Voter

Texas has Election Days the first Saturday of every May and the first Tuesday of every November (if November 1 is a Tuesday, then the election will be held the following Tuesday.

Three Ways to Vote

Early Voting

Early Voting gives you the flexibility to vote when and where it's most convenient for you. Early Voting dates, times and locations vary by election. As long as you're registered to vote in Harris County, you can vote in any Early Voting Center.

Vote Centers

Election Day Voting

Harris County typically manages 550-750 Election Day vote centers across 1,778 square-miles. Voters can cast a ballot at any Election Day location in the county. Vote Centers are open from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line at 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote, but if you arrive at the vote center after 7 p.m., you will not be allowed to vote.

Vote Centers

Voting by Mail

Voting by mail is available to select voters in Texas. You may vote early by-mail if you are registered and meet one of the following criteria:
- You are 65 years or older on Election Day;
- You are sick or disabled;
- You will be out of Harris County during the Early Voting period and on Election Day;
- You are expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day;
- You are confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.

More Information

Military & Overseas Voting

Harris County registered voters who are temporarily out of the country and wish to vote, may complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). This type of application is limited to:

A member of the U.S. Armed Forces, their spouse or a dependent;
A member of the U.S. Merchant Marines, their spouse or a dependent;
A U.S. citizen domiciled in Harris County, Texas, but temporarily living outside the territorial limits of the United States.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the FPCA online submission; please email the Elections Administrator's Office at [email protected].

About FPCA

Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) applications pre-qualify U.S. citizens who are temporarily outside of the country to automatically receive ballots for all elections in which they qualify to vote.

The FPCA is valid for one calendar year (last day of December), when completed properly. The FPCA must be resubmitted every time a voter changes mailing address.

To participate in an election taking place within a calendar year, an FPCA may be mailed starting on January 1 of that year.

For additional information visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s website at www.fvap.gov.

Submit an FPCA Application

Voters with Disabilities

Voting by Mail

In Texas, voters who are 65 years of age or older or are disabled may submit an annual ballot by mail application to the early voting clerk starting on the first day of a calendar year.

Temporarily disabled voters may submit a ballot by mail application for a specific election at any time in the year of the election for which a ballot is requested, but not later than the close of regular business in the early voting clerk's office or 12 noon, whichever is later, on the 11th day before election day unless that day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal state or national holiday, in which case the last day is the first preceding regular business day. Eligible applicants will receive a ballot in the mail and must return it to the early voting clerk. The voted ballot must be delivered to the Election Administrator's Office via mail, or common or contract courier by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Voting by Curbside

Voters who are physically unable to enter the Vote Center, without personal assistance or likelihood of injury to the voter's health, may ask the presiding judge to allow them to vote outside of the Vote Center.

The election officer will deliver a ballot to the voter at the polling place entrance or curb. A special curbside buzzer will be placed near the entrance of the poll so a curbside voter may ring the buzzer from their car. A sign will identify the curbside voting. If you have any questions regarding Curbside Voting, you may contact the Elections office at 713-755-6965. Voting curbside will not shorten the time at the polls as curbside voters are voted as their place in line arrives to the qualification table.

Voting at a Vote Center

The voting equipment affords voters with disabilities the capability to vote independently and privately at the Vote Centers during the Early Voting period or on Election Day.

The voting equipment is pre-equipped with two large buttons as an accessibility aid to voters whose tactile skills do not lend easily to operating embedded buttons. The jack into which these tactile inputs are plugged is a standard 3.5mm jack, allowing voters who prefer to provide their own input device (such as a sip/puff device) to do so. Also available to the voter are a pair of standard headphones, or the option to plug in their own headphones, through which all operations will be narrated. This allows a voter with vision impairments to navigate the voting equipment without assistance from a third party.

Special Circumstances

You may submit an application for a late ballot because of sickness or disability after the last day of early voting and before 5:00pm on election day. In order to qualify the sickness or disability must originate on or after the 12th day before election day. (Secs. 102.001; 102.003).

You may submit an application to vote due to a death in the immediate family that occurred on or after the 5th day before election day and will be absent from the county on election day. (Secs. 103.001; 103.003b).

Voters are required to submit an application for these specific instances. Please contact the Elections Division at 713-755-6965 for questions.

Notice of Voting Order Priority

Pursuant to Section 63.0013, Election Code: An election officer may give voting order priority to individuals with a mobility problem that substantially impairs the person's ability to move around.

Voters who wish to be given voting order priority, and be accepted for voting before others in line to vote at that polling place may indicate this to any election officer serving at the polling place. The presiding election judge will determine whether the voter and the voter's assistant, if applicable, will be brought forward to the front of the line.

