Texas Voter Registration Deadline Set for Oct 11

The last day to register to vote in Texas for the upcoming November 8 General Election is Tuesday, October 11.

#Texas voters: the deadline to register to vote is TOMORROW. Don’t forget your #VoterID https://t.co/nsUNfl1Evf

— True the Vote (@TrueTheVote) October 10, 2016

Prospective Texas voters still have time to register. Applicants who are not able to visit a voter registrar’s office can get an application online from the Texas Secretary of State website, complete it, and have it postmarked by October 11.

Alicia Phillips Pierce, the Communications Director with the Secretary of State’s Office said, “Tomorrow is the deadline to register in time for the Nov. 8 election. This is a postmark deadline, so if voters have it in the mail before the last pick-up tomorrow, they should be set. To register, Texans can go to VoteTexas.gov to fill out an application to print, sign, and then mail. Voters can also go to the page to check their registration and make sure it is still current.”

Those who want to vote in the November election may also register in person at their county voter registrar’s office. In the majority of the counties in the Lone Star State, the tax assessor-collector is also the voter registrar. The county clerk or election administrator registers voters in the remaining counties. Texans can obtain an application from these locations, or can print and complete it before hand-delivering at the appropriate government office.

Those who are eligible to vote must meet the following criteria:

• Be a United States citizen;
• Resident of the county where you submit the application;
• At least 18 years old on Election Day;
• Not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole); and
• Have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

All voters who register to vote in Texas must provide a Texas driver’s license number or personal identification number issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety. If you do not have one of these numbers, you may just provide the last four digits of your social security number. If you do not have a social security number, state that fact on the application.

If you think you are already registered to vote, you can confirm your voter registration status by clicking on this link on the Texas Secretary of State website.

The forms of voter identification that are accepted when it is time to vote in person are:

• Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
• Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
• Texas license to carry a handgun issued by DPS
• United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph
• United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
• United States passport

With the exception of the U.S. citizenship certificate, the identification must be current or have expired no more than 4 years before being presented for voting at the polling place.

Election Identification Certificates may be obtained from DPS driver license offices during regular business hours. Those without any of the above listed documents proving identification will be allowed to complete an affidavit attesting to their identity, assuming they provide an approved, alternate ID.

Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and associate judge in Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2.