How to vote · 2026
Texas
Mail voting requires an excuse
Every date below comes from the Texas election office and links to the page that states it. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Dates and rules
Registration, mail ballots, and early voting
Registration deadlineOctober 5, 2026Register in person or by mail (postmarked) by Oct. 5, 2026 (30 days before). No general online registration and no same-day registration.
Mail-ballot request deadlineOctober 23, 2026
Mail ballots first sentOctober 5, 2026Ballot-by-mail requires a qualifying category (65+, disability, expected absence, confinement). Early-voting clerks mail ballots for applications on file starting about 30 days out (Oct. 4 falls on a Sunday; CEIR lists Oct. 5, 2026), and within 7 days for later applications (Tex. Elec. Code 86.004). Applications must be received by Oct. 23 (11 days out).
Return rulePostmarked by 7 p.m. Election Day and received by 5 p.m. Nov. 4, 2026
Early in-person votingOctober 19, 2026through October 30, 2026 · In-person early voting Oct. 19-30, 2026 (starts the 17th day, adjusted from the weekend, ends the 4th day before).
Official TX election site ↗Dates last verified against the official site September 1, 2026.Sources: [1] USA.gov directory of official state election offices[2] Excuse-required mail voting Oct. 5-Nov. 4, 2026[3] CEIR 2026 voter registration deadlines (June 25, 2026 dataset; per-mode deadlines and same-day registration windows)[4] NCSL Table 7: statutory rule for when absentee/mail ballots are mailed[5] NCSL Table 5: statutory absentee ballot application deadline[6] NCSL Table 11 (updated Dec. 2025): ballot receipt/postmark deadline
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The full table of mail-ballot send dates, registration deadlines, and early-voting windows for all fifty states and DC, plus the documented record of government actions on mail voting this cycle.
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