Note:
Free software such as Adobe®
Acrobat Reader 6.0 or higher may be required in order to view
PDF files included on this page.
The below Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) have been compiled
with the November 7, 2006 General Election in mind. We hope that you
will take a moment to review these pages, as you may find the
answers to questions of your own. We encourage you to explore our
website for more detailed information on elections and voting in
Texas. We hope you find this useful, and we appreciate this
opportunity to serve you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS) and Other Popular Topics
Note: We have grouped questions and answers in categories and
provided links to additional information when
needed. Getting Registered for the First Time or Making
Changes to Your Current Registration
Q: I'm not registered, but want to vote in the
November General Election; how can I be sure that I'm registered in
time to vote?
A: The deadline to register and be eligible to
vote in the November 7, 2006 General Election is October 10, 2006.
This can be either the postmark date or the date the application is
received in the office of the voter registrar. You may, of course,
register at any time before that date to ensure that your
registration is effective for voting in November. For the purpose of
determining the effective date of a voter’s registration, if the
30th day before election day falls on a weekend or a legal state or
federal holiday, the document is considered timely if it is
submitted on the next regular business day. Since the 30th day falls
on Sunday and the next business day is a federal and state holiday
(Columbus Day), the deadline is extended to October 10, 2006. You
can obtain a voter registration application from your voter
registrar's office, libraries, most post offices, high schools, or
from this office.
Q:
If I send my registration by the deadline, when will I
receive my voter certificate?
A: Your voter registration becomes effective 30
days after it is submitted and accepted, so you should receive your
voter certificate within 30 days. Once received, be sure to read the
information on the back of the certificate, sign by the X on the
"front" of the card (the yellow area) and keep your voter card in a
safe place. This is what you will take with you to the polls to
vote.
Q: I am registered to vote, but I moved this
past year. Is there anything I need to do to make sure that I won't
have a problem voting in November?
A: If you moved within the same county
where you are currently registered, you must file the new address
information in writing with your voter registrar OR you
may submit the ‘in county" change online. The last day to make a
change of address that will be effective for the November 7, 2006
election is October 10, 2006. If you miss this deadline, you
may return to your old precinct to vote, but you will be required to
complete a "statement of residence" confirming your new address in
your new precinct.
A: If you moved to a new county, you must
re-register in your new county of residence by October 10,
2006 to be eligible to vote in the November 7, 2006 General
Election. If you miss this deadline, you may be eligible to vote a
"limited" ballot. A limited ballot is available only during the
early voting period. The limited ballot application will also act as
a voter registration application. Contact the county clerk or
elections administrator in your new county for information. You can
also find information on this topic by going to:
Q: I don't remember seeing my certificate
lately. Is that a problem? Don't I just stay registered?
A: New certificates are mailed out every two
years to the most recent address you gave to the voter registrar. If
you do not recall receiving a new yellow and white certificate in
early 2006, it could mean that you have moved without updating, or
there is some other problem with your registration. If the
certificate was mailed to an old address, it was returned to the
registrar, and you were placed on the "suspense list" in that
county. This means you have a grace period that allows you to vote
in the same county in your old precinct, but if you do not vote,
your name will be removed from the rolls after two federal elections
have passed since you were placed on the suspense list. If you did
not receive your certificate because you moved to a new Texas
county, you will need to re-register. Q: I am
reviewing this page and nothing makes sense to me. These are not the
rules I have heard. I'm in Connecticut -- does that matter?
A: If you are visiting our website from another
state, please remember that each state has slightly different rules.
These rules describe Texas state law, for voters who consider their
permanent home to be in Texas and want to vote a Texas ballot. If
you arrived at this page through a search engine and you need
another state's election law, check the National
Association of Secretaries of State page for other state
websites. Voting Without a Certificate - Voting Early -
Election Day Voting
Q: I can't find my voter certificate/card. Will
I be able to vote without it?
A:If you are a registered voter and you have
lost or misplaced your voter certificate, you may vote without your
certificate by providing some form of identification (see list
below) and signing an affidavit at the polls. This is the procedure
to follow if your voter registration is still current and your name
appears on the voter rolls in your county of residence. You may also
contact your county voter registrar to obtain a replacement
certificate.
Acceptable documents are:
- a driver's license or personal identification card issued to
you by the Department of Public Safety or a similar document
issued to you by an agency of another state, regardless of whether
the license or card has expired;
- a form of identification containing your photograph that
establishes your identity;
- a birth certificate or other document confirming birth that is
admissible in a court of law and establishes your identity;
- United States citizenship papers issued to you;
- a United States passport issued to you;
- official mail addressed to you, by name, from a governmental
entity;
- a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government
check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name
and address; or
- any other form of identification prescribed by the secretary
of state.
