The early bird gets the vote

Para información sobre como votar anticipadamente en Español, visite GoVoteTexas.org/es.

Avoid the lines. Avoid the excuses. There is absolutely no reason to wait until Election Day to vote.

In Texas, any registered voter may vote early in person. Early voting by personal appearance for the November election begins on October 22 and ends on November 2. This period includes the weekend in between.

You can vote at any early voting location in your county of residence. Check here to find your early voting locations two days before early voting starts, or check with your county’s election office for locations and times.

What to Bring

Early voting requires the same materials as voting on Election Day. Check out our ID FAQ section at GoVoteTexas.org for more information on the forms of ID you can use to vote.

You may also bring any printed voter’s guide you want to use. You cannot use your cell phone, so printing it out is key.

Vote Early By Mail

To vote early by mail, you must first complete an Application for Ballot by Mail. You can vote by mail by requesting an application here if you are:

• 65 or over on Election Day

• sick or disabled

• out of your county of residence during early voting and Election Day, or
  in jail but otherwise eligible to vote

You must fill out, sign, and submit your application to vote by mail to your county’s election office by Friday, Oct. 26. You can do so via email or by mail (deadline is received, not postmarked).

Once you receive your mail ballot and fill it out, it must be received by your county’s election office by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6 (Election Day), OR 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7, if your envelope is postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

If you are a military voter, here is everything you need to know.

Why Should I Early Vote?

The better question is, why shouldn’t you?

Early voting makes the entire voting process more convenient and more accessible, especially for those who struggle to get to the polls on Election Day.

While there are other solutions to help alleviate voting hurdles that we should continue to fight for, such as making Election Day a national holiday and putting the process online, early voting addresses many of the systemic barriers voters face.

It’s easy to take voting for granted when you have an employer who allows you to take off to vote or when you have easy access to transportation. Many voters don’t have these luxuries. Voters have to make calculations about how to get to the polls, whether they can spare the time to go there, or even who will watch their kids while they’re gone.

Early voting recognizes many of these barriers that can make it difficult to vote and expands the voting period to help voters plan around their lives.

We should all take advantage of early voting and encourage others to do the same.

Every vote. Everywhere. Matters. Make your plan to vote ASAP!