Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in Texas
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for Texas, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the Texas Secretary of State or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 8.
Key dates
- Register online by
Online registration is not available
No online registration for new voters. Voters already registered can update a name or address online through Texas.gov.
- Register by mail by
Monday, October 5
Postmarked by October 5. The state warns that USPS may not postmark mail the day it is collected, and suggests asking for a hand postmark at a post office counter.
- Register in person by
Monday, October 5
Delivered to your county voter registrar by October 5.
- Same-day registration
No
You must register by the 30th day before Election Day.
- Early voting
Monday, October 19 to Friday, October 30
- How early voting works
Vote at any early voting location in your county. Hours vary by site; locations appear in My Voter Portal two days before early voting starts. Bring an acceptable photo ID.
- Request a mail ballot by
Friday, October 23
Received, not postmarked: the early voting clerk must receive the application by close of business (or noon, if later) on October 23. You must include your Texas driver's license, ID or Election ID Certificate number, or the last four digits of your SSN.
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
Received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, or postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day and received by 5 p.m. Wednesday, November 4. Ballots mailed from overseas have until the fifth day after the election.
- Election Day polling hours
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Local time.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
You need a reason to vote by mail
Only voters who are 65 or older on Election Day, sick or disabled, expecting to give birth within three weeks of Election Day, away from their county for all of early voting and Election Day, civilly committed, or in jail but otherwise eligible.
- Drop boxes
No
No drop boxes. Return the carrier envelope by mail, by common or contract carrier, or in person at your county early voting clerk's office.
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Yes
Yes, until 5 p.m. Wednesday, November 4, if the envelope is postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots mailed from overseas: until the fifth day after the election.
ID at the polls
- The rule
Photo ID requested
Voters with one of seven photo IDs must show it. A voter who does not have one and cannot reasonably get one may show a supporting document (a utility bill, bank statement, voter registration certificate and others) and sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration, and then votes.
- What to bring
Bring one of seven photo IDs: a Texas driver's license, Election Identification Certificate, personal ID card or handgun license; a U.S. military ID with photo; a U.S. citizenship certificate with photo; or a U.S. passport. Voters 18–69 may use one expired up to four years; voters 70 and up, expired for any length of time. If you don't have one and can't reasonably get one, bring a supporting document such as a utility bill or voter registration certificate and sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration.
When will we know results in Texas?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
7 p.m. local time (the state spans Central and Mountain time) — 9 p.m. Eastern
7 p.m. Mountain time in El Paso and Hudspeth counties.
- Mail ballots can be processed from
The early voting ballot board decides whether to accept each mail ballot after the ballots are delivered to it (Election Code § 87.0241(a)), so verification can start before Election Day. No fixed date.
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Friday, October 30
In counties of 100,000 or more, counting may start at the end of early voting by personal appearance, October 30 (or, under the 2025 amendment once it applies, the fourth day before Election Day, also October 30). In smaller counties, not until polls open on Election Day (§ 87.0241(b)).
- Counties finish their count by
Saturday, November 14
Computed: local canvassing authorities canvass no earlier than the third day after the election and no later than the 11th day (Election Code § 67.003).
- State certifies results
Thursday, December 3
Computed: the governor conducts the state canvass on a date the Secretary of State sets, from the 15th to the 30th day after the election, so between November 18 and December 3 (§ 67.012).
- Automatic recount
Only after an exact tie: an automatic recount, then a second election between the tied candidates
Tex. Election Code § 2.002(a), (b), (i): a tie in a plurality election triggers an automatic recount and, if still tied, a second election (unless the candidates agree to cast lots). No margin-based automatic recount exists outside ties; other recounts are by petition under chapter 212.
- Requested recount
Margin under 10% of the leading candidate's votes
A candidate may petition if the margin is less than 10% of the leading candidate's vote total, or if fewer than 1,000 votes were cast in the race (§ 212.022). For a measure: margin under 10% of votes cast, by 25 voters or a political committee (§ 212.024). Petitions are due by 5 p.m. on the third business day after the canvass.
- Runoff
No runoff — the candidate with the most votes wins
Tex. Election Code § 2.001: "to be elected to a public office, a candidate must receive more votes than any other candidate" (plurality). Runoffs (§ 2.021) apply only where a majority is required, such as primaries. Only after an exact tie does § 2.002 call a second election between the tied candidates, 20 to 45 days after the recount and canvass.
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority. Tex. Const. art. XVII, § 1(c): an amendment becomes part of the Constitution if "a majority of the votes cast have been cast in favor of" it (the legislature needs two-thirds of each house to propose it).
- New governor takes office
Tuesday, January 19, 2027
Computed: the governor is installed on the first Tuesday after the Legislature organizes, 'or as soon thereafter as practicable' (Art. 4, § 4). 3.
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Texas Secretary of State.