In order to encourage voter registration, Texas election law provides for County Voter Registrars to designate individuals to assist in the registration of eligible persons to vote. These individuals are appointed as Volunteer Deputy Registrars and operate under State rules and the supervision of the County Voter Registrar.
To be eligible to serve as a Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar, you MUST be:
- at least 18 years of age
- a citizen of the United States
- a resident of Texas
In addition to the rules above, a Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar MUST NOT have been:
- Determined by final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
- Finally convicted of a felony or, if a felon, fully discharged of sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, supervision, completed period of probation, or have been pardoned (Texas Election Code, §13.031(d)). A person is not considered to have been finally convicted of an offense if the person’s adjudication of guilt was deferred (H.B. 1226, 82nd Leg.).
- Finally convicted of Fraudulent Use or Possession of Identifying Information (Texas Penal Code, § 32.51).
- Finally convicted of a Class A misdemeanor relating to performance-based compensation for voter registration (Texas Election Code, §13.008).
A volunteer deputy voter registrar may not receive another person's registration application until they have received their certificate of appointment and completed the mandatory training.
Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar appointments received during 2021-2022 expired on December 31, 2022. By law, all those wishing to become or remain a volunteer registrar should undergo training to be certified for 2023-2024.