Voters
According to the , Texas currently has approximately 14,000,000 registered voters and a voting age population of over 19,000,000, for an estimated registered voter percentage of 75%.
Eligible voters in Texas must meet these qualifications:
- U.S. citizen
- Resident of the county where voter registration application was submitted
- 18 years old on Election Day
- Not a convicted felon
- Not declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote
is also required unless a voter receives a permanent or temporary exemption based on a disability, consistent religious objection to being photographed, or due to complications from a natural disaster. The following forms of photo ID are accepted:
- Texas driver鈥檚 license
- Texas Election Identification Certificate
- Texas personal identification card
- Texas license to carry a handgun
- U.S. military identification card showing photo
- U.S. citizenship certificate showing photo
- U.S. passport
Early voting is allowed at any polling location in a voter鈥檚 county of residence, but voters must vote at their designated precinct on the Election Day. Texas also allows for voting by mail under certain circumstances.
Unlike some states that have a closed primary, where only registered Democrats or Republicans can vote in that party鈥檚 primary, Texas has an open primary. An open primary allows any voter to participate in a Democratic or Republican primary. In other words, Texas does not require voters to register by political party. Therefore, a voter is considered a Democrat or Republican by voting in the respective primary.
While registered voters may vote in either political party鈥檚 primary, a voter may vote in only one party鈥檚 primary in each election cycle. If a voter votes in one party鈥檚 primary, the voter may not vote in the other party鈥檚 run-off election in that same year. Registered voters who do not vote in the primary election may vote in a run-off election of either party that year.
Run-off elections are held for each primary race where a candidate doesn鈥檛 receive a majority of votes. In 2016, the primary runoff election is May 24, and early voting runs from May 16 鈥� 20.