How to vote in Texas, including dates, deadlines and mail-in ballots

Below is the voter's guide to the Nov. 5, 2024 general election. In it, you will find key dates, how to register to vote or check your status, how to find out where and when you can vote, and what you'll need to bring with you. There is also information on what races will be decided by North Texas voters and other election-related topics such as poll watchers and straight-ticket voting.

KEY ELECTION DATES

• The last day to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 7, 2024
• Early voting begins on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024
• The last day to apply for a ballot by mail is Friday, Oct. 25, 2024
• The last day of early voting is Friday, Nov. 1, 2024
• Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024
• Mail-in ballots must be received or postmarked by 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024

CHECK VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS

The last day to register to vote in Texas in this election was Monday, Oct. 7. You can check your voter status at VoteTexas.gov. You cannot vote in this election if you have not yet registered. However, you can still register to vote in future elections by printing out an application online and then mailing it to your county election office. The next election is May 3, 2025. Also, Texans can now register to vote online, but only when they renew or update their driver's license.

EARLY VOTING -- WHAT ARE THE DAYS AND HOURS?

Click on each county name to see early voting times and locations for Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties. Open voting times vary by county. For any other county, check the county's election webpage. A full list of election web pages is below.

WHERE DO I VOTE?

Voters in more than a dozen North Texas counties are approved to use the Countywide Polling Place Program for the Nov. 5 general election, meaning voters can vote at any polling location they like in their home county. Those CPPP-approved counties are Collin, Comanche, Dallas, Ellis, Erath, Grayson, Henderson, Hood, Hopkins, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker and Tarrant.

Voters in all other North Texas counties must vote at their designated precinct on Election Day. Find your voting location on your county's election webpage. See a statewide list of all approved CPPP counties here.

Wait times at voting sites may be posted on the county election websites in larger counties, allowing voters to head to polling places with shorter lines.

WHERE AND WHEN CAN I SEE ELECTION RESULTS?

We will provide a link to our main election coverage on Election Day or the evening before. That article will include links to all races and our live coverage, which will be streaming throughout the night. Check back for the link.

Results will not be available until after the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day. Early voting numbers are typically released first, shortly after 7 p.m., and then day-of ballots are counted and updated throughout the night.

Download our app or sign up for email alerts to ensure you see the updates first.

WHAT'S ON THE BALLOT?

The big race on the Nov. 5 ballot is for U.S. President. Voters will also decide on a U.S. Senate race and several U.S. House races. Down-ballot races also include:

Filter races: All races | Federal races | Statewide races | Collin County | Dallas County | Denton County | Tarrant County

SAMPLE BALLOTS

Ballots are voter-specific based on precinct and county. To see your sample ballot, visit your county's election page. A list of North Texas county election websites is below.

TEXAS COUNTY ELECTION WEBSITES

Voting precinct locations can be found on county election pages here: Anderson, Bosque, Comanche, Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Delta,  Denton,  Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Freestone, Hamilton, Henderson, Hill, Hood,  Hopkins, Hunt, Jack, Johnson, Kaufman, Lamar, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rains, Red River, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, Van Zandt, Wise.

DOES MY VOTE IN NOVEMBER HAVE TO MATCH MY PRIMARY VOTE?

No. It doesn't matter who you voted for in the March primary or if you voted in the March primary. Voters can vote for whichever candidate they want in the general election on Nov. 5, even if they didn't vote in the primary.

The open primary elections, which occurred in March, are two separate elections on the same day and are used by political parties to select nominees for the general election. While voters can only vote in one party's primary election, they do not have to vote for the same candidate or party in the succeeding general election. Registered voters are not required to register with a party. If a voter is registered with a political party, they do not have to vote for that party in the general election.

Voters are free to vote however they want in the general election, regardless of whether they voted in the primary, who they voted for in the primary, or what party they may be affiliated with.

Learn more about party affiliation in Texas on the Texas Secretary of State's website.

FREE RIDES TO THE POLLS

DART
DART is providing free transportation to polling locations for the Nov. 5 election. Voters can ride at no charge on all DART buses, trains, GoLink, the Dallas Streetcar, Paratransit Services and the TRE between EBJ Union Station and CentrePort/DFW Airport Station. Customers need to show a valid voter registration card to ride for free on the day of the election. GoLink riders can use promo code VOTEPRES at checkout for a complimentary Adult Local Day Pass in the DART GoPass app on Nov. 5 only. You can learn more at dart.org/vote.

TRINITY METRO
Trinity Metro will offer free rides for voting on all local services on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5. Customers who are riding to or from the polls are eligible for free rides on Trinity Metro buses, Trinity Metro On-Demand rideshare services (including paratransit) and Trinity Metro TEXRail. Free rides also include Trinity Railway Express stations in Tarrant County, including CentrePort. To obtain a free ride, customers should notify their driver or train conductor that they are traveling to or from a voting location.

DCTA
In the past Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) has provided free rides to and from the polls on Election Day. We are waiting on confirmation if they'll offer rides on Nov. 5.

STAR TRANSIT
STAR Transit offers free, round-trip rides to local polling places for early and Election Day voting. Free early voting service will be available on weekdays across the entire STAR Transit service area from Monday, Oct. 21, through Friday, Nov. 1. In Balch Springs, Mesquite, and Terrell only, free early voting service is also available on Saturday, Oct. 26.  Free service to the polls is available across the entire service area on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5.

WHAT ID DO I NEED TO VOTE?