Notice to Voters with Disabilities Disability Complaints Disability Complaint Form Effective Communication Policy Effective Communication Request Form March 2022 Subject Matter Expert Public Report August 2022 Subject Matter Expert Public Report August 2021 Subject Matter Expert Public Report February 2021 Subject Matter Expert Public Report

Provisional and Limited Ballots

Federal law (Help America Vote Act) stipulates that if a voter appears at a Vote Centers to vote in an election, and for some reason their name does not appear on the official roster of voters, the voter may cast a provisional ballot if they claim to be both eligible to vote in the election and registered to vote in that jurisdiction.

However, whether an individual is eligible to vote, and whether the provisional ballot will be counted, is determined by State law. (HAVA Section 302(a)(4).)

Required Identification

Under Texas law, voters who possess one of the seven acceptable forms of photo ID must present that ID at the Vote Center when voting in person.

Voters who do not possess an acceptable form of photo identification, and cannot reasonably obtain one of the forms of acceptable photo identification listed below, may present a supporting form of identification and execute a Reasonable Impediment Declaration. Please note the voter’s reasonable impediment to obtaining an acceptable form of photo identification, stating that the information contained in the declaration is true, that the voter is the same individual personally appearing at the Vote Center to sign the declaration, and that the voter faces a reasonable impediment to procuring an acceptable form of photo identification.

NOTE: Providing a Texas Driver’s License or Texas Personal ID expedites the voter qualification process.

Texas Driver License issued by DPS

Texas Handgun License issued by DPS

United States citizenship certificate containing your photograph

Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS

Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS

United States Passport (book or card)

United States Military Identification Card containing your photograph

With the exception of the U.S. citizenship certificate, the identification must be current or, for voters aged 18-69, have expired no more than four years before being presented for voter qualification at the Vote Center.

Voters who currently do not have an approved form of photo ID may apply for an Election Identification Certificate (EIC) at no charge with the Department of Public Safety. Voters can obtain this ID by visiting a DPS Drivers License office or an EIC Mobile Station.

Do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of these IDs?

Voters who do not process one of the seven acceptable forms of ID can fill out a Reasonable Impediment Declaration (RID) at the Vote Center, and show a copy or original of one of the following supporting forms of identification:

- a government document that shows the voter's name and an address, including the voter's voter registration certificate;

- a current utility bill;

- a bank statement;

- a government check;

- a paycheck; or

- a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law, which establishes the voter's identity (which may include a foreign birth documents.

Voters who are unable to provide an acceptable form of photo ID or an acceptable supporting document may vote provisionally. Voters will need to sign a provisional affidavit and will have 6 days after the election to cure their ballot by bringing approved photo identification to the Voter Registrar.

EXEMPTION: Voters with a disability may apply with the county voter registrar for a permanent exemption to showing acceptable photo ID or following the Reasonable Impediment Declaration procedure at the vote centers. Voters with a religious objection to being photographed or voters who do not present an acceptable form of photo identification or follow the Reasonable Impediment Declaration procedure at the vote centers because of certain natural disasters may apply for a temporary exemption to showing an acceptable form of photo identification or following the Reasonable Impediment Declaration procedure at the vote centers. Please contact your voter registrar for more details.

Voter ID Resources

Voting Equipment

Harris County is pleased to announce the next generation of voting machines to make voting more accessible and transparent to and for voters, the Verity Duo from Hart InterCivic.

Verity Duo combines the ease and accuracy of touchscreen ballot marking with the assurance of a voter-verifiable paper trail. Verity Duo prints an easy-to-read summary of voter choices for verification, and the scanner counts votes directly from this summary.

Flyer: How to Use the Verity Duo Voting Machines Video: How to use the Verity Duo Voting Machines

Contact Us

Elections Administrator's Office
1001 Preston St Houston, TX 77002
(713)755-6965
[email protected]
[email protected]

Voter

Three Ways to Vote

Early Voting

Election Day Voting

Voting by Mail

Military & Overseas Voting

Voters with Disabilities

Voting by Mail

Voting by Curbside

Voting at a Vote Center

Special Circumstances

Notice of Voting Order Priority

Provisional and Limited Ballots

Required Identification

Texas Driver License issued by DPS

Texas Handgun License issued by DPS

United States citizenship certificate containing your photograph

Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS

Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS

United States Passport (book or card)

United States Military Identification Card containing your photograph

Do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of these IDs?

Voter ID Resources

Voting Equipment

Contact Us

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Election Division

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