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Early Voting in Texas Primaries Starts Today. Here's What You Need to Know

The Texas Attorney General wants to enforce a Voter ID law passed last year; the Department of Justice has yet to "preclear" the measure.
Photo by KUT News
The Texas Attorney General wants to enforce a Voter ID law passed last year; the Department of Justice has yet to "preclear" the measure.

Starting today, you can vote early in this year's party primaries, which will determine which candidates goes on the general election in November. The actual Election Day is March 4.

A state law that went into effect last year requires Texans to have a form of valid photo identification to cast a ballot. Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir hopes to alleviate any kind of worries that voters may have about the requirement.

“My advice to voters is if your name does not exactly match on the rolls—like for example, women with either a previous married name or some small mismatch like that—what we found is it really doesn’t matter, and all you have to do is check off a little affidavit when you go vote,” DeBeauvoir says. “We don’t want to panic people. We think it’s not much of a problem, but if you have questions please call the office of the county clerk and we can help walk you through that to make sure that you don’t lose your right to vote.”

If you have questions, you can call 512-238-VOTE or the Travis County Clerk’s website.

Looking to vote early? Here’s some information to help make the experience as painless as possible:

What’s on the ballot?

Primaries for numerous positions are on the ballot, including U.S. Senate, U.S. Representatives, County Commissioners, state Supreme Court Justices and more.

For a complete list of races in Travis County, take a look at the Republican and Democratic ballots.

Where can I vote?

There are 20 locations for early voting in Travis County. The County Clerk’s office has compiled a downloadable list of early voting locations. Below is a map with each of the voting locations marked:

What do I need to vote?

State law requires you to present a valid form of photo identification when casting a vote in person.

Acceptable forms of identification include:

  • 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 concealed handgun license 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

You are able to vote by mail without photo identification as long as you meet any of the following criteria:

  • You are 65 years of age or older;
  • You are out of the county for the entire election period;
  • You are sick or disabled;
  • You are confined in jail, but eligible to vote

What if I don’t have a valid form of photo identification?

Don’t fret! You can obtain an Election ID Certificate (EIC) from your local Department of Public Safety (DPS) office.

In order to obtain an EIC from a DPS office, you must bring:

  • Your birth certificate

OR

  • Any other document verifying citizenship

AND any two of the following:

  • Voter registration card;
  • School records;
  • Insurance policy (at least two years old);
  • Texas vehicle or boat title or registration;
  • Military records;
  • Unexpired military dependant identification card;
  • Original or certified copy of marriage license or divorce decree;
  • Social Security card;
  • Pilot’s license;
  • Unexpired photo DL or photo ID issued by another (United States) state, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia;
  • Expired photo DL or photo ID issued by another (United States) state, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia that is within two years of the expiration date;
  • An offender identification card or similar form of identification issued by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice;
  • Forms W-2 or 1099;
  • Numident record from the Social Security Administration;
  • Expired Texas driver license or personal identification certificate (expired more than two years);
  • Professional license issued by Texas state agency;
  • Identification card issued by government agency;
  • Parole or mandatory release certificate issued by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice;
  • Federal inmate identification card;
  • Federal parole or release certificate;
  • Medicare or Medicaid card;
  • Selective Service card;
  • Immunization records;
  • Tribal membership card from federally recognized tribe;
  • Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood;
  • Veteran's Administration card
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