You must present one of the following forms of photo ID when voting in person:

• Texas driver's license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC) issued by DPS
• Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
• Texas Handgun License issued by DPS
• A United States Military Identification card containing the person’s photograph
• A United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
• A United States Passport (book or card)

MAIL-IN/ABSENTEE BALLOTS

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) dramatically reduced the number of locations across the state that can accept a handed-in absentee ballot to ensure that poll watchers (scroll down for more on poll watchers) had adequate access to each location. Beginning in October 2020, mail ballots delivered in person by eligible voters can only be delivered to one location in each Texas county — each county's early voting clerk designates that location. You may only hand-deliver your envelope, you may not deliver a ballot for another individual, and you must bring ID.

To qualify for a mail-in ballot in Texas, voters must be away from their county of residence on Election Day and during the early voting period; sick or disabled; confined in jail but otherwise eligible to vote; or 65 years old or older. Absentee voters must also include their Texas driver's license number, Texas DPS-issued ICN or ECN, or the last four digits of their Social Security number, whichever matches their voter record, or a statement that they have not been issued any of those forms of ID.

The last day to apply for an Absentee Ballot is Friday, Oct. 25 (received, not postmarked). Absentee ballots may be submitted in person at any time as long as they are received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Absentee ballots that are mailed in must be postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

• In Tarrant County, absentee ballots can be dropped off in person at the Tarrant County Elections Administration office at 2700 Premier Street during regular business hours. The ballot may also be hand-delivered on Election Day between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Voters delivering a ballot on Election Day must bring ID and they can only hand-deliver their ballot. They are not allowed to deliver ballots for others. Ballots may also be delivered to the clerk via a common or contract carrier. Read more on the Tarrant County website.
• In Dallas County, absentee ballots can be dropped off at the Early Voting Clerk's Office at 1520 Round Table Drive. A full schedule, with extended hours, is available on DallasCountyVotes.org. Voters delivering a ballot on Election Day must bring ID and they can only hand-deliver their ballot. They are not allowed to deliver ballots for others. Ballots may also be delivered to the clerk via a common or contract carrier.
• In Denton County, absentee ballots can be dropped off at the Early Voting Clerk's Office at 701 Kimberly Drive. Ballots may be hand-delivered during regular business hours. You may only hand-deliver your own envelope and not for another individual and you must bring ID. Ballots may also be delivered to the clerk via a common or contract carrier.  Read more on the Denton County website.
• In Collin County, absentee ballots can be dropped off at the Elections Department at 2010 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 102 during regular business hours. More information can be found on the Collin County website. You may only hand-deliver your own envelope and not for another individual, and you must bring ID. Ballots may also be delivered to the clerk via a common or contract carrier.

HOW DO I CHECK TO SEE IF MY MAIL-IN BALLOT HAS BEEN RECEIVED?

If you want to verify whether your mail-in or in-person ballot has been received, you can track it on the Texas Secretary of State website. Ballots mailed in may take a few days to appear on the website.

NO STRAIGHT-TICKET VOTING IN TEXAS

Most states don't offer straight-ticket voting. Texas did for decades, but Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law removing the option in 2020. That measure was pushed through by a GOP-controlled Legislature that argued the change would encourage voters to cast better-informed ballots on Election Day.

Democrats challenged the change in court in March 2020, citing long Super Tuesday lines in Houston, where some voters waited more than an hour to vote. They claimed the law around straight-ticket voting disproportionately hurt Black and Latino voters in big urban counties, where longer ballots mean increased wait times.

WHAT IS A POLL WATCHER IN TEXAS?

A poll watcher is a person appointed to observe the conduct of an election on behalf of a candidate, political party or the proponents or opponents of a particular measure. Their role in an election is established by Chapter 33 of the Texas Election Code and they must adhere to specific rules at polling locations.

The primary duty of a watcher is to observe the conduct of the election at the location where the watcher has been appointed. A watcher may point out to an election judge or clerk any observed irregularity or violation of the Texas Election Code. However, if the clerk refers the watcher to the judge, the watcher may not discuss the matter further with the clerk unless the presiding judge invites the discussion.

• A poll watcher must have a certificate of appointment that includes their name, address, information on who appointed them and the precinct in which they are permitted to serve.
• Poll watchers cannot be current candidates or elected officials.
• Poll watchers are not allowed to engage or talk to voters in any manner about the election.
• No more than two poll watchers may be at any particular polling place at any given time.
• Poll watchers cannot talk with an election officer regarding the election except to call attention to an irregularity or violation.
• The watcher cannot reveal information about voters or the votes before the polls close or face possible criminal charges.
• A poll watcher can witness the installation of voting equipment and observe the securing of equipment before the election.
• A poll watcher can observe any activity conducted at the location and sit or stand conveniently near the election officials to observe the election activities, but they are not allowed to go into voting booths with voters while they are marking their ballot.
• Poll watchers are permitted to observe assistance given to voters by election officials and to inspect the ballot before it's deposited in the ballot box to determine if it was prepared in accordance with the voter's wishes.
• Poll watchers are permitted to inspect the returns and other records prepared by election officials. They are also allowed to observe the tallying and counting of votes to verify that they are tallied and read correctly.
• Poll watchers may also be on the lookout for illegal activities, including but not limited to, electioneering, loitering, voters attempting to vote without identification, others attempting to coerce or bribe voters.

The Texas Poll Watchers Guide can be found in this document from the Texas Secretary of State.