- Voting by Mail | Eligibility Requirements (ABBM/FPCA) | Application for a Ballot by Mail (ABBM) | Completing and Mailing your Carrier Envelope | Track your Ballot by Mail | Find your Early Voting Clerk | Military & Overseas Voters
- Voting by Mail
- Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or Election Identification Certificate Number issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (NOT your voter registration VUID number); OR the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number.
If you have not been issued a Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number, Texas Election Identification Certificate Number or a Social Security Number, you must indicate so by checking the appropriate box on the ABBM or carrier envelope.
*For voters aged 18–69 years, photo ID can be expired for up to four years. For voters aged 70 and older, photo ID can be expired for any length of time if otherwise valid.
†The Texas Election ID Certificate is a free photo ID issued by DPS for voting purposes. The number on this ID is NOT your Voter Unique Identifier (VUID) on the voter registration card you receive in the mail. Your VUID is NOT required information on either your ABBM or mail ballot carrier envelope.
Voting by mail in Texas has been available to elderly voters and voters with physical disabilities for decades. Remember, however, that many of the legal safeguards designed to protect voters and their ballots are impossible to enforce in the privacy of the voter’s home. Here are a few tips that may prove helpful:
To vote by mail, you must provide ONE of the following numbers on your ballot by mail (ABBM) and your mail ballot carrier envelope:
- Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or Election Identification Certificate Number issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (NOT your voter registration VUID number); OR the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number.
If you have not been issued a Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number, Texas Election Identification Certificate Number or a Social Security Number, you must indicate so by checking the appropriate box on the ABBM or carrier envelope.
*For voters aged 18–69 years, photo ID can be expired for up to four years. For voters aged 70 and older, photo ID can be expired for any length of time if otherwise valid.
†The Texas Election ID Certificate is a free photo ID issued by DPS for voting purposes. The number on this ID is NOT your Voter Unique Identifier (VUID) on the voter registration card you receive in the mail. Your VUID is NOT required information on either your ABBM or mail ballot carrier envelope.
- Call your local or county office holding the election and request that an application to vote by mail be sent to you, or download the application here (PDF).
- To vote by mail, you must provide ONE of the following numbers on your ABBM: (1) Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or Election Identification Certificate Number issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (NOT your voter registration VUID number); OR (2) If you have not been issued one of the numbers above, the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number. If you have not been issued a Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or Texas Election Identification Certificate Number or a Social Security Number, you must indicate so by checking the appropriate box on the ABBM.
- If you need help filling out the form or mailing it, ask someone you trust to help you. Your helper’s name and address must be written next to your signature and they must sign the application.
- Address your application to the Early Voting Clerk. Applications mailed to an address other than the Early Voting Clerk may be rejected.
- Send your application for a ballot by mail as early as January 1 of the year of the election that you wish to vote in. This will give you plenty of time to receive your ballot, mark it, and mail it back to the Early Voting Clerk. All applications to vote by mail must be received by the early voting clerk not later than the 11th day before election day by the close of regular business or 12 noon, whichever is later. Applications to vote by mail must be submitted in person or by mail, email, common or contract carrier, or fax (if a fax machine is available in the office of the early voting clerk).
- If you are voting by mail because you are disabled or are 65 years of age or older, you may use a single application to request ballots by mail for all county elections in the calendar year. While you can submit this “annual” application anytime during the calendar year, it must be received at least 11 days before the first election in which you seek to request a ballot by mail.
- Generally, a ballot must be mailed to the address where you are registered to vote. However, if you are 65 or older or have a physical disability, you may have your ballot sent to a hospital, nursing home or long-term care facility, retirement center, or relative, but you must check the blank on the form indicating which address you are providing. If your reason for voting by mail is absence from the county, the ballot must be mailed to an address outside the county.