Q: How do I find out if I am registered to vote
or if I am on the voter rolls in the county where I reside?
A: To inquire about the status of your voter
registration, call the voter registrar’s office in the county in
which you reside. To find the number, review
the list of County Voter Registration Officials and scroll to
your county.
Q: Can anybody vote early in person, or only
those people who are going to be out of town on election day? What
are the dates for voting early in person?
A: Any registered voter may vote early by
personal appearance (in person). Early voting by personal appearance
for the November 7, 2006 General Election begins on October 23,
2006 and ends on November 3, 2006.
Q: Where do I go to vote?
A: This office DOES NOT have polling place
information. For information on locations of early voting polling
places, you will need to contact your County Clerk or Elections
Administrator. Also, many newspapers publish early voting and
election day polling locations, so you might be able to find the
information there.
For
addresses and phone numbers of County Clerks Elections
Administrators.
Q: Can anybody vote early by mail (also referred
to as absentee voting)?
A: Only specific reasons entitle a person to
vote early by mail (no longer called absentee voting). You may
request a ballot by mail if you:
- will be away from your county on Election Day and during early
voting;
- are sick or disabled;
- are 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
- are confined in jail.
Q: I fall under one of the 4 reasons above. What
do I do now? Are there deadlines connected with this procedure?
A: First, request an Application for Ballot by
Mail (ABBM) from the Early Voting Clerk in the county where you are
registered, or from our office. Once received, read the instructions
carefully, complete the ABBM form and return to the Early Voting
Clerk in your county. The dates applicable to the November 7, 2006
General Election are as follows: the first day you may submit an
ABBM is September 8, 2006; the last day (or deadline) to submit an
ABBM is October 31, 2006---this is NOT A POSTMARK DATE---the ABBM
must be RECEIVED IN THE OFFICE OF THE EARLY VOTING CLERK by October
31, 2006 in order for you to receive a ballot by mail.
Q: It's election day, November 7, 2006,
and I'm registered and ready to vote. Where do I go? What are the
hours for voting on election day?
A: Election-day polling place information can be
obtained by contacting
the County Clerk or Elections Administrator in your county of
registration. You may also want to check your local newspaper for a
listing of locations. This office does not have polling place
information.
The hours of voting on election day are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00
p.m.Please contact
your County Clerk or Elections Administrator for address and
phone numbers.
Help America Vote Act
Q: How can I learn more about the 2002 Federal
Help America Vote Act (HAVA)?
A: A summary
about the act and Texas’ latest plan to implement HAVA is
available for review. Provisional Voting
HAVA created a new voting process called "provisional voting"
which is designed to allow a voter whose name does not appear on the
list of registered voters due to an administrative error to vote. It
is much like the former challenge affidavit procedure in two ways:
(1) it involves an affidavit the voter must complete stating the
reasons he or she is qualified to vote; and (2) it is used if the
voter cannot be qualified by the methods described above. The key
differences are: (1) the cast ballots are kept separately from the
regular ballots and (2) the voter’s records will be reviewed later
by the provisional voting ballot board (the early voting ballot
board), and the ballot is counted only if the voter is determined to
be a registered voter. Provisional voters will receive a notice in
the mail by the 10th day after the local canvass advising
them if their provisional ballots were counted, and if they were not
counted, the reason why. Military & Overseas Voters
Military and overseas voters are welcome to use the regular
registration and early voting by mail process available to all
voters away from their home county on Election Day. However, there
are also special
provisions for military and overseas voters that are also
available on our website. Voters with Special Needs
Rather than providing sample questions & answers, we are
directing you to the special
needs information (PDF, 79kb) on our website to ensure that you
are fully informed on the services available to you.
Student Voters
Student voters often seek advice regarding residency issues for
voter registration purposes. Information
regarding student residency issues if available on this website.
Convicted Felons and Voting
In Texas, a convicted felon regains the right to vote after
completing his or her sentence. Therefore, once you have completed
the punishment phase (including any term of incarceration, parole,
or supervision, or completed a period of probation ordered by the
court), you would be eligible
to register and vote in the state of Texas. Liquor
Elections
For information
on the local option liquor petition and election process in
Texas, you may review our office’s educational materials that are
posted on our website. Political Parties
For information on registered political parties in Texas, please
contact those organizations directly:
Additional Information
We have information located in various sections of our website –
"Voter
Information," "Candidates,"
and "Conducting
Your Elections" (for election administrators), just to name a
few. You will notice that some materials are repeated in different
places--our hope is to gear each section to the audience for easier
bookmarking and future use.
Thank you. Should you need additional information, please email or call us
at 1-800-252-VOTE(8683).
| 
