Texas's general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting runs October 19 to 30. The registration deadline (October 5) has passed, so if you're registered, here's everything else you need. Rules come from the Texas Secretary of State; check votetexas.gov or your county elections office if anything changes.
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| October 19 to 30 | Early voting, in person. Hours and sites vary by county. |
| October 23 | Last day for the county to receive your mail ballot application. |
| November 3 | Election Day, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you're in line by 7 p.m., you can vote. |
| November 4, 5 p.m. | Last day for a mail ballot postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day to arrive. |
Early voting hours and locations for each county we cover are in our early voting guide.
What ID to bring
Bring one of these seven photo IDs:
- Texas driver license
- Texas election identification certificate (free from DPS)
- Texas personal ID card
- Texas handgun license
- U.S. military ID with your photo
- U.S. citizenship certificate with your photo
- U.S. passport, book or card
Your ID can be expired up to four years. If you're 70 or older, it can be expired for any length of time.
No photo ID? You can still vote. Sign a reasonable impediment declaration at the polls and show one of these: your voter registration certificate, a certified birth certificate, or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document with your name and address.
There's no straight-ticket option
Texas ended straight-ticket voting in 2020. You have to mark every race, from U.S. Senate down to justice of the peace. On a long ballot in a big county that can be 60 or more races, and voters who run out of patience skip the bottom half. Those are the races that decide your property taxes, your jail and your evictions. Here's what each one does.
Can I bring notes? Can I use my phone?
Notes: yes. You can bring written or printed notes, including a printed copy of a voter guide, into the voting booth. Keep them to yourself, since campaigning is banned within 100 feet of the polling place, and don't leave them behind.
Phones: no. Texas law bans using phones, cameras and other wireless devices within 100 feet of the voting stations. Election workers can ask you to turn yours off. So write down or print your picks before you go.
Where to vote
During early voting you can use any early voting site in your county. On Election Day it depends on the county: places in the countywide polling place program, including Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Travis, Bexar and Hays, let you vote at any vote center in the county. Elsewhere you vote at your assigned precinct. Your county guide lists the sites.
If you're not on the rolls when you show up, ask for a provisional ballot. If you can't get into the building, you can ask for curbside voting.
Voting by mail
Texas only lets some voters vote by mail. You qualify if you are:
- 65 or older
- sick or disabled
- out of your county for all of early voting and Election Day
- expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day
- in jail but otherwise eligible to vote
Your application has to arrive by October 23. On the application and on the ballot envelope, write your Texas driver license, ID card or election certificate number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Use the same number you gave when you registered. A missing or mismatched number is the most common reason Texas mail ballots get rejected.
Mail it back early. Postmarks aren't always applied the day you drop something in the mail. You can also hand-deliver your own ballot to the county elections office; bring your ID.
Time off to vote
Texas employers have to let you take time off to vote on Election Day without losing pay, unless you already have two straight hours off work while the polls are open. Early voting is the easier option for most people.
See who's on your Texas ballot
We rate every contested race, statewide and local, in a sentence or two with sources. Texas statewide races, plus these county guides:
- Hays County, TX: San Marcos, Kyle, Buda, Wimberley, Dripping Springs
- Williamson County, TX: Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville, Hutto, Taylor
- Harris County, TX: Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, Katy, Spring, Cypress, Humble, Tomball
- Tarrant County, TX: Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, North Richland Hills, Euless, Keller, Bedford, Grapevine, Benbrook
- Fort Bend County, TX: Sugar Land, Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fulshear, Stafford, Katy, Needville
- Bexar County, TX: San Antonio, Converse, Live Oak, Universal City, Schertz, Leon Valley, Helotes, Alamo Heights, Windcrest, Kirby
- Collin County, TX: Plano, McKinney, Frisco, Allen, Wylie, Princeton
- Dallas County, TX: Dallas, Irving, Garland, Mesquite, Grand Prairie, Richardson, Carrollton
- Denton County, TX: Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Carrollton, Frisco, Little Elm, The Colony, Argyle
- Travis County, TX: Austin, Pflugerville, Manor, Lakeway, Bee Cave, Lago Vista, Del Valle, Sunset Valley, West Lake Hills, Jonestown
- Hidalgo County, TX: McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr, Weslaco, Edcouch, Mercedes, San Juan, Alamo, Donna
- El Paso County, TX: El Paso, Socorro, Horizon City, San Elizario, Anthony, Clint, Vinton, Canutillo, Fabens
- Cameron County, TX: Brownsville, Harlingen, San Benito, Los Fresnos, Port Isabel, South Padre Island, La Feria, Santa Rosa
- Nueces County, TX: Corpus Christi, Robstown, Port Aransas, Bishop, Driscoll, Agua Dulce, Petronila, San Patricio
- Montgomery County, TX: Conroe, The Woodlands, Magnolia, Willis, Montgomery, Splendora, Shenandoah, Oak Ridge North
- Brazoria County, TX: Pearland, Alvin, Lake Jackson, Angleton, Freeport, Manvel, Clute, Iowa Colony
- Galveston County, TX: Galveston, League City, Texas City, Friendswood, Dickinson, La Marque, Santa Fe, Kemah
- Bell County, TX: Killeen, Temple, Belton, Harker Heights, Nolanville, Salado
- Lubbock County, TX: Lubbock, Wolfforth, Slaton, Idalou, Shallowater, Abernathy, New Deal, Ransom Canyon