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By the start of 2024, Texans will be able to apply for a ballot by mail to begin the process of casting their vote in the primary election for local, state and national offices.
With the election nearly three months away, here’s what to know on whether you’re eligible and how to submit an application:
Who is eligible to vote by mail?
First, to be able to register to vote in the Lone Star State, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the county where you submit the application and at least 18 years old on Election Day.
But not everyone is eligible to vote by mail. Texas doesn’t allow “no excuse” mail voting. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 28 states and D.C. allow the practice, and eight states conduct elections entirely by mail.
In Texas, according to the secretary of state’s office, you must fall under one of these circumstances:
>> Be 65 years or older
>> Be sick or disabled
>> Be out of the county for the duration of the election including early voting (including members of the military, college students and those working overseas)
>> Be expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day
>> Be confined in jail without having been convicted of a felony
How do I submit my application?
Eligible voters can download an application online from their county election’s office or the secretary of state’s website. You can either print the form yourself or submit an order online to have one mailed to your address.
On the application, you’re required to provide numbers from some form of ID which can be: your Texas driver’s license, your state personal identification number or your election identification certificate number. If you don’t have any of those, you must provide the last four digits of your Social Security number.
The last day to request a mail ballot is Feb. 23, though you have to be registered to vote by Feb. 5.
Absentee ballots can be delivered by mail or in person to the early voting clerk in your county. In Dallas, that’s the elections office at 1520 Round Table Drive. The secretary of state office has a list of addresses for each election office in the state.
According to the secretary of state, you have the option of submitting a scanned or faxed copy of the completed application to the clerk, but the original hard copy must be mailed and received by the clerk no later than the fourth business day.
What is the deadline?
Ballots that are not postmarked must be received by the early voting clerk in your county by 7 p.m. on election day. Those that are postmarked have until 5 p.m. the following day.
Any absentee ballot that is hand delivered must be sent by 7 p.m. on election day. Ballots mailed overseas that have an on-time postmark must arrive by 5 p.m. on the fifth day after Election Day — or the next business day if the fifth day falls on a weekend or holiday.
Important dates to know
Jan. 1 — First day to receive your ballot by mail application.
Feb. 5 — Last day to register to vote.
Feb. 20 — Early voting starts.
Feb. 23 — Last day to apply to vote by mail.
March 1 — Early voting ends.
March 5 — Election Day.
©2023 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
