Election season is here, and that means every voter must make a voting plan. While millions of Texans will cast their ballot in person, for many the best plan will be to vote by mail.  

When I was in college, I was a mail-in voter. I went to Sam Houston State University for my first two years of college (I later transferred to the University of Houston, where I graduated in 2008), and because it was a 90-minute to two-hour drive, depending on traffic, to my family home in Pasadena, I decided early on that I would vote by mail. My first election was 2004, and voting in the presidential election was exciting to me. Now 20 years later, my daughter will cast her first presidential election vote this year while in college at Texas A&M University. She does plan to come home to vote. 

Eligibility 

Eligibility for mail-in voting in Texas is limited to voters who are: 

• 65 years or older 
• Sick or disabled 
• Pregnant and due within three weeks of election day 
• Out of the county during the period for early voting and on Election Day (this includes college students who live away from home) 
• In jail, but otherwise eligible 
• Civilly committed 

Obtaining a mail-in voting application 

You can obtain a mail-in voting application by downloading the form online or by visiting the county elections clerk. You must include on your application either your driver’s license number, personal ID number, election ID certificate number (located on your voter registration card), or, if you do not have any of these, the last four digits of your Social Security number. The deadline for receipt (not postmark) of a mail-in ballot application by your county voting clerk is Friday, Oct. 25, so it’s crucial that if you plan to vote by mail, you obtain and turn in the application to do so today. You can submit the application in person, by mail, by common or contract carrier (FedEx, UPS), email (must be a signed, scanned attachment sent to the early voting clerk), or fax. If you email or fax, you must also mail a copy to your county voting clerk within four days of the receipt of the email or fax.  

Completing and mailing your ballot 

Once you receive your mail-in ballot, make your choices in each race and mark your choices according to the instructions on the ballot envelope. Then, place your completed ballot in the envelope marked “ballot envelope” and seal the envelope. Next, place the ballot envelope in the carrier envelope. Before sealing the carrier envelope, include in the space provided under the privacy flap one of the following: 

• The number on your driver’s license, voter registration card, or state-issued ID; 
• The last four digits of your Social Security number; or 
• A statement that you do not have any of these numbers.  

Finally, seal the carrier envelope, sign it, and either deliver to the voting clerk in person by 7 p.m. on Election Day or by mail, making sure it is postmarked by 5 p.m. on the day after Election Day.  

For overseas mail-in ballots and military mail-in ballots, the ballot must be received no later than the fifth day after Election Day and must have a postmark showing it was mailed by 7 p.m. on Election Day.  

You can track your mail-in ballot through the Texas Secretary of State’s office’s My Voter Portal. To track your ballot, you will need the following information: 

• Full name 
• Date of birth 
• Last four digits of Social Security number 
• Driver’s license number or state-issued ID number 
• Address, including city and ZIP code