Where Do I Register To Vote In Harris County
Where and how to annals to vote in Texas
To be eligible vote in the Nov. five election, Houston residents must register to vote past Oct. seven. Voter registration forms are available online and at several public sector offices, including libraries and Texas Section of Prophylactic centers.
Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographerThe blood-red-white-and-bluish signs ad Houston City Council and mayoral runs are everywhere in Houston equally the Nov election date fast approaches. But when was the terminal time yous saw someone asking you lot to register to vote in Texas?
I remember mine. Later posting the beginning Houston How To column on setting up utilities, reader Robert Hallenbeck emailed me with a elementary reminder: "New residents also need to register to vote or update their voter registration address."
It'southward 2019, but the lack of a presidential campaign doesn't mean elections aren't of import. Multiple Firm and local races could decide legislative activity for the years to come. The biggest one is the election (or re-ballot) of Houston'southward mayor. But several other races are important here — the council and city controller races have dozens of candidates, and the eventual winners will determine how the city's coin is spent, when it'south distributed and which offices get audited in 2020 and beyond.
In that location's something to be said that Harris Canton has a high number of
Betwixt new voter ID laws and figuring out when y'all have to register to vote, information technology can be confusing to navigate the political system. Here's how to annals to vote in Texas.
Do I have to register to vote?
I can't force you to do annihilation. But here'southward what you're missing out on if you don't:
Electing Houston'due south mayor
Showing visible support for values and policy that would improve your life
Swaying Texas'due south electoral college vote in a presidential race
The answer, in short, is yes, you must register to vote if you want a say in governing the country, country, county or urban center.
Where do I annals to vote?
You can download a voter registration application at the Texas Secretary of State website and postal service it to the county voter registrar. Forms are too available in Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese. Information technology'due south on the prospective voter to mail service it in a stamped envelope to the registrar's office address, which will exist printed on the final application.
If yous don't have admission to a printer, voter registration applications may be available at post offices, libraries, Texas Health and Human being Services Commission offices or Texas Section of Public Safe offices. Yous take nothing ameliorate to do during your hour-long wait at DPS anyhow, right?
WHAT IS THIS?
I'm Gwendolyn Wu, and I'thousand writing "Houston How To," a serial on how to navigate the city and its complexities. Humans have an innate drive to improve themselves, and we're always striving to live better, smarter, more than efficiently by throwing countless dollars and hours at our problems. The Houston Chronicle wants to simplify that for you.
As a reporter, I usually inquire the questions, but I tin't exist the only ane wondering how something works. What are things you lot need to know how to do, Houston? You tin detect me on Twitter at @gwendolynawu, or by email at gwendolyn.wu@chron.com.
Just get nifty, because the voter registration deadline in Texas is 30 days ahead of an election. This twelvemonth, that means registering by Oct. vii.
How do I change my voter registration address?
The form new Texas voters utilise to register to vote has an option to change your accost. Same steps: fill it out, postage it, ship it in.
I can't notice my polling identify or go vote in person…
Well, here'southward some good news. During high-turnout elections in Harris County, residents can vote at any polling location, rather than the assigned precinct, thanks to approval from the Texas Secretary of State.
Texas allows election past post for merely certain classes of people: over-65 voters, disabled people, people living out of the county at the time and people in jail who are able to vote (more on this later).
Otherwise, yous must vote in person. Employees may accept paid time off to vote on Election Day, "unless the employee has at least two sequent hours to vote exterior of the voter'south working hours," according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
What nearly the voter ID laws?
Texas requests a photo ID with confirmation of where you live. The land asks for people to bring either a Texas driver license, handgun license, election ID document, DPS-issued personal ID carte, a U.Due south. passport, U.S. military machine card or U.S. citizenship certificate with photo.
I'll annotation hither for new Houston residents: the ID address does not accept to friction match the voter registration accost, per the VoteTexas.gov website. This is cardinal for a lot of college students and transplants who either haven't obtained their driver license, have moved to Houston from a different role of the state or are using a U.S. passport originally registered elsewhere.
If yous can't bring an active photo ID with your accost, you may bring supporting ID such every bit a birth document, paycheck or utility bill, and fill out what'due south known equally a "reasonable impediment declaration," according to the country voting guide.
Critics have chosen previous iterations of the country'due south voter ID law a hurdle for eligible voters who may not exist able to beget IDs. The law was passed in a bid to protect elections from voter fraud in 2017, but previous iterations eventually struck downward by judges delayed hundreds of people at the polls in 2016.
Some groups such as Houston Justice and Spread the Vote are registering voters without ID through grassroots efforts, helping people obtain necessary documents for voting past paying for photo IDs and locating certified birth certificates.
"We're pushing people to register because Texas is notorious for depression voter turnout," said Houston Justice's Tina Kingshill, who heads an effort to annals voters behind bars chosen Project Orange.
The voter turnout rate in 2018 was a dismal 52 pct of registered voters in Harris County, co-ordinate to the Texas Secretary of Country'southward Office.
I can't annals to vote because…
Not to exist presumptive, just in that location are some situations where a person has the right to vote regardless of the rumors effectually who can and who can't. Two of the biggest misconceptions are that people who have criminal records and people who don't have permanent addresses tin't vote.
In the U.South., incarcerated people who accept not been finally bedevilled of a law-breaking — such every bit people held in jail who tin can't pay bond — are eligible to make full out a voter registration menu. That could mean thousands of Harris County voters, given that in 2016, 63 percentage of the Harris County Jail was filled with people awaiting trial, according to the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
And voting rights as well extend to people who accept been convicted of a felony if they're finished up their jail or prison house judgement, parole and probation.
People who are homeless tin can use a shelter accost, if it has mail services, or a P.O. box for a voter registration certificate. Shelter addresses tin also be used for post-in ballots.
gwendolyn.wu@chron.com
Where Do I Register To Vote In Harris County,
Source: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/houston-how-to/article/Where-and-how-to-register-to-vote-in-Texas-14435301.php
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