Whether it’s a district, county, state, or nationwide primary or general election, they always seem to creep up on me. As a result, I also end up anxious as to whether my voter registration is current. 18 states and Washington DC have same-day voter registration on election days, while 42 states (and Washington DC) have online voter registration available - a progressive move bringing power to citizens to help them exercise their constitutional right to choose their representation in our government.
Texas unfortunately is neither of those.
The only way to register to vote within Texas requires you to send a physical registration application in a stamped envelope to your local county’s Registrar’s office. Even if you’ve registered before, your voter registration can still expire after a period of time, and the resources the Texas government provides doesn’t make it straightforward to tell whether your voter registration is current.
For example, when using Texas’s “Am I Registered?” online search tool and type in my TDL (Texas Driver’s License) and Date of Birth, I’m presented with information such as the date I originally registered (back in 2020), the date my registration is “Valid from" (whatever that means), and whether my registration is “ACTIVE” - to which the tool states my registration is of “ACTIVE” status. The tool does not provide a section stating when my voter registration may expire, which I remember reading on my last physical voter registration certificate as December 31, 2021. So now I’m left with conflicting information and I am unsure as to whether I will be turned away at the polling booth should I do nothing.
To make me question myself even more, the “Am I Registered?” tool even has a disclaimer at the bottom:
Note: 'Am I Registered?' provides a web-based search of data extracted from Texas’s statewide voter registration database. It is NOT the official record of your registration, which is retained by the voter registration office in the county of your residence.
As such I’m ultimately left with needing to send in yet another registration application. Better safe than sorry.
WHAT TO DO
I recommend (re)registering if you have any doubts on the current status of your voter registration. To do so, visit the VoteTexas.gov website. From there you’ll have three choices about registration:
Fill out the SOS Online Voter Registration Application and then print, sign, and mail the application to your county’s Registrar.
Request a printed application to have mailed to you. NOTE: this method is not advised if you’re looking to register within a week or two of the 30-day deadline.
Contact your Texas county’s Registrar’s office to complete the voter registration process.
The easiest option for me is the first one, and after answering a few questions I’m given a form to fill out with my necessary information to register. See example of the form web page below:
Screenshot of the Texas SOS Online Voter Registration Application form
For my case, I chose “Replacement” under Application Type because I no longer have my voter registration certificate since it was shown to have expired at the end of last year. However, if this is your first time registering you will select “New” and if you’re changing your voter registration information due to a change in home address or a name change, you would select the “Change” option and fill out the form accordingly.
After filling out all required fields and clicking “Submit” you’ll be presented with a formatted Texas Voting Registration application but you are NOT done yet. You will still need to print out this application, place the application in a stamped envelope, and address that envelope to your county’s Registrars office shown on the application. As long as it's in the mail before the 30-day deadline you should receive your new or updated voter registration certificate in the mail before the time election day or early voting begins.