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Voting can be stressful, especially if you’re not sure you can get to the polls on Election Day. Thankfully, Texas offers mail-in voting for qualified residents; you just have to make sure you register on time, submit your ballot by the due date, and follow up on your submission. We’ve put together a quick rundown so you’ll be ready to vote by mail come election time.
The History of Voting by Mail in Texas
Voting by mail started way back during the Civil War to allow soldiers to vote from the battlefield. While many states quickly adopted absentee voting laws, Texas was slower to expand these rights. It wasn’t until 1917 that the Texas Legislature passed a bill that allowed voters to mail in an early ballot within a certain timeframe. Mail-in voting continued to get more flexible over the years, and, by 1981, the eligibility requirements were basically the same as we know them today.
Who is Eligible for Mail-in Voting?
In Texas, you’re eligible to vote by mail if you’re 65 or older, sick, or disabled, if you’ll be out of the county on Election Day and will also miss the in-person early voting period, or if you’re expecting to give birth within three weeks of Election Day. You’re even eligible to vote by mail if you’re incarcerated, as long as you don’t have a current felony charge.
How to Verify Your Registration
Checking your voter registration is super easy as a Texas resident. You can simply go online to the Texas Secretary of State voter registration portal, plug in your personal information, and get your answer. If you’re not registered yet, you can get it done online, too. Just be sure you’re registered at least 30 days before the election you want to vote in, or else you won’t be able to participate.
What Are The Benefits of Voting by Mail?
If you send in your vote by mail, you don’t have to worry about waiting in line at the polls. This is a great perk for folks who are sick or immunocompromised, have trouble standing on their feet for long, or who simply don’t like crowds.
How to Request, Deliver, and Track your Absentee Ballot
To apply for a mail-in ballot, you need to print out an Application for Ballot by Mail or fill out the online request form to get one sent to you (both of which can be found on the Texas Secretary of State website). Follow the ballot instructions to record your vote correctly, add a valid stamp to your envelope, and address it to your county’s Early Voting Clerk. You can get that information online, too.
Tracking your ballot is just as easy. All you have to do is fill out the online ballot by mail tracker with your personal information, and you can make sure it lands in the right person’s mailbox.
