Voters in the following counties can vote at any polling place within their county of residence through the countywide voting program: Bastrop, Bexar, Brazoria, Collin, Comal, Dallas, Fort Bend, Galveston, Guadalupe, Harris, Hays, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson. Registered voters in other counties are required to visit a polling place specific to their voting precinct.
Precinct information can be found on an individual’s voter registration certificate or by logging into the state voter portal.
About 1.43 million people, or 7.75% of the state’s 18.5 million registered voters, cast ballots during the Oct. 20-31 early voting period, data compiled by the secretary of state shows.
Keep reading for more information about what's on the ballot and what to bring to the polls. To get to know the propositions and candidates on your local ballot, visit www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.
On the ballot
Texas voters will decide on 17 proposed amendments to the state constitution during the Nov. 4 election. Each proposition was approved by at least two-thirds of state lawmakers this spring before being placed on the ballot.
The propositions would do the following:
- Proposition 1: create two new funds to support the Texas State Technical College System
- Proposition 2: prohibit Texas from taxing capital gains, which the state does not currently do
- Proposition 3: require judges to deny bail for certain felony offenses, keeping more defendants in jail as they await trial
- Proposition 4: allocate $20 billion for water supply projects over the next 20 years without creating new state taxes
- Proposition 5: create a property tax exemption for stores that sell animal feed
- Proposition 6: prohibit Texas from taxing the purchase or sale of financial assets
- Proposition 7: establish a tax exemption for the surviving spouse of a veteran who died from an illness related to their military service
- Proposition 8: prohibit Texas from taxing a deceased person’s estate or an inheritance passed to their heirs, which the state does not currently do
- Proposition 9: exempt up to $125,000 of a business’s personal property, such as equipment, furniture and vehicles, from taxation
- Proposition 10: allow a future state Legislature to create a tax exemption for someone rebuilding a home after it is completely destroyed in a fire
- Proposition 11: raise the stackable property tax exemption for homeowners who are over 65 years old or have a disability from $10,000 to $60,000
- Proposition 12: rework the 13-member State Commission on Judicial Conduct, allowing the governor to appoint a majority of the commissioners
- Proposition 13: raise the property tax exemption on a Texas homeowner’s main residence, known as a homestead exemption, from $100,000 to $140,000
- Proposition 14: allocate $3 billion to launch the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas without creating new state taxes
- Proposition 15: enshrine in Texas Constitution that parents have the right to “exercise care, custody and control” of their children and determine how to raise them
- Proposition 16: enshrine in the Texas Constitution that only U.S. citizens can vote in Texas elections, which aligns with current state laws
- Proposition 17: exempt increases in a property’s value from taxation if the land is along the Texas-Mexico border and the value rises due to the installation of border security infrastructure
Meanwhile, federal records show that the U.S. Constitution was last amended in 1992.
Voters in various communities across the state may also see local propositions and races on their ballots, including a 20% tax rate increase in Austin, a congressional race in Harris County and a state Senate race in Tarrant County.
What to bring
Voters must bring one of seven forms of identification to the polls, according to the secretary of state’s office:
- A Texas driver license (issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety)
- A Texas personal ID card (issued by the DPS)
- A Texas handgun license (issued by the DPS)
- A Texas election ID certificate (issued by the DPS)
- A U.S. military ID card with the voter’s photograph
- A U.S. citizenship certificate with the voter’s photograph
- A U.S. passport
Voters may bring written notes or voter guides into polling places, according to the secretary of state.
Texas law prohibits posting or distributing written materials within 100 feet of a polling place, as this is considered campaigning or electioneering. Guns and wireless devices such as cellphones, tablets and smartwatches are not allowed at polling places.
