Oct. 7 is the deadline to register to vote in order to be eligible to cast a ballot in the Nov. 5 election. First-time voters, as well as individuals who have had a recent name and/or address change, are required to complete, sign and mail in an application by Oct. 1. Early voting kicks off statewide Oct. 21 and runs through Nov. 1. Fort Bend County residents can confirm their voter registration status at the Texas secretary of state’s website or the county’s voter registration website. For voting locations, sample ballots and other important information leading up to Election Day, Fort Bend County residents can visit www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/county-services/elections-voter-registration. Registration eligibility laws require each applicant to:

• be at least 18 years old;
• be a United States citizen;
• not have been determined by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be totally or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote;
• not have been finally convicted of a felony—or, if convicted, to have fully discharged the sentence, completed a period of probation ordered by any court or been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disability to vote; and
• be a resident of the county in which application for registration is made.

Those who have not yet registered to vote have several options:

• Visit a County Tax Office location to submit a completed, signed form.
• Download and print an application in English, Spanish, Vietnamese or Chinese.
• Request an application online from the Texas Secretary of State.
• Request via email to have a paper application mailed to you. Be sure to provide a mailing address and phone number with your request.
• Pick up an application at your local U.S. post office, library, high school, Texas Department of Public Safety site, Texas Health and Human Services Commission Office or other government office.

Here’s what Fort Bend County voters can expect to see on their ballots: Fort Bend ISD is holding elections for three positions on its school board:

• Position 3 — Ashish Agrawal, Sam Popuri, Jim Rice*, Afshi Charania
• Position 5 — Christian Sommer, Lily Q. Lam, Jason A. Dobrolecki, Allison Drew*, Pam D. Sutherland
• Position 7 — Dave Rosenthal*, Monica Riley, Nadine B. Skinner, Holland Poulsen, Rudy Sutherland, Jr., Christine (Tina) Michie, Ferrel Bonner * Marks incumbent

Sugar Land residents will vote on four different bond propositions:

• Proposition A — The issuance of a $47,600,000 bond for drainage improvements and the levying of a tax in payment thereof
• Proposition B — The issuance of a $26,300,000 bond for public safety facilities, including an emergency operations center/public safety dispatch building and phase 2 of the public safety training facility and the levying of a tax in payment thereof
• Proposition C — The issuance of a $10,260,000 bond for streets and related drainage, including traffic equipment, signalization and street lighting and the levying of a tax in payment thereof
• Proposition D — The issuance of a $6,600,000 bond for animal shelter and control facilities and the levying of a tax in payment thereof

Residents in Missouri City City Council districts A, B, C and D will be voting for their councilmember:

• District A — Reginald B. Pearson*, Cheryl Sterling
• District B — Jeffrey L. Boney*, JaPaula Kemp
• District C — Anthony G. Maroulis*, Raj Joseph, Steve Okoroha, S.A.M. Chatriwala
• District D — Floyd Emery*, Cindy Forney * Marks incumbent

All Texas residents can also vote for or against 10 amendments to the Texas Constitution. A list and an explanation of those proposed changes can be found here.