Today is the deadline to register for the May 6 elections in Texas. There are several critical issues on the ballots in Central Texas.
Austinites are set to vote on a pair of conflicting measures relating to police oversight. "One would increase citizen involvement in investigations into police misconduct, and the other could weaken the oversight system,” KUT’s Andrew Weber has reported.
Voters in Williamson County will see school bond measures on their ballots, depending on where they live. Georgetown, Round Rock and Hutto also have mayoral and/or city council seats up for grabs.
The number of people living in Hays County has nearly doubled since 2010, and school districts in Hays there have put millions of dollars in bonds on the ballot. Hays County will also have propositions for new roads and water facilities, as well as increasing property taxes to help fund the county's emergency services.
Here is what you need to know to register to vote.
Are you eligible to vote?
You can register to vote in Texas if:
- You are a United States citizen;
- You are a resident of the county where you submit the application;
- You are at least 17 years and 10 months old on the date your voter registration application is submitted, and you are 18 years of age on Election Day;
- You are not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation and parole); and
- You have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
Are you already registered?
Texans can check to see if they are registered by visiting this link on the Secretary of State website. If there is any out-of-date information, be sure to update it.
Have you moved?
You can register to vote only in the county in which you live.
If you've moved since the last time you registered, you will need to update your information. If you are still in the same county as before, you can update the information here. If you are living in a new county, you will have to register to vote there.
How to get an application
You can download a voter registration application here. You can also request a printed application be mailed to you here. Fill it out, then print and sign the form. Once the application is completed, mail it to your county’s election office.
Since the deadline to register is Thursday, however, it's probably best to submit an application in person to your county voter registrar.
"We would discourage anybody from mailing applications this late, because they may not get a timely postmark," Bruce Elfant, Travis County's voter registrar, told KUT.
For those in Travis County, the voter registrar is the tax assessor-collector. You can visit a Travis County Tax Office to register. Applications can be found at Austin public libraries and U.S. Postal Service offices.
Go to votetravis.com to see a sample ballot and for more information on voter ID requirements in Texas.
Other important dates to know
- Early voting starts April 24
- Last day to apply for a ballot by mail is April 25
- Early voting ends May 2
- Election Day is May 6
