of transportation, disability or illness, work schedule, family responsibilities, lost/stolen ID, or lack of underlying documents (like a birth certificate) needed for the ID.

Below is a list of supporting documents you can bring with you as you fill out the RID.

Our Recommendation: Bring your Voter Registration Certificate (the card you signed and kept safe!) to the polls. It is the easiest supporting document to use in this process, especially if you have an out-of-state ID!

The rules for acceptable expired photo IDs depend on your age at the time you present it for voting.

If you are 18-69, your approved photo ID can be expired for up to four years and still be acceptable for voting. If you are 70 years of age or older, there is no expiration date limit on your approved photo ID. As long as your photo ID is one of the seven acceptable forms [What type of ID do I need?], it will be valid for voting, regardless of how long ago it expired.

Yes, absolutely! Don’t let a typo stop you from voting. To cast a regular ballot, simply notify the election official at the check-in table of the mistake, and they will have you complete a simple correction form to update your information before you vote.

Your voter registration is generally permanent, and you will automatically receive a new voter registration card in the mail every two years. However, your registration can become inactive (or be canceled) if you’ve moved and haven’t updated your address, or if you haven’t responded to mail from the county registrar.

Use Texas’ official voter lookup portal here to check your registration status or ask a Powered by People Volunteer to look you up in our relational organizing app, Reach. We love helping you get ready to vote!

If you see “Suspense,” it simply means the county voter registrar needs to verify some details about your registration, but you are still an eligible voter.

“Suspense” is a temporary status that flags your registration for verification. The most common reason is that the county office believes you may have moved, often because your Voter Registration Card was returned to their office by the Post Office.

If the voter registration deadline has not passed, we recommend one of three options:

1. Complete a new registration application
2. Update or verify your details online**
3. Call your local county voter registrar so your status is listed as “Active” by Election Day

**NOTE: To update your voter registration online, you will need your Voter Unique Identifier (VUID). You can find your VUID on your Voter Registration card or by visiting the Texas SOS My Voter Portal.

If the deadline has passed, you can still vote by simply completing a form at the polls to verify your current information. No big deal!

Early Voting offers you the convenience of casting the same official ballot earlier than the traditional Election Day. We encourage all voters to utilize the Early Voting period as soon as they can! We love Early Voting because the lines are typically shorter, there are many convenient times and locations, and it gives you peace of mind by eliminating the worry of “what if something comes up on Election Day” (like an emergency or bad weather). Furthermore, if you happen to run into any administrative issues at the polls (like a problem with your ID or registration), voting early gives us and the county election officials time to guide you through the correction process. At Powered by People, we want to help you make sure your voice is heard, so we encourage you to vote as soon as you can during the Early Voting period.

While many states allow “no-excuse” vote-by-mail, Texas law requires voters to meet one of five specific eligibility criteria to receive a Ballot by Mail (BBM), formerly known as an Absentee Ballot.

You are eligible to vote by mail if you meet any one of the following criteria:

• You will be 65 years of age or older on Election Day.
• You are sick or disabled (as defined by the Texas Election Code).
• You expect to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day.
• You will be absent from the county of your registration during the Early Voting period and on Election Day.
• You are confined in jail or involuntarily civilly committed, but otherwise eligible to vote.

To get your ballot, you must first send in a completed application. Download, print, and fill out an application for a ballot by mail from this website and mail it to your county’s early voting clerk before the submission deadline.

Once you receive your ballot in the mail, you must follow the instructions carefully to ensure it is counted. To properly return it, first, fill out your ballot, place it in the inner Ballot Envelope, seal it, and place that into the outer Carrier Envelope. Be sure to sign the Carrier Envelope where indicated. If mailing, your ballot must be postmarked by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day and received by the Early Voting Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on the next business day after Election Day.

If you are a college student whose campus residence is outside your home county, you are eligible to vote by mail on the grounds of being “absent from the county.” However, given that the Texas vote-by-mail process is often complex and highly time-sensitive, we generally recommend changing your voter registration to your campus address for easier voting. Don’t worry, your voter registration card does not have to match the address on your Texas Driver’s License (and it won’t change the address on your license either).

