Get ready to vote
With a little over a month left before the Nov. 5 election, and a few days left to register to vote, it’s a good time to make sure you have the necessary ID required by state law to present at the polls and that all your information is up to date.
Election officials will accept several types of official documents as identification:
- 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
- U.S. military identification card containing the person’s photograph
- U.S. citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
- U.S. passport (book or card)
State law requires election officials to determine whether the voter’s name on the identification provided matches the name on the official list of registered voters. After a voter presents their ID, whether it’s an acceptable form of photo ID or a supporting form of ID (if applicable), the poll worker will compare it to the official list. If the name on the ID matches the name on the list of registered voters, the voter will follow the regular procedures for voting.
If the name does not match exactly but is “substantially similar” to the name on the official list, the voter will be permitted to vote as long as the voter signs an affidavit stating that the voter is the same person on the list of registered voters.
If a voter possesses an acceptable form of photo ID but does not have it at the polling place, the voter will still be permitted to vote provisionally. The voter will have six days to present an acceptable form of photo identification to the county voter registrar. Alternatively, a voter who possesses an acceptable form of photo ID but does not have it at the polling place may choose to leave the polling place and return before the close of the polls on election day with said acceptable form of photo ID to, if the voter would otherwise qualify, vote a regular ballot at that time.
A voter who has moved and wants to update their registration with their new address can do so online before Oct. 7. Those who move to a new state, must register with the state they moved to.
If you update your county of residence, your voter registration in your current county will be cancelled. Your voter registration information will be updated to the corresponding county of your new address. Visit https://txapps.texas.gov/tolapp/sos/SOSACManager to make the changes online. If you have questions about the process, visit this FAQ section.
Once the change has been made, the voter will receive a new Voter Certificate in the mail within 30 days of submitting a change through this service. If you submit changes less than 30 days prior to an election, you must vote at your current polling location. To use this service, you need your:
- Current Driver License or ID Card
- Social Security Number
- Voter Registration Card VUID (Voter Unique Identifier) Number may be obtained from your County Voter Registrar.