- If you need help reading, marking, or mailing the actual ballot, ask a trusted relative or friend for help. It’s not uncommon for someone from a political organization to offer to help with your ballot soon after you’ve received it. We recommend you decline this kind of help for several reasons. If you allow your ballot to be mailed by someone you don’t know, it might not be mailed at all. If it’s delivered to the elections office by a common or contract carrier from the address of a candidate or a campaign’s headquarters, your ballot will be rejected.
- Finally, if someone helps you with your mail ballot, you must put your helper’s name and address on the carrier envelope, which is the one used to return your ballot to the early voting clerk. Your helper must also sign the carrier envelope.
Who can vote by mail?
Voting by mail in Texas is limited to voters who are:
- 65 years of age or older on Election Day;
- Sick or disabled;
- Expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day;
- Absent from the county of registration during the Early Voting period and on Election Day;
- Civilly committed under Chapter 841 of the Texas Health and Safety Code; or
- Confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.
- Download an application for a ballot by mail here (PDF);
- The Secretary of State’s office; or
- The Early Voting Clerk in your county
If you are voting early because of an expected absence, you may apply in person for a ballot by mail before the early “voting in person” period begins (usually the 17th day before the election). If you are voting by mail because you are disabled or are 65 years of age or older, you may use a single application to request ballots by mail for all county elections in the calendar year. To do so, simply mark “Annual Application” on your application for a ballot by mail when selecting the election for which you are applying.
If you are voting in a political party’s primary election, you MUST check which party’s primary you are voting in to receive the correct primary ballot.
To vote by mail, you must provide ONE of the following numbers on your ABBM:
- Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or Election Identification Certificate Number issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (NOT your voter registration VUID number); OR
- If you have not been issued one of the numbers above, the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number
If you have not been issued a Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or Texas Election Identification Certificate Number or a Social Security Number, you must indicate so by checking the appropriate box on the ABBM.
If you are voting by mail because you are disabled or are 65 years of age or older, you may use a single application to request ballots by mail for all county elections in the calendar year. You will see this option under Section 4 of the ABBM, “Send me a Ballot for the Following Elections:” in which you can select each election for which you wish to receive a ballot by mail. While you can submit this “annual” application anytime during the calendar year, it must be received at least 11 days before the first election in which you seek to request a ballot by mail.
You can write your own application for a ballot by mail, as long as it is in writing and includes:
- The applicant’s name;
- The applicant’s address;
- The number of the applicant’s driver’s license or personal identification card issued by DPS, or if applicant has not been issued one of those numbers, the last four digits of the applicant’s social security number, or a statement that the application has not been issued either of those numbers;
- The address at which the applicant is registered;
- The address to which ballot is to be mailed, if different and if authorized by law (see below);
- A valid ground for voting by mail;
- If you are voting by mail on the ground of disability, the following statement: “I affirm that I have a sickness or physical condition that prevents me from appearing at the polling place on Election Day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring my health.”
- An indication of the election for which the applicant is applying to vote by mail; AND
- The signature of the applicant or witness, if applicable.
Your ballot by mail application must be sent to the Early Voting Clerk in the county where you are registered to vote. Applications must be received (not postmarked) by last day of the application period. All applications to vote by mail must be received by the early voting clerk before the close of regular business or 12 noon, whichever is later.
For the November 5, 2024 Election, the last day your ABBM can be received by your Early Voting Clerk is Friday, October 25, 2024.
Applications to vote by mail must be submitted in person or by mail, common or contract carrier, email or fax. If you fax or e-mail your application to the Early Voting Clerk, you must also mail the application so that the Clerk receives it no later than the fourth business day after the day the Clerk received your faxed or emailed application. If you fax or e-mail your application by the deadline noted below, your application will be considered complete and timely as long as the original is received by the early voting clerk by the fourth business day after it was submitted by fax or e-mail.