We strongly encourage college students to register at their campus address—whether it’s a dorm, house, or apartment—if your college is not in your hometown. Voting where you live is simply the most reliable way to make sure your voice is heard!

Benefits of Voting on Campus

• Convenience: You get two full weeks of Early Voting, allowing you to quickly zip to your local polling place, which is often conveniently located right on or near campus.
• Avoid the Commute: Elections often coincide with mid-term exams or other busy times, making it harder to get away and travel home to vote than you might expect.
• Reliability: We’ve found that students often miss the strict deadlines for requesting a Ballot by Mail, or the ballot doesn’t arrive or get returned to the county office in time to be counted. Voting in person on campus eliminates these risks.

Even if your hometown is out-of-state, we at Powered by People say: “You’re a Texan now and can make your voice heard here!”

Common Concerns Addressed

• Driver’s License Match: No worries! Updating your registration to your campus address will not change the address on your Driver’s License. Furthermore, your Driver’s License address does not need to match the address on your Voter Registration Card.

“Registering Twice”: If you were already registered at your hometown address, this is not registering twice. You are simply updating your existing registration to your new campus address.

This is a scenario we hear a lot at Powered by People! If you find yourself in a different county on Election Day, you have several options depending on the deadline and your location.

• Option 1: Update Your Address (Recommended): If the voter registration deadline has not passed, we strongly encourage you to register to vote at your current address. This makes voting easy, as you can simply stop by a polling place close to where you spend your days.
• Option 2: Vote by Mail (If Eligible): If you meet one of the required criteria (e.g., you will be absent from your home county for the entire Early Voting and Election Day period), you can request a Ballot by Mail. Check your eligibility and request a ballot: [Who can get a Ballot by Mail (Absentee Ballot) and how?]
• Option 3: Travel Home to Vote: You can travel back to your home county during the two-week Early Voting period or on Election Day to vote at your assigned or preferred polling location.

Option 4: The Limited Ballot (Last Resort): If none of the above options work, you can utilize the Limited Ballot procedure by going to the main county office in the county where you are currently located, but this option is only available during the Early Voting period (not on Election Day). The Limited Ballot is the overlap of your home Texas county and the county in which you are voting, meaning you can vote for all national and statewide offices and issues, but you will not be able to vote for local offices or local issues specific to either county.

The registration deadline is 30 days before Election Day. If this deadline has passed and your current Voter Registration Certificate is not updated, your options depend on where you moved:

• If you have moved to a new address but are still within the same Texas county, you can still vote as usual at any polling location in that county. You will just need to fill out a simple change-of-address form at the polls to update your information.
• If you moved to a different Texas county after the deadline, you can vote using a Limited Ballot during the Early Voting Period (this option is generally not available on Election Day). You must go to the main county office of the county you currently live in. A Limited Ballot allows you to vote only on contests that are common to both your new and old county. This means you can vote for statewide and national candidates/issues, but not local candidates or local issues specific to either county.
• If you were not a registered Texas voter at least 30 days prior to the election, unfortunately, you cannot cast a ballot in this election. Connect with one of our volunteers so we can get you registered and ready to vote next time!

The “Valid From” date tells you the date your registration officially became effective, but it is NOT the eligibility cutoff for the current election.

The Simple Rule for Voting: As long as you submitted your registration application by the official 30-day registration deadline, you are eligible to vote in the election. The “Valid From” date on your card simply needs to be on or before Election Day.

• Example: If Early Voting starts on February 17th, but your card shows “Valid From February 20th,” you can still vote on February 17th! Your name will be on the certified list because you met the original 30-day deadline.

Don’t let the “Valid From” date stop you. If you met the registration deadline, you are registered. Head to the polls and vote!

See a real text and answer below:

If you have problems or questions, reach out to your Powered by People contact and we will be happy to help guide you.