The deadline is fast approaching for Cameron County residents who want to vote in the March 3 primary election but have not registered.
The last day to register to vote in the March primary is Feb. 3, and with a presidential election on the ballot people registering to vote are telling officials this is what is prompting them to register, said Remi Garza, administrator of Cameron County’s Department of Elections and Voter Registration.
“It’s the presidential race that is driving the interest,” Garza said.
Garza said his department is seeing an uptick in activity with people inquiring about voter registration. The department is getting calls from high schools and individuals who want to attend the volunteer deputy registrar trainings.
“We are real excited for this activity these next couple of weeks but we know that the summer months we are probably going to see a lot more,” Garza said.
As of Monday, Cameron County had 212,300 registered voters. Officials hope to have 220,000 registered voters by the Nov. 3, General Election.
“I have a feeling that we are going to be very close to the 213,000 by the actual primary,” election, Garza said.
The following requirements are needed to register to vote:
>>You are a United States citizen;
>>You are a resident of the county where you submit the application;
>>You are at least 17 years and 10 months old, and you are 18 years of age on
Election Day.
>>You are not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole); and
>>You have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
There are several ways people can access voter registration applications. They can find the applications on the Election’s Department website, the Texas Secretary of State website or actually visit the county’s Election’s Department in person and fill out an application there. Applications accessed from the county or state website may be printed out and either taken to the Election’s Department or be mailed in.
The county’s Department of Elections and Voter Registration is located at 1050 E. Madison St.
For more information on voter registration, contact the Cameron County Voter Registration Office at (956) 544-0809.
