Am I registered? The Texas Secretary of State’s office has a site to help you figure out if you’re registered, and in which county. You can plug in your driver’s license number or your VUID number (the 10-digit number on your voter registration certificate) with your date of birth; or enter your first and last name, county and date of birth to check the status of your registration. Check your status on the Secretary of State’s website here.
1:30 p.m. Both VoteTexas.gov and traviscountyclerk.org have been experiencing problems due to Super Tuesday's higher-than-usual traffic. In the meantime, the Office of the Texas Secretary of State says to call 800-252-VOTE to reach voting experts.
You can visit Vote Texas on facebook, twitter and/or instagram, all of which they’re updating frequently, according to the Office of the Secretary of State. You can also tweet @VoteTexas with voting questions and concerns.
[As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, both votetexas.gov and traviscountyclerk.org were experiencing problems. The Office of the Texas Secretary of State (which runs votetexas.gov) says they're aware the site is down and their IT team is working on it. In the meantime, she suggests using this link instead if you're experiencing difficulties checking your voter registration status. There is also a voter hotline you can call at 512-238-VOTE (8683).]
[Travis County voters can vote at any of the county's 190 polling locations, which you can find on the map below. Look for "Vote Here/Aqui" signs hanging outside polling places.]
What do I need to bring when I go vote? Photo ID. The Texas Secretary of State's office has more information on this here [or try here: English / Spanish], but in general this is the complete list of acceptable forms of ID:
- Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- Texas Election Identification Certificate, issued by DPS
- Texas Personal Identification card, issued by DPS
- Texas license to carry a handgun, issued by DPS
- United States military identification card containing the person's photograph
- United States citizenship certificate containing the person's photograph
- United States passport
For more information on how to obtain an Election Identification Certificate from DPS, visit their website. If you do not have any of those forms of ID, you may cast a provisional ballot. From the Secretary of State's Office FAQ:
However, in order to have the provisional ballot counted, the voter will be required to visit the voter registrar’s office within six calendar days of the date of the election to either present one of the above forms of photo ID OR submit one of the temporary affidavits addressed below (e.g., religious objection or natural disaster) in the presence of the county voter registrar while attesting to the fact that he or she does not have any of the required photo IDs.
I’ve moved recently. Do I need to register again?
Depends on where you moved from. If your move stayed within Travis County and you were already registered to vote, all you'll need to do is fill out a form at your polling location stating that you’ve changed your address, and you’ll be able to vote. This only applies to voters registered within Travis County. Those who moved from other counties to Travis County will have to re-register.
Where can I vote?
The Travis County Clerk has an interactive map with all the polling locations open Tuesday. It’s important to remember that you’ll be able to vote at any precinct, no matter where you live.
Every polling location will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Keep in mind, there will likely be lines at many, if not most, locations. If you arrive at a polling location anytime before 7 p.m., you’ll be allowed to vote after the official hours expire.
Wait, what’s on the ballot again?
Aside from the presidential contenders at the top of the ballot, there are naturally a few races to watch in Travis County.
The race for the Democratic nomination to replace outgoing Rep. Elliott Naishtat in House District 49 features seven candidates all but promising a run-off election. Learn more about the HD-49 candidates’ backgrounds, legislative priorities and what they believe sets them apart from the crowded field here.
The race for Travis County Sheriff also features a glut of candidates on the Democratic side of the ballot, with four candidates vying for the nomination to face off against sole Republican contender Joe Martinez in November. Learn more about the Democratic candidates for sheriff here.
If you want to see everything on the ballot in Travis County, the Travis County Clerk has a preview of both the Republican sample ballot (here) and a preview of the Democratic sample ballot (here) available. [While county and state websites are experiencing some difficulties Tuesday morning, Travis County voters can find a sample ballot here as well.]
If you want more information on the candidates and propositions on the ballot in Travis County, the League of Women Voters’ Voters Guide is available in both a Spanish-language version and an English-language version.
If you're suffering from election day FoMO because you didn't register to vote in time, you can do it now, for next time.
