Early Voting By Personal Appearance means that a registered voter in Texas may vote prior to General Election Day during a period designated by state law.

Texas Election Code: Sec. 85.001. EARLY VOTING PERIOD.

• General Election: During a General Election the period for early voting by personal appearance begins on the 17th day before Election Day and continues through the fourth day before Election Day, except as otherwise provided.
• Runoff Election: The Early Voting Period for a special runoff election for the office of state senator or state representative or for a runoff primary election begins on the 10th day before election day.
• If the date prescribed by Subsection (a) or (b) for beginning the period is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal state holiday, the early voting period begins on the next regular business day.

Any qualified voter may vote early by personal appearance. No reason is needed.

Any qualified voter may vote in person at the main early voting polling place or at any other designated early voting branch location during designated times. Usually, there are numerous early voting locations in Harris County during the conduct of a countywide election.

Early Voting by Personal Appearance was introduced in Texas in the mid-1990s to make voting more convenient for the citizenry. It also provides voters who may be away from the county of residence on Election Day the opportunity to vote in person.

By law, in counties with a population of 400,000 or more, the commissioners court has the authority to establish at least one early voting site at each state representative district.

Election Day polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Any person that is registered to vote in Harris County may vote. In Texas, a person must register to vote 30 days before Election Day, if never registered to vote.

Yes. It is not necessary to have voted in the Primary or Primary Runoff to vote in the General Election.

Typically, Federal, State and County contests appear on the County ballot in even-numbered years. Other municipalities within Harris County may also join the ballot, including independent school districts, utility and emergency services districts and community colleges.

No.

The straight-party voting option (straight-ticket) will be NO LONGER available beginning in 2020 under a bill Governor Greg Abbott signed in 2017.

In Texas, primary elections are conducted by the major political parties to determine their nominees for a given elective office in advance of a general election.

Any person that is registered to vote in Harris County may vote in either the Republican Primary Election or the Democratic Primary Election (NOT both). In Texas, a person must register to vote 30 days before Election Day, if never registered to vote.

Yes. It is not necessary to have voted in the Primary to vote in a Primary Runoff Election. However, during an election cycle, a voter that participated in a Primary Election may ONLY participate in the Primary Runoff Election of the Party in which the voter initially voted.

Typically, Federal, State and County contests appear on the Primary Election ballot. Political Parties may also offer nonbinding propositions.

No. In a Primary Election, all candidates are affiliated with the same major political party.

Straight Party voting is the practice of choosing the Straight Party option on the ballot and by this means casting a vote for all candidates of the same political party. This option is NOT available on a Primary Election ballot.

You are eligible to Vote By Mail in Texas if:

1. You are age 65 or older by Election Day, November 3, 2020;
2. You will be outside of Harris County for all of the Early Voting period (October 13th - October 30th) and on Election Day (November 3rd);
3. You are confined in jail but otherwise eligible to vote; or
4. You have a disability.

Under Texas law, you qualify as having a disability if you are sick, pregnant, or if voting in person will create a likelihood of injury to your health.

The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that lack of immunity to COVID-19 can be considered as a factor in your decision as to whether voting in person will create a likelihood of injury to your health, but it cannot be the only factor. You do not qualify to vote by mail as “disabled” if you have a fear of contracting COVID-19 but are otherwise healthy. To qualify, you must have an accompanying physical condition. If you do not qualify as “disabled,” you may still qualify in one of the other categories (1-3 above).

You can apply to Vote by Mail at any time, but our office must receive (not just postmarked) your application by October 23 in order to send you a mail ballot for the November General Election. You can also drop off your application in-person to any of our County Clerk office locations across Harris County.

Due to potential delays with the postal service, PLEASE DO NOT WAIT – APPLY NOW!

Registered voters may obtain an application by:

• Downloading it from HarrisVotes.com/VoteByMail
• Calling 713.755.6965, or
• Sending an email to bbm@cco.hctx.net

You can check your voting status at Vote411.org.

