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The deadline to register to vote in Texas for the 2024 March presidential primary is Feb. 5.
Voters in each primary will choose candidates for U.S. president, U.S. Senate, congressional and legislative offices, the State Board of Education, the Railroad Commission and various judicial seats.
Early voting will run Feb. 20 to March 1, and Election Day is March 5.
How to register to vote
- Download and print a registration form from your county voter registrar.
>> In Hidalgo County, that is the Hidalgo County Elections Administrator’s Office, and it provides a printable application on its website. You can fill out the application and drop it off at or mail it to the elections office in Edinburg.
>> In Cameron County, that is the Cameron County Elections Administrator’s Office, and it provides a printable application on its website. You can fill out the application and drop it off at or mail it to the elections office in Brownsville.
If mailed, the application must be postmarked by Feb. 5 to be accepted for the March election. No postage is required.
- Visit your local voter registrar or county election administrator’s office and pick up a paper voter registration application. You can fill it out and drop it off at or mail it to the voter registrar’s office. Registration applications are also available at libraries, high schools and some post offices.
- Register to vote through the Texas Department of Public Safety while renewing your driver’s CQ license, even online.
If you are not registered to vote but have an existing Texas driver’s license or state identification card, you can register to vote online when renewing, replacing or changing your contact information for either of these cards through the Texas Department of Public Safety.
How do I know if I’m registered?
You can check your voter registration status through the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
If you have moved within the same county since the last election, you should contact your voter registrar to update your address. You can also do this online at the secretary of state’s website. If you moved to a new county, you must register with your new county by Feb. 5 to be eligible to vote on March 5.
Can I vote in both primaries?
No. Texas has semi-open primaries, meaning you can vote in whichever primary you want and you don’t have to register as a Republican or Democrat. But the “semi” comes from the caveat that you have to vote in the same party’s primary if a race goes to a runoff, which would be May 28.
Am I eligible to vote?
To vote in Texas, you must:
- Be 18 years of age by Election Day.
- Register in the county where you reside.
- Be a U.S. citizen.
- Not be finally convicted of a felony, or if you are, you must have completed the terms of your jail sentence, probation or parole period.
- Not have been declared by a court to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
