Voting by Mail: A Guide for Voters
Can I Vote By Mail?
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You are eligible to vote by mail in Texas if you meet at least one of the following requirements:
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You will be at 65 years of age or older on Election Day;
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You are sick or disabled;
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You are expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day;
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You will be absent from the county of registration during the Early Voting period AND on Election Day;
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You have been Civilly committed under the TX Health and Safety Code; or
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You are confined in jail, but are otherwise eligible to vote.
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How Do I Request a Mail-in Ballot?
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There are strict rules on requesting a Mail-in Ballot in Texas, so make sure to carefully read and follow all directions on your application.
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Call your local or county office holding the election and request that an application to vote by mail be sent to you, or download the application here: Application for Ballot By Mail
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You MUST provide AT LEAST ONE of the following numbers on your Mail in Ballot Application, but we recommend that you provide both types if possible:
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Your Texas Driver’s License Number, your Texas Personal Identification Number, or your Election Certificate Number, OR
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If you don’t have one of those documents, you must provide the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number.
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If you don’t have either type of number, then you must check the appropriate box on your Mail in Ballot Application
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Address your application to your County’s Early Voting Clerk as applications mailed to an address other than the Early Voting Clerk may be rejected.
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You can find the contact information for your County’s Early Voting Clerk here: List of County Election Officials
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Send your application for a ballot by mail as early as 60 days before an election. This will give you plenty of time to receive your ballot, mark it, and mail it back to your county’s Early Voting Clerk.
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All Mail-in Ballot applications MUST be received by the early voting clerk no later than 11 days before Election Day!
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All Mail-in Ballot applications MUST be submitted in person or by mail, common or contract carrier, email, or fax (if a fax machine is available in the office of the early voting clerk).
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If you fax or email a copy of your application, then you MUST also mail the original hard copy to your County’s Early Voting Clerk, AND they must receive it within 3 business days.
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Finally, if someone helps you with your mail ballot, you MUST put their name and address on the carrier envelope, which is the one used to return your ballot to the early voting clerk. Your helper MUST also sign the carrier envelope.
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I Sent my Mail-in Ballot Application to my County’s Early Voting Clerk, How Can I Track It?
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Link: Ballot by Mail Tracker (fill in the information to track your ballot)
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Once you’ve sent your Mail-in Ballot application to your County’s Early Voting Clerk, you can track its status by contacting the Clerk’s office or by visiting the Secretary of State’s Ballot by Mail Tracker linked above.
I Got a Notice that my Mail-in Ballot Application was rejected, what Can I do?
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If the Early Voting Clerk flags any potential issues or problems with your Mail-in Ballot Application, you will receive a notice that lists what was wrong with your application.
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If your application was rejected because you didn’t provide an ID number OR the number you included didn’t match one of the numbers associated with your voter registration, you can fix the problem online through the following site: Ballot by Mail Tracker
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If your application was rejected for some other reason, you may be able to cure the problem by submitting a new Mail in Ballot application to your County’s Early Voting Clerk with the corrected information.
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If you have any questions or problems with voting by mail, please call our non-partisan 866-OUR-VOTE hotline for assistance.