To register to vote, there are currently two Texas organizations that will assist you with your registration remotely, Register2Vote.org and The League of Women Voters - Houston. Both of these organizations will supply you with a no contact, postage-paid voter registration card.

If you are 65 years of age or older, or have a disability, you can apply for an annual ballot – this means that your Vote by Mail option will be registered for that entire calendar year. For example, if you apply now your option will be registered for the November 2020 Election and any additional election through December 31, 2020. You will need to reapply each calendar year for an annual Vote by Mail ballot.

Yes, you may receive assistance in completing and submitting your application from a friend or a relative. Your assistant MUST carefully review the instructions and complete the additional WITNESS/ASSISTANT section of the application.

An application to Vote by Mail can be submitted in any of the following manners:

1. Regular residential mail via United States Postal Service;
2. In-person drop off at any of the Harris County Clerk Annex locations during regular business hours through October 12, 2020;
3. Common or contract carrier (e.g., personal courier, FedEx, UPS, or other contracted mail service); or
4. Fax machine (713.755.4983) or e-mail (BBM@cco.hctx.net). If you choose this option, the Harris County Clerk’s office MUST receive your original, completed paper application by one of the above methods (1-3) within four (4) business days of your email or fax.

Domestic ballots will begin to be mailed out in mid-September for those who have submitted applications by that time. If you submit an application after mid-September, your ballot will be mailed out within seven (7) days of your application being received.

Voters outside the United States: Your ballots will be mailed on or before September 26 (the 45th day before Election Day), or within seven (7) days of your application being received.

A completed mail ballot MUST be returned to the Harris County Clerk’s Office in the Official Carrier Envelope provided to you. It may be returned in any of the following manners:

1. Regular residential mail via United States Postal Service;
   1. Ballot must be postmarked by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day and must be received by 5:00 p.m. on November 4 (the day after Election Day)
2. In-person drop off at any of the Harris County Clerk Annex locations during regular business hours through Election Day, November 3, 2020, at 7:00 p.m.;
   1. You must present an acceptable form of photo identification
   2. If a voter does not possess and cannot reasonably obtain an acceptable form of photo identification, the voter may show a List B identification and complete a reasonable impediment declaration (RID)
   3. Only the voter may deliver their ballot in person
3. Common or contract carrier; such as personal courier, or FedEx or UPS, or other contracted mail service
   1. Ballot must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day
   2. If the carrier provides receipt mark indicating a time before 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, it may be received by 5:00 p.m. on November 4 (the day after Election Day)

All ballots being returned in person must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. If you are overseas and returning your ballot through the mail or a common or contract carrier, our office must receive it by 5 P.M. on November 8 (five days after Election Day). If you are serving in the military and returning your ballot through the mail or a common or contract carrier, our office must receive it by 5 P.M. on November 9 (six days after Election Day).

Yes. All the votes you cast will be counted. You have the right to skip any measure or contest.

When your completed Vote by Mail ballot is received at our office, it goes through a rigorous validation system.

The Carrier Envelope is verified for signature authentication, logged, and securely stored. Your Vote by Mail ballot is not counted until voting centers close at 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. At that time, all Vote by Mail ballots will be tabulated and submitted into the official record.

The voter’s signature on the Vote by Mail ballot return envelope is compared to the signature from your Vote by Mail application and/or your voter registration application to maintain voter integrity.

Your Vote by Mail ballot is counted when voting centers close at 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. At that time, all Vote by Mail ballots will be tabulated and submitted into the official record. The total number of votes cast by mail are included in the final tally.

You may vote in person even if you applied for a Vote by Mail ballot, but you can only vote once. To vote in person, take your Vote by Mail ballot to a voting center to surrender it and receive a regular ballot. If you do not have the mail ballot with you, you may still vote in person using a provisional ballot.

If you have returned your completed Vote by Mail Ballot, you cannot vote in person to change your vote.

Yes, you will need two standard stamps when mailing your ballot ($1.10 total postage). If you do not have stamps, you may place your ballot in the mail without postage, and it will still be delivered to our office and counted.

Please call our Election Help Line at 713.755.6965 in order to check the status of your application or ballot.