Election Notes

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

Who Can Vote

Your first thought may be that everyone can vote. But this is not quite true. There are several qualifications which must be met before a person is allowed to vote.

The first requirement is to be a citizen of the United States . Anyone born on American soil is normally considered a citizen. Certainly if you were born in Texas you are a citizen and we’ll even consider you a citizen if you were born in one of the other states. Some people who have come to Texas and the United States from foreign countries can also become citizens. Once citizenship is granted a person can register and vote.

You must be at least 18 years old. It is one of those things in life which only come with time. Adulthood can be gauged by many factors but chronological age is the determinate for beginning your voting participation.

An important requirement is residency. People are very mobile and sometimes stay in a location for only a short time. To vote they must declare a residence within a county. Even though some people own property in many places, property ownership does not determine residency. Residency is stated by an individual who declares a specific location as their voting residence. Residency normally means the place where someone considers as their home.

The last requirement is registration. Once a residence in a county is established, a person may complete an application to register to vote. The voter registrar will process the application and determine your voting precinct. A voter registration card will be mailed to each registered voter.

You may register by requesting an application from the Elections Office. Call 576-0124 and we’ll mail you the application. Or come by and visit us at 111 N. Glass in Victoria .

There are a few exceptions which should be noted. If you move from your residence of registration to a place outside the county, you must re-register in your new county. If you have been convicted of a felony, your privilege to vote is suspended until you complete the terms of your sentence. You are not eligible to vote if you have been found to be mentally incompetent.