Early Voting runs from Oct. 19-30

Early voting for the November 3, midterm election begins Monday, October 19, through Friday, Oct. 30.  If you’re registered to vote, you can visit goelect.txelections.civixapps.com to see a list of all the locations for both Election Day and early voting.

To vote in Gillespie County during Early Voting visit the Gillespie County Elections Office, 95 Frederick Road in Fredericksburg.

To vote in Kerr County during Early Voting visit the Hill Country Youth Event Center, 3785 Highway 27 East in Kerrville, or the West Kerr County Annex, 510 College St. in Ingram.

To vote in Kendall County during Early Voting visit the Kendall County Courthouse Annex, 221 Fawn Valley Drive in Boerne.

To vote in Texas, you need to have a form of identification when you go to cast your ballot at a polling location.  Here is a list of acceptable forms of photo identification:

~Texas driver’s 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 handgun license issued by DPS

~U.S. military Identification card containing the person’s photograph

~U.S. Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph

~U.S. passport (book or card)

If you don’t have one of the forms of ID listed and can’t reasonably obtain one, you can bring one of the following in order to execute a “Reasonable Impediment Declaration”:

~Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate

~Copy of or original utility bill

~Copy of or original bank statement

~Copy of or original government check

~Copy of or original paycheck

~Copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which established the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document)

Cellphones are not allowed inside polling locations.  Voters can, however, print a copy of their sample ballot and bring it with them to the polls or bring written notes.  The use of the following devices is also not allowed inside the polling place:

~Cameras

~Tablet computers

~Laptop computers

~Sound recorders

~Any other devices that may be used to record sound or images

In Texas, people are also not allowed to wear clothing or accessories that display support for a candidate, political party or measure, whether or not they appear on the ballot.  Anyone wearing such items within 100 feet of a polling place entrance may be asked to remove or cover them before entering.

Some of the major statewide races include:

~The biggest race on the Texans’ ballots this November is the race for U.S. Senate between Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic State Rep. James Talarico.

~Another major race on Texans’ ballots is between incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term, and his opponent, Democratic State Rep. Gina Hinojosa.  Abbott has served as the governor of Texas since 2015.  If he wins this race, he will become the longest-serving governor in the state’s history.  Prior to his time as governor, Abbott was the state’s 50th and longest-serving attorney general from 2002 to 2015.

~Abbott isn’t the only top Republican in Texas trying to hold onto his seat, Incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is seeking a fourth term, vying against Democratic State Rep. Vikki Goodwin.  Patrick was first elected as lieutenant governor in 2014 and re-elected in both 2018 and 2022.

~With current AG Paxton running for Senate, the role of Texas’ top lawyer will soon be held by someone new for the first time in a decade.  Republican State Sen. Mayes Middleton and Democratic State Sen. Nathan Johnson are both competing to become the state’s next AG.

~In the District 21 race (Blanco, Gillespie, Hays counties), Incumbent Chip Roy is not running for reelection.  He ran for Texas Attorney General but was defeated in the primary.  Mark Teixeira (R) is running against Democratic candidate Kristin Hook.

Texas voter registrations hit a record high of more than 19 million for this upcoming midterm election, up 2.2% from the last general election in November 2024.

Friday, Oct. 23, is the last day to apply to vote by mail.  If you’ve sent in your completed mail-in-ballot, you can track the status of it on the Secretary of State’s website to see if it has been received and counted.  To check the status of your ballot, you must enter your name, date of birth, the last four digits of your social security number and your driver’s license or Department of Public Safety ID number.

For additional information visit Vote411.org.