Right here’s how you can register to vote in Texas earlier than the Oct. 7 deadline

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Monday, Oct. 7, is the deadline in Texas to register to vote to have the ability to take part within the 2024 common election, the place voters will solid their ballots on all the pieces from the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump to members of Congress, the Texas Legislature and different state and native elected places of work.

Texas is certainly one of a handful of states with a voter registration deadline 30 days earlier than the election. Right here’s what it is advisable learn about checking your standing and registering to vote earlier than the top of the day on Monday.

How do I examine if I’m registered to vote?

You possibly can examine to see in case you’re registered and confirm your data on the Texas secretary of state’s web site.

You’ll want one of many following three mixtures to log in:

• Your Texas driver’s license quantity and date of beginning.
• Your first and final names, date of beginning and county you reside in.
• Your date of beginning and Voter Distinctive Identifier quantity, which seems in your voter registration certificates.

Who can register to vote in Texas?

U.S. residents in Texas can register to vote within the election if they’re 18 or older or if they are going to be 18 by Election Day, which is Nov. 5.

Residents within the state can’t register to vote if they’ve been lastly convicted of a felony and are nonetheless serving a sentence, together with parole or probation, or if they’ve been deemed mentally incapacitated by a courtroom. Listed below are extra specifics on eligibility.

Texas elections regulation says state jail inmates who’re interesting their convictions are eligible to register, however the Secretary of State’s workplace recommends first consulting a lawyer as a result of when a closing conviction occurs might differ from case to case, in line with KUT Information. Learn extra right here.

How do I register to vote?

There are a number of choices to submit a last-minute software by the deadline:

• Go to the voter registrar workplace in your county (discover yours right here)
• Register by a volunteer deputy voter registrar (organizations like native chapters of the League of Girls Voters typically maintain voter registration occasions)
• Mail the applying to the voter registrar in your county

Should you resolve to mail an software, it have to be postmarked by the Oct. 7 deadline so that you can vote within the Nov. 5 election. You possibly can request the postmark by workers at your native publish workplace. Purposes left in mailboxes or mail drop off bins might not all the time be postmarked that very same day.

You will discover an software at county voter registrars’ places of work and a few publish places of work, authorities places of work, or excessive colleges. You may also print out the net software and mail it to the voter registrar in your county. This may require an envelope and postage like common mail. Obtain your software right here.

In case your software is postmarked by Oct. 7 it’s going to depend towards the Nov. 5 deadline, even whether it is obtained afterwards. To keep away from any points, some native voter registrars advocate finishing or delivering an software in individual in case you’re registering near the deadline.

What if I’ve moved?

You have to reside in a Texas county by the voter registration deadline to vote within the upcoming election except you qualify for absentee voting. You possibly can learn extra about absentee and mail-in voting right here.

School college students who’re registered at a residence in Texas, akin to a father or mother’s residence, however are learning out of state can apply for absentee ballots. The deadline for a county to obtain requests for absentee ballots is Oct. 25. Learn extra about mail-in voting right here. College students learning in Texas who’re from different states may also select to register to vote within the state with their dorm or Texas handle. Learn extra about pupil voting right here.

Eligible folks experiencing homelessness can vote, so long as they supply on their registration an handle and outline for the place they’re residing. If wanted, their mailing handle could be totally different, however a P.O. field handle can’t be listed as a residence handle.

Monday can also be the final day to submit an handle change for the midterm elections. You possibly can report an handle or identify change on-line. It’s best to do that in case you’ve moved for the reason that final time you voted, particularly when you have moved to a unique county or political subdivision or have legally taken a unique identify.

What do I do if I run into points with my voter registration?

If a county suspects you’ve gotten modified handle however your registration has not been up to date, it’s possible you’ll be be positioned on a “suspense list.” Voters positioned on the suspense record can nonetheless vote in the event that they replace or affirm their handle earlier than the voter registration deadline for an election or fill out a “statement of residence” when voting, however they might must vote at their earlier polling location or vote on a restricted poll.

Restricted ballots are accessible solely throughout early voting at a “main early voting polling place,” which is normally the workplace of the elections administrator or county clerk who runs elections in your county. The primary early voting polling place ought to be famous in a county’s record of early voting areas.

Whereas the state conducts opinions of voter rolls to take away what officers suspect is likely to be ineligible registrations, federal regulation prevents the state from eradicating registered voters inside 90 days of a federal election except the voter has died, been convicted of a felony or been declared mentally incapacitated.

In case you have questions or considerations about your registration, you could find your county’s voter registration contact right here.

Inside polling areas, there are usually “resolution desks” the place ballot staff can handle registration points.

You may also discover extra data on steadily requested questions from the secretary of state’s workplace at votetexas.gov.