Election Notes

Provided by the Elections Office
For more information Call 576-0124
or visit us at 111 N. Glass, Victoria, Texas

When to Vote

The most important day for voting is Election Day. These days are designated by both the State of Texas and the Federal Government. In Texas we currently have four uniform election days. These are the first Saturday in February, the first Saturday in May, the second Saturday in September and the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. While the dates may change from year to year, the time of the year when you vote is the same.

In addition to the uniform election days voting in even-numbered years is also held on the first Tuesday in March, also known as Primary Election Day. Some years it is necessary to have a runoff election after the primary and this day is the second Tuesday in April.

Voting takes place from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on these election days. A team of election personnel serves in each polling location. They are there to assist every voter and insure that the election is conducted in a fair and impartial manner.

In addition to Election Day, Texas allows for Early Voting. There are two kinds of early voting, in person and by mail. Let’s first discuss the Early Voting in Person.

A Main Early Voting Polling Place is established for every election. This Early Voting Polling Place is opened beginning seventeen days prior to Election Day. It closes four days before Election Day.

The Early Voting Polling Place is open every weekday during regular business hours of  8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Every registered voter in the territory being served by the election may come in and vote during the early voting period. There can also be additional days and additional hours for early voting. Typically these are Saturday and/or Sunday voting as well as voting beginning earlier in the day and lasting later in the evening.  

Many people are also eligible for voting by mail but you must meet one of the qualifications to receive your ballot in the mail. An application for a ballot by mail is required and on the application you must indicate your reason for requesting a mail ballot. The most common reason for a ballot by mail is that you are currently outside the county and will not be able to return either during early voting in person or by Election Day. Another reason to request a ballot by mail is that you are 65 years of age or older. You can request a ballot by mail if you have a disability which prevents you from going to a polling place. You may also request a ballot by mail if you are confined in jail and not finally convicted of a felony offense.

Lastly there are several factors which can allow for voting on a day other than the uniform election days. These are elections on bond issues or elections on special issues as allowed by the governor.