Here’s what you need to bring with you to vote in the Texas primaries

From photo IDs to voter cards, here’s what North Texans need to know before early voting begins Feb. 17.

By Miriam Fauzia
Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/

With early voting set to begin Feb. 17 for the March 3 primaries, Texas’ spring elections are about to kick into gear.

The primaries typically draw the state’s lowest turnout, even though they determine who will appear on the November ballot, according to March Matters, a nonpartisan voter engagement organization. In 2024, about 49% of the state’s voting age population participated in the general election, while only about 14% voted in the March primary, the organization said.

Primaries give voters a chance to weigh in on the candidates and issues they care about most. So if you plan to vote, here’s what you need to bring with you to the polling place.

Polling stations across Texas require voters to show a valid form of photo ID. According to the Texas Secretary of State website, these valid forms include:

• Texas driver’s license
• Texas Election Identification certificate
• Texas Personal Identification card
• Texas handgun license
• U.S. military identification card with a photo
• U.S. citizenship certificate with a photo
• U.S. passport, whether book or card

Most of these IDs can be expired as long as they didn’t expire before 2022. The only exception is the U.S. citizenship certificate, which never expires, according to the Texas Secretary of State website. If you are 70 or older, you can use any of the state’s seven acceptable photo IDs, no matter the expiration date.

Don’t have an approved photo ID? You can still vote by filling out the Reasonable Impediment Declaration form and showing an alternative form of identification, such as an utility bill, bank statement, government check or a voter registration certificate, at the polls.

If you forget to bring an acceptable photo ID with you, you can vote on a provisional ballot, but you will need to present your photo ID to your county voter registrar within six days for your ballot to count. You can also go back to your polling location on the same day and show your ID before it closes.

No voter card? No problem

Texas’ redistricting and new voter registration issues have delayed mailing of voter registration cards, The Texas Tribune reported this month. These certificates — small postcards counties send to registered voters every two years — provide information about a voter’s polling place, ID number and assigned district.

If you haven’t received yours, don’t worry, you don’t need a voter registration card to vote. However, if you don’t have one of the state’s approved photo IDs, a voter registration card can be used as a supporting document for the Reasonable Impediment Declaration form at the polls, according to the Texas Secretary of State website.

To learn more about the candidates and their positions, visit The Dallas Morning News’ Voter Guide.

Miriam has previously written for USA Today, The Daily Beast, Inverse, The New York Times and others. She holds a master’s degree in immunology from the University of Oxford and another master’s in journalism from Boston University.

This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.