HOUSTON — President Joe Biden’s sudden exit from the presidential race has shed a spotlight on how long we have before the November General Election gets here.
On Sunday, just over 16 weeks before the Nov. 5 General Election, Biden announced he would be exiting the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.
The timing of his announcement served as a reminder that those who are eligible need to be sure to register to vote before it is too late.
When is the last day to register to vote in Texas?
While it may seem like it is a long way away, the last day to register to vote in the Nov. 5 General Election is Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
Early voting for the general election begins on Monday, Oct. 21, and ends on Friday, Nov. 1. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail is Friday, Oct. 25.
How to register to vote in Texas or update your registration information
According to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, if you are registering for the first time in Texas, simply complete a voter registration application and return it to your county election office at least 30 days before the upcoming election date.
To complete an application, you may:
- Complete an application using the online voter registration application. Simply fill in the required information, print, sign, and mail the completed application directly to your county election office;
- Request a printed application. office will mail a postage-paid voter registration application to the address provided; or
- Contact or visit your local voter registrar to complete the voter registration process.
How to register to vote when renewing your driver’s license
According to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, if you’re not already registered to vote but have an existing Texas Driver’s License or state identification card, you can register to vote online when renewing, replacing or changing your contact information for either of these cards through the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Just follow the steps on the DPS web portal to update your driver's license information, and you will be given the option to register to vote when renewing or updating your information.
Update your voter registration information online
According to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, whether you’ve recently moved or changed your name, you can now update all your information on your voter registration record through their portal on Texas.gov.
If your voter registration record is on ‘suspense,’ it means your county of registration has received information that you no longer live at the address on your current voter registration record. You can use the portal above to update your address or information on your voter registration record.
To update your voter registration, you will need your Voter Unique Identifier (VUID) to log in to the Texas.gov portal. You can find your VUID by visiting the My Voter Portal, in which you can enter your name, county, date of birth and ZIP code to display your voter registration information.
