Latest from the Lone Star State

The last day to register to vote for the November election in Texas is Oct. 5

KUT 90.5

Published September 28, 2026 at 8:38 AM CDT

Celia Israel, the Travis County tax assessor-collector, said there was a 30% jump in primary voting, and the office expects the same increase in November.

The deadline to register to vote in Texas for the Nov. 3 election is Oct. 5. Early voting will start Oct. 19.

If it's your first time registering to vote, you can print out an application using the online voter registration application system. The application would then need to be signed and delivered or mailed back to your county election office by the deadline.

Not sure if you're registered? You can check your status by visiting the Texas secretary of state's "Am I Registered?" website.

"There is a ton of energy out there," said Celia Israel, the Travis County tax assessor-collector, who oversees elections for the county. "We knew this was coming. The voting in the primary election was very high, and we expected a lot of interest this year."

Israel said the office received 1,000 applications for volunteer deputy registrars on Monday morning. The volunteers will help community members register to vote. Israel also said there was a 30% jump in primary voting, and the office expects the same increase in November.

She said there's a lot of tight races this year leading to the increased interest.

"We've hired temps. We're working nights. We're working weekends. We're doing everything that we can to stay on top of the influx of the data entry that's coming in," Israel said.

Requirements to vote

To vote, you must:

Be a U.S. citizen
Be a resident of the county where you submitted the application
Be at least 18 years old on Election Day
Not be a convicted felon, though there are exceptions
Have not been declared by a court as mentally incapacitated

Residents who are new to the Austin area can still register to vote by using their updated address. If the resident is moving from within Texas, they can update the information online by the deadline to qualify.

Local election officials say you shouldn't wait until the last minute. "If you put it in a mailbox, it might not get postmarked until a couple of days later because of new policies from the Postal Service," Israel said.

So, if it's Oct. 5, you might want to drop your application off directly at the voter registrar office to not leave it to chance, she said.

People can also request a printed application, which the Texas secretary of state's office would mail. You can also visit the local voter registrar to complete the voter registration process.

For Texas drivers or people with a state identification card, you can register to vote when renewing, replacing or changing contact information through the Texas Department of Public Safety.

More than a million voters were listed in "suspense" in March of this year, which happens when there's an indication that a voter has moved from their listed address.

"Texas is a state that is full of young people and full of people that are moving all the time," Israel said. "They move for a job, they move for family reasons, and the Postal Service didn't find them, or the Postal Service has made a mistake. There's human error that's involved here."

The "suspense" designation does not mean a person has been removed from the voter rolls. The person can fill out a form at the voting location to certify their address, Israel said. They can also correct the voter registration information, like names and addresses, online.

Local election offices

You can learn more information from local election offices here:

IDs to take when voting

When you go to vote, you need to present a valid form of voter ID. Under Texas law, a photo ID that has expired for four years or less is still valid. If you are 70 years or older, there is no limit to how long the identification is expired.

If a person doesn't have an acceptable photo ID, you can present alternative forms like a utility bill or a birth certificate.

The person would then need to provide what's called a "Reasonable Impediment Declaration." It allows people who are registered but may have lost their identification to be able to vote. Other reasons, like a lack of transportation or documents to obtain a photo ID, can also be accepted. You can check the full list of exceptions here.

Important Dates

Oct. 5: Deadline to register to vote or to update address
Oct. 19: Early voting starts
Oct. 23: Last day to apply for a ballot by mail
Oct. 30: Early voting ends
Nov. 3: Election Day