The deadline for the county to receive your application for a mail ballot for the March 2022 Primary is Friday, February 18, 2022.
Note: Due to reports of applications being rejected in some counties, we are recommending voters include both the ID numbers of one of the indicated forms (either Texas Driver’s License, State ID number, or election ID certificate if you have neither) and the last four digits of their social security number.
New Required Procedure
A new law requires that individuals who vote by mail include with both their application and mail ballot either their:
Texas Driver’s License number
Texas State ID number
Last four digits of their social security number, or
Election ID Certificate number
There will be a designated location on the application and the ballot’s carrier envelope where you will include one of those ID numbers.
If you receive a vote by mail application or ballot rejection notice for reason of incorrect or missing ID numbers, you can add the numbers or correct the numbers using the Secretary of State’s ballot and application tracker portal.
Once you’ve been approved and receive your mail-in ballot, please complete it as soon as possible and either mail it back to your Early Voting Clerk or hand deliver it to their office on Election Day.
Want to see the status of your application or mail-in ballot? Click here to head to the Secretary of State’s NEW online tracker.
Who is able to request a Mail Ballot?
Individuals 65 and over on Election Day
Individuals who are sick or have a disability and affirmatively indicate on the application that they “have a sickness or physical condition that prevents [them] from appearing at the polling place on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or injuring [their] health,”
Individuals who are confined in jail
Individuals who will be outside of their county during Early Vote AND Election Day
Individuals who are expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day
Where can I get a mail ballot application?
If you have access to a printer and computer, you can print off an application here.
If you need an application mailed to you, fill out this request form here.
Mail or hand deliver your application to the address listed for your county here.
What qualifies as a disability or physical condition?
Any voter who applies to vote by mail for reason of disability or physical condition must also affirmatively indicate on the application that they “have a sickness or physical condition that prevents [them] from appearing at the polling place on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or injuring [their] health,”
The decision to apply to vote by mail based on a disability or physical condition is your own (subject to a correct understanding of the law). Your county clerk has no responsibility to question or investigate your application unless you provide additional information explaining your specific disability or physical condition.
The following do NOT constitute sufficient cause to vote by mail: lack of transportation; needing to be on-site at work; or a sickness that does not prevent you from appearing at the polling place on Election Day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring your health.
If your application to vote by mail has been questioned or rejected, call 844-TX-VOTES for assistance.
I forgot to include my ID number on my application.
Look up your application on the state’s tracker portal and you will be able to enter your ID number. This should complete your application and you should be mailed a ballot.
I forgot which ID number I used on my ballot application.
If the ID numbers included on the application and ballot both bring up the same voter when searched, then the numbers will be accepted and the ballot signature will still be presumed to be that of the voter.
It is close to the deadline and I would like to vote by mail, but I am worried my application will not arrive to the Early Voting Clerk on time.
Due to a change in state law, voters are now able to hand-deliver their mail-in ballot application in-person at their Early Voting Clerk’s office through the day of the deadline.
If you are not able to hand-deliver your application, you also have the option to overnight your application via USPS or a common contract carrier, such as UPS and FedEx. Remember, it must arrive at the Early Voting Clerk’s office by closing time on the day of the deadline.
You can also submit your application via email or fax, but you must also mail the original, hard copy of your application to the early clerk of your county. And it must be received by your county within 4 business days of your email/fax.
First, complete the application here, print it out, and sign it.
Email or fax a photo or scanned version of your application to the early voting clerk of your county by Friday, February 18, 2022. You can find the email address and fax number for your early voting clerk here. Then, you must also mail the original, hard copy of the application to your early voting clerk, and it must be received within four business days of your email/fax (February 24 if you emailed/faxed it on February 18). You can find the mailing address for your early voting clerk here.
What if I become disabled or hospitalized on or after the deadline to request a mail-in ballot?
You have the option of voting a late ballot. A registered voter who becomes disabled or hospitalized on or after the deadline may fill out this application, have a physician, chiropractor, or accredited Christian Science practitioner complete the affidavit section, and have a friend, family member, or other representative deliver the application and pick up a ballot from the early voting clerk. The application can be submitted until 5pm on Election Day. Then, the voter can mark the ballot, and their representative can personally deliver it back to the early voting clerk’s office before 7:00 pm on Election Day.
I’m helping/I am a military or overseas voter. How can they/I get a ballot?
There are special provisions and deadlines to make voting easier for military personnel and overseas citizens. Get more information here.
Mail Ballot
When does my mail ballot need to be received in order to be counted?
Your mail ballot must be received by your county by 7pm on Election Day (if it’s not postmarked) or 5pm the day after Election Day (as long as it’s postmarked by 7pm on Election Day).
Can I send my ballot by FedEx or UPS?
We strongly recommend that you hand-deliver your ballot on Election Day. If you choose to send your ballot via FedEx or UPS, keep in mind that the envelope containing your ballot will not be postmarked, so it must arrive by Election Day.
Can I hand deliver my ballot to the elections office?
Yes, but only on Election Day. Other rules were in place for the November 2020 election, but for the March 2022 Primary election you can only hand deliver your ballot on Election Day to the early voting clerk’s office.
Source: Texas Democratic Party