VOTING RESOURCES

The right to vote is essential, particularly for social workers who must stay informed about candidates and their positions, as these elected officials make critical decisions impacting the profession, including funding for social work programs. Social workers are in a unique position to help their clients register to vote and stay informed about upcoming elections. We’ve compiled resources and information below to support our members in staying informed on the voting process in Texas. For more information, download the NASW-TX 2026 Voting Guide!

2026 Election Information

The 2026 primary election is Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2026. The in-person Early Voting Period runs from February 17th to the 27th, 2026. The 2026 Midterm election is Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026. The in-person Early Voting Period runs from October 19th to the 30th, 2026.

Date & DEADLINES

Here are voter dates and deadlines for the 2026 Primary and Midterm elections in Texas:

Primary:

February 2nd: Last Day to Register to Vote. (This is also the final day to submit an address or name change in your voter registration.)
February 17th: First Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance.
February 20th: Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail. (Received by clerk, NOT postmarked and sent.)
February 27th: Last Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance.
March 3rd: Election Day – Primary Election Day (7 AM to 7 PM)
March 3rd: Last day to Receive Ballot by Mail. (Will still be counted if postmarked by 7 PM on March 4th and received by the county by 5 PM on March 5th.)

What you need to know before voting in Texas’ March 3 primary elections (via Texas Tribune)

Midterms:
October 5th: Last Day to Register to Vote. (This is also the final day to submit an address or name change in your voter registration.)
October 19th: First Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance.
October 23rd: Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail. (Received by clerk, NOT postmarked and sent.)
October 30th: Last Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance.
November 3rd: Election Day – Midterm Election (7 AM to 7 PM)
November 3rd: Last day to Receive Ballot by Mail. (Will still be counted if postmarked by 7 PM on November 3rd and received by the county by 5 PM on November 4th.)

Download the "Social Workers Vote" Zoom Virtual Background

Tips for voters

Do you need to register to vote? See how to register here. Do you need to update your information? See how to update registration information here.

Not sure if you’re registered already? Check to see if you’re registered here. This will also show you your poll location, early voting locations, registration information, and key election dates.

You can find your sample ballot here by entering the address that you used to register to vote.

In Texas you need to have an approved form of I.D. when voting in person. See the list of approved forms of I.D. here.

There are three methods to vote, see the links below to learn more about the different ways to vote.

1. Voting early in person

2. Voting on election day in person

3. Voting by mail

General Voting Resources

If you’re unsure of where to find your polling location, see "Where's my polling place?".

NASW is hosting a webinar for student social workers, “Prepping for the 2024 Elections: What Social Work Students Can Do” on October 17, 2024! Find registration information here.

You have rights as a registered voter, check them out here!

Find your counties voter registration officials information here. If you have any questions about voting or elections you can go to their office, call them or look up information on their websites.

You can contact your representatives to show support or advocate for change, find who represents you here!

If you want to do more than vote during elections here is a list of ways to get more involved:

Become an election worker, see how here.
Serve as a student clerk, find out how to apply here.
See if you qualify to be a volunteer deputy registrar, see more details here.
Complete training to become a poll watcher, see instructions here.

Texas was the first state in 1999 to require accessible voting systems for voters with disabilities, to learn more details about voting with disabilities in Texas see votetx.gov.

To see more resources on how to increase voter participation see NASW’s Increasing Voter Participation page.

There are multiple organizations in Texas that are dedicated to empowering voters to get involved, follow the following links to learn more:

1.League of Women Voters of Texas – A nonpartisan organization that has been dedicated since 1920 to encouraging voters to being informed and active participants in government.

2. MOVE Texas – Founded by students in 2013 this organization has become one of the most effective voter registration and engagement groups in Texas.

To learn more about NASW-Tx’s legislative priorities see this webpage for more details.

Voter accessibility

In 2023 the Texas legislature enacted SB 477 to add accessibility requirements for polling places and county websites, to learn more see here.

All polling places in Texas are required to be accessible to those with disabilities, to learn more about services available to voters with disabilities see here.

Justice involved

Once someone in Texas has fully completed their sentence or has been pardoned, their right to vote is automatically restored. To learn more about how to know when the sentence has been fully completed see more resources here.

Information for LGBTQ+

Texas Law Help website has put together a guide for LGBTQ+ voters in Texas to answer any questions they may have about registering to vote, how to vote, and more. To see the guide, go to their website here.

The National LGBTQ Taskforce is encouraging LGBTQ community members across the United States to become more active in voting through their Queer the Vote initiative. To learn more about how to get involved, see here.

Homelessness

If experiencing homelessness, you can still register to vote using the address of a homeless shelter or a fixed place that you return to regularly (ex. Street corner, park, other public spaces).

You do need a mailing address to register to vote but it does not have to be the same as the address you listed for where you live.

Texas does require an I.D. to vote but there are several options for acceptable forms of I.D., see votertexas.org to learn about all your I.D. options.