Who Can Vote by Mail in Texas?
If you’ll be 65 or older on Election Day and are registered to vote, you qualify to vote by mail.
But age isn’t the only way to qualify. Texas also allows mail voting in certain circumstances involving illness or disability, an expected birth, absence from your county, confinement in jail, or civil commitment.
The details matter, so check the eligibility requirements before you apply.
How to Request Your Ballot by October 23
Grab an application from VoteTexas.gov or your county’s early voting clerk. Fill it out. Sign it. Then mail it or drop it off at your clerk’s office. They need it in hand by Friday, October 23.
Cutting it close? You can email or fax a signed, scanned copy instead. There’s a catch, though. You still have to mail the original, and it has to arrive within four business days.
Not sure how your county handles it? Ask your early voting clerk about drop-off hours and delivery options.
How to Complete Your Mail Ballot and Envelopes
Before you seal it, check it.
Follow the instructions included with your ballot to mark your choices. Then put everything together:
- Put your completed ballot in the ballot envelope and seal it.
- Put that envelope inside the carrier envelope, the outer envelope you’ll return.
- Complete the identification section under the carrier envelope’s flap. It’s easy to overlook.
- Seal the carrier envelope and sign where indicated.
Not sure which ID number to use? The official envelope instructions explain what to provide.
When Does Your Mail Ballot Need to Arrive?
Got your ballot filled out? Send it back right away. The mail takes time, so give it a head start.
Here’s how the deadline works for a standard mail ballot sent from inside the U.S.:
- Arriving by Election Day? Your county needs it by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. If it gets there in time, the postmark doesn’t matter.
- Arriving the day after? It still counts if it shows up by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, and it’s postmarked by 7 p.m. on November 3.
Military or overseas voter? Your rules may be different.
Quick mailing tip: Dropping your ballot in a mailbox doesn’t mean it gets postmarked that day. Want to be sure? Take it to a USPS counter and ask for a free manual postmark. That locks in your mailing date, but your ballot still has to arrive on time.
