How to Register to Vote in Texas

Texas does not have online voter registration. You need a paper form. Here is exactly how it works — deadlines, ID requirements, and where to check your status.

By Community Exchange -- Apr 18, 2026

Overview Key Ideas Practice Resources

Overview

Texas does not have online voter registration. Not yet. You register with a paper form — by mail or in person.

That one fact trips up more people than anything else. Plenty of Texans assume they can register on their phone the way they renew their driver's license. They cannot.

The form itself takes about 2 minutes to fill out. Getting it submitted on time is the part that matters.

Source: Texas Secretary of State, votetexas.gov

The Framework

Key Ideas

Eligibility. You must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the county where you register, at least 17 years and 10 months old (you can register before you turn 18, but you cannot vote until your 18th birthday), and not a convicted felon currently serving a sentence (your right is restored after you complete your sentence, including parole and supervision).

The deadline is 30 days before Election Day. Texas has one of the earliest registration deadlines in the country. If the election is November 5, your registration must be postmarked by October 7. Miss it by one day, you wait until the next election.

You must register in the county where you live. Harris County residents register through the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector's office. If you move counties, you must re-register at your new address.

Your registration does not expire — but it can become inactive if you move and do not update your address. The county sends address confirmation cards. If you do not respond and do not vote in two consecutive federal elections, your registration gets cancelled.

Source: Texas Election Code, Title 2; Texas Secretary of State

Put It Into Practice

Practice

Get the form. Three options:

Download and print from votetexas.gov/register-to-vote
Pick one up at any post office, library, or government office in Harris County
Request one by mail from the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector: (713) 274-8200

Fill it out. You need your Texas driver's license number or personal ID number. If you do not have one, use the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. Blue or black ink. Sign it.

Submit it. Mail it to the Harris County Voter Registrar (P.O. Box 3527, Houston, TX 77253-3527) or hand-deliver it to the Tax Assessor-Collector's office at 1001 Preston, Suite 100.

Check your status. After 30 days, verify your registration at voterrecords.com/texas or call the Harris County Clerk at (713) 755-6965. Do not assume. Verify.

Source: Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector, hctax.net; votetexas.gov

Resources