You may send in your application for a ballot by mail to the Early Voting Clerk by:
- In-person delivery;
- Regular mail;
- Common or contract carrier; or
- Fax (if a fax machine is available to the Early Voting Clerk)
- Email (send a signed, scanned application as an attachment to an email to the early voting clerk)
- The number of your driver license, election identification certificate, or personal identification card issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS);
- The last four digits of your social security number, if you have not been issued any of the abovementioned numbers by DPS; OR
- A statement that you have not been issued a number described by (1) or (2) above.
Next, seal the carrier envelope, sign the carrier envelope, and return your carrier envelope to the Early Voting Clerk either by mail, by common or contract carrier, or in person on Election Day at your county’s early voting clerk’s office.
The Early Voting Clerk must receive your marked ballot by the following date and time:*
- 7:00 p.m. by election day if the carrier envelope is not postmarked (see below for possible exceptions)
- The deadline to receive ballots mailed within the United States from non-military and military voters who submitted an Application for Ballot by Mail (“ABBM”) is 5:00 p.m. on the day after election day. The carrier envelope must have a postmark showing it was mailed by 7:00 p.m. on election day.
- The deadline to receive ballots mailed from non-military and military voters who mailed ballots from overseas and who submitted an Application for Ballot by Mail (“ABBM”) is the fifth day after election day. The carrier envelope must have a postmark showing it was mailed by 7:00 p.m. on election day.
- The deadline to receive ballots mailed from non-military voters who mailed ballots from overseas and who submitted a Federal Post Card Application (“FPCA”) is the fifth day after election day. The carrier envelope must have a postmark showing it was mailed by 7:00 p.m. on election day.
- The deadline to receive ballots mailed from military voters who mailed ballots domestically or from overseas and who submitted a Federal Post Card Application (“FPCA”) is the sixth day after election day. The carrier envelope does not need to have a postmark.
*If the deadline for the arrival of a ballot voted by mail falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal state or national holiday, then the deadline is extended to the next regular business day.
Track My Ballot and Correct ID Information
- First Name
- Last Name
- Date of Birth
- The last 4 digits of your Social Security Number
- Your Driver’s License or Department of Public Safety Personal ID number
- Your residential address (must appear exactly as listed on your voter registration record. To look up the address listed on your voter registration record, use the ‘Am I Registered?’ tool)
- City
- ZIP code
How to Correct a Defect on your Application for Ballot by Mail
If you received a notice (PDF) that your ABBM was rejected because you did not provide an identification number or the number included on your ABBM did not match one of the numbers associated with your voter registration record, you may correct the defect online through the Texas Secretary of State's Ballot by Mail Tracker. When you log in to the Ballot by Mail Tracker, you will be prompted to enter your personal identification number(s). Once your personal identification number is validated by the Mail Ballot Tracker, the Application for a Ballot by Mail you previously submitted will be processed.
To utilize the Ballot by Mail Tracker, you must enter:
- Your Texas Driver’s License Number or Texas Personal Identification Number, AND
- The last four digits of your social security number; AND
- Your residence address as listed in your voter registration record
If you received a notice that your ABBM was rejected for another reason, you may be able to cure the defect by submitting a new ABBM (PDF) to your county's Early Voting Clerk with the corrected information.
To confirm your information as listed on your voter registration record be sure to visit the 'Am I Registered?' tool on the Texas Secretary of State's My Voter Portal.
If you have specific questions about your registration or the status of your Application for Ballot by Mail, you should contact your county elections office.
**NOTE: You can also use the process above to add or correct identification information on your mail ballot carrier envelope (PDF).
First and foremost, we would like to thank you, the military voters, for your service to our country. To all U.S. citizens overseas, thank you for your interest in your country’s elections while far away. (Federal voting law defines “overseas” as anywhere outside the United States. This includes Canada and Mexico.) Military and overseas voters are welcome to use the regular registration and early voting by mail process (also known as absentee voting) available to all voters away from their home county on Election Day. However, there are also special provisions for you.
