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Texas has specific rules for who can vote by mail and how. The application deadline for the November 3 general election is October 23. Use the menu below to jump to what you need.
Start here
Texas does not have universal mail voting. You must meet at least one of these criteria to request a mail ballot.
Any registered voter who is 65 years of age or older on Election Day.
If a sickness or disability prevents you from voting in person without personal assistance or risk of injury to your health.
If you will be outside your county of residence during the entire early voting period and on Election Day.
If you expect to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day.
If you are in jail but are otherwise eligible to vote (i.e. not convicted of a felony).
If you are civilly committed under Chapter 841 of the Texas Health and Safety Code.
The process
Step 1
Apply by October 23. You can't just show up and vote by mail. You have to request a ballot first, and the easiest way is online at VoteTexas.gov.
"October 23" means received, not postmarked
Your application has to be in your county's hands by close of business that day. Don't rely on regular mail to get it there in time. Hand-deliver it, or fax/email a scanned copy by October 23 and mail the original within 4 business days. If neither works, just vote early in person instead (October 19 to 30, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.).
Ways to get and submit an application:
The field people get wrong
You need to give one ID number: your Texas Driver's License, Texas Personal ID, or Texas Election ID Certificate number (the one issued by DPS, not your voter registration VUID number), or the last 4 digits of your SSN. Just one, not all. If you have none of these, check the box on the form that says so.
You'll also provide your phone or email, the mailing address for your ballot, your reason for voting by mail, and your signature (or a witness section if you can't sign).
Address it to the Early Voting Clerk in your county, not just the general election office. Applications sent to the wrong address can be rejected. Use the Early Voting Clerk finder to confirm where it goes.
Step 2
Your ballot arrives in the mail. Fill it out in black or blue pen, seal it in the ballot envelope, then seal that inside the carrier envelope and sign the flap.
The number one reason ballots get rejected: the ID field under the security flap
Texas law (SB 1) requires your ID number on the carrier envelope, and that field hides underneath the seal flap, so it's easy to miss entirely. Lift the flap before you seal it, fill in the same ID number you used on your application, and double-check it matches. Blank or mismatched means your ballot gets flagged.
Marking the ballot:
On the carrier envelope (the outer one):
If someone helped you complete or witness your ballot, they must fill out their information on the carrier envelope. And if anyone from a campaign or political organization offers to handle your ballot, decline. Ballots returned from a campaign address get rejected. Only accept help from someone you personally trust.
Step 3
The safest way is to hand-deliver it to your county elections office on Election Day (November 3), 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a photo ID. No postmark to worry about. If you mail it, it must be postmarked by 7 p.m. November 3 and received by 5 p.m. November 4.
Mailing is riskier than it used to be
Because of 2025 USPS changes, a ballot dropped in a blue box or at a local post office may not get postmarked until the next day, and a ballot without a valid Election Day postmark doesn't count. If you must mail close to the deadline, take it inside a USPS regional processing center and ask staff to hand-stamp it at the counter. Otherwise, hand-deliver to your county office.
You can return your ballot by:
Why mailing got tricky in 2025: Local post offices now get one pickup a day instead of two, and postmarks are applied at regional processing centers, not when you drop the mail off. So an afternoon drop-off may be stamped the next morning. In Houston, for example, a ballot dropped after mid-afternoon may not be stamped until the following day. Hand-delivery or a counter hand-stamp avoids the problem entirely.
Troubleshooting
Applied but no ballot? Got a rejection notice? You have more options than you think, and most problems can be fixed.
The Texas Ballot by Mail Tracker shows whether your application or ballot was flagged, and often lets you fix the problem right there online. Correction deadlines: October 23 for an application issue, November 9 for a rejected ballot.
You can still vote with a provisional ballot at a polling place. The county checks that no mail ballot was returned in your name, and if that's confirmed, your provisional ballot counts. This is the safety net built for exactly this situation.
Many mail voters are elderly, disabled, or sick, which is exactly why they applied. If reaching any polling place isn't possible, ask your county elections office about curbside voting or an emergency ballot. Find your county elections office.
Common Questions
A few things that come up often about the mail ballot process in Texas.
Yes, you must apply for a mail ballot for every election. However, if you are 65 or older or disabled, you can check "Annual Application" to receive ballots for all elections in that calendar year. Texas law no longer automatically sends ballots year after year after the first application.
Generally, your ballot is mailed to your registered address. If you are 65 or older or have a physical disability, it can be sent to a hospital, nursing home, long-term care facility, retirement center, or a relative, but you must indicate which on the form. If your reason for voting by mail is absence from the county, the ballot must be mailed to an address outside your county.
Yes. Bring your mail ballot and carrier envelope to a polling place and you'll be allowed to vote a regular ballot after surrendering the mail materials. If you can't bring them, you may vote a provisional ballot.
Military and overseas voters use a different process, the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), which covers both registration and the ballot request in one form. Visit VoteTexas.gov for the full guide.
Never. Midterms Matter is a nonpartisan civic education initiative. We don't support or oppose any candidate, party, or political position. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
