Reminder: Voter registration deadline is October 11, so register asap!
This spring, Texas has a midterm election on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, during which voters
in every county across the country will vote on a number of local, state, and federal races. These
races include positions such as city council, governor, the state Supreme Court, and House of
Representatives by district. Closer to the election, you’ll be able to get a sample ballot for your
voting address here. For many races, the candidates running were selected in the primary races
earlier this year, but some races might not have had a primary.
Registration:
The first step to voting in this election is being registered to vote! If you’re not sure about your
status, you can check here.
If you’re not registered, this presentation will give you a detailed walkthrough of the registration process. One way to receive a registration form is to print it out from the Texas Secretary of State website (linked here); if you do this, you will need to affix postage yourself before mailing it in. You can also request to have this form mailed to you, postage-paid, from the TX SoS here. Lastly, you can pick up a postage-paid walkaway registration form from several locations, including on-campus in CMA 7.148 or at the Austin Central Library. When mailing in your form, you can use the on-campus post office in the West Mall Building (WMB). When mailing in your registration form, make sure it is postmarked by the registration deadline. For the November 8 General Election, the registration deadline is Tuesday, October 11.
- Another registration option is to find a certified Travis County Volunteer Deputy Registrar
(VDR), who can register you to vote in-person and turn in your form to the tax office for you.
Ahead of major elections such as this one, you can often find VDRs tabling on campus.
Once you’ve made sure you’re registered, there are two methods to vote: by mail or in-person.
Vote by Mail:
The current eligibility requirement to vote by mail is to meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Be 65 years or older;
- Be disabled;
- Be physically out of the county on Election Day and during the entire period for early
voting*; - Be expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day;
- Be confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.
- Please see the Texas Secretary of State’s website to see if you are eligible, as there may be
changes.
* Election periods: Thursday, October 24 thru Friday, November 4 and November 8th
(Election day) If you are eligible to vote by mail, this presentation will walk you through your application for an absentee ballot. This application must be RECEIVED (not postmarked) by your county by the assigned deadline. For the November 8 General Election, this deadline is Friday, October 28. Once you have applied, you should receive your ballot in the mail. After you’ve filled your ballot out, mail your ballot to the same address that you sent your absentee ballot application to! You can find this address at bit.ly/TXEOC. Please don’t wait to send your ballot back in – it must be postmarked by 5 PM on Election Day and received by the county by 7 PM on the next business day at the very latest.
Vote in Person:
To vote in-person for the November 8 General Election, you can either vote during:
- Early Voting: October 24 thru November 4 (including weekends)
- Election Day: November 8 from 7 AM to 7 PM
To vote you will need to bring a valid form of ID, which for many will be either a Texas driver’s license or a U.S. passport. You can see what other forms of ID are accepted here. Election Hotline:
If you have any questions at all about anything we discussed here or voting questions in general, please feel free to text our hotline number at (512) 814-5401 or reach out to us on our social media platforms (TX Votes on Facebook, @txvotes on twitter, and @txvotes_cea on instagram). If you have concerns about election proceedings, please contact the Election Protection Hotline at (866) 687-8683.
Other Opportunities for Civic Engagement
Voting is an important aspect of civic engagement, but it’s certainly not the only one! There are
plenty of other ways to get more civically involved in your community; a few of these include
keeping up with the TX Lege, testifying and submitting written opinions on pieces of legislation,
becoming a VDR (Travis County; check your local county), and contacting your representatives!
For more opportunities and election information, sign up for TX Votes’ newsletter:
https://txvotes.substack.com.