The process is as easy as ABC:
A (Application)
Fill out and file your FPCA (Federal Postcard Application) as soon as possible but no later than the 11th day before Election Day.
B (Ballot)
Receive your ballot or use the FWAB (Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot).
C (Casting and Counting)
Cast your vote by returning your marked ballot by Election Day, or the 5th day after if voting from overseas.
TRACK THE PROGRESS OF YOUR FPCA AND BALLOT
A. Application
- Active duty military, spouses, and dependents (voting from outside the home Texas county)
- U.S. Citizens (nonmilitary) temporarily overseas* away from the home Texas county
- U.S. Citizens (nonmilitary) permanently overseas* away from the (previous) home Texas county
- Members of the merchant marine, spouses, and dependents (voting from outside the home Texas county)
- Members of the Texas National Guard, spouses, and dependents (voting from outside the home Texas county)
- Members of a National Guard of another state, spouses, and dependents (voting from outside the home Texas county)
- Members of the military reserves on active duty, spouses, and dependents (voting from outside the home Texas county)
*Federal law defines “overseas” as anywhere outside the United States. If you are not one of these voters, you need the regular early voting by mail procedures.
What and where is the FPCA form?
Here are two resources for obtaining an automated FPCA form:
- Federal Voting Assistance Program with the U.S. Department of Defense
- Actual FPCA form
What does the FPCA form do?
- Registers you onto the permanent voter rolls 30 days after receipt by the county (unless voter marks indefinitely away / do not intend to return)
- Functions as an application for ballot by mail and gives you temporary registration status for certain offices
- If voter marks indefinitely away (older form) / do not intend to return (newer form), voter receives federal ballot only
When is the FPCA deadline?
- General rule: deadline is the 11th day before Election Day (earlier is recommended)
- Here are the deadlines calculated for upcoming elections.
- First day to file FPCA is January 1.
- Note: An FPCA for a January or February election may be filed earlier, but not earlier than the 60th day before the date of the January or February election.
Where do you send the FPCA?
- General rule: the Early Voting Clerk’s office
- County contact information
How may you send the (completed signed) FPCA to the clerk?
- Hard copy by mail
- Common or contract carrier
- In-person delivery
- Fax (if the Early Voting Clerk’s office has a fax machine)
- E-mail (scanned image of signed form)
NOTE: If an FPCA is faxed, then the applicant must submit the original application by mail to the early voting clerk so that the early voting clerk receives the original no later than the 4th business day after receiving the faxed FPCA.
B. Ballot
How do you receive the ballot from the clerk?
Authorized method the voter requested on the FPCA:
- Hard copy by mail (default method if nothing else requested)
- E-mail (unmarked ballot)
- Common or contract carrier (if paid for by voter)
- Unmarked ballots may not be faxed under Texas law, regardless of voter’s status.
Did the county or other election official send my ballot?
C. Casting and Counting
How do you return the ballot to the Early Voting Clerk?
- Hard copy by mail, or common or contract courier (like any other ballot by mail)
- IF from military voter (or spouse or dependent) in hostile fire pay / imminent danger pay / combat zone, may be faxed using authorized channels.
When is the deadline for returning the ballot?
- Regular deadline: receipt by 7:00 p.m. Election Day
- Deadline for voters voting from overseas location: receipt by 5th day after Election Day
- Deadline for the ballot to be received is the 6th day after Election Day for:
- Members of the armed forces of the United States, or the spouse or a dependent of a member of the armed forces;
- Members of the merchant marines of the United States, or the spouse or a dependent of a member of the merchant marine;
- Members of the Texas National Guard, or the spouse or dependent of a member of the Texas National Guard;
- Members of the National Guard of another state, or the spouse or dependent of a member of the National Guard of another state;
- Members of the military reserves on active duty, or the spouse or dependent of a member of the military reserves on active duty.
Did the county or other election official receive my marked ballot?
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- First day to file FPCA is January 1.