Get Ready for Election Day with the Texas Voter Bill of Rights

We hope every North Texan will make a plan to vote in the Nov. 8 General Election (or during early voting, which begins Oct. 24). Casting your ballot for races and issues is an important part of our role as Americans, and it has a direct impact on public policies in our community.

As a voter, it’s helpful to understand your rights so that you feel comfortable and confident in voting this year.

The Texas Voter Bill of Rights

If you are a registered voter in Texas, you have the right to:

1. Vote free from anyone trying to harass or intimidate you into not voting or voting a certain way outside or inside the polling location.
2. Vote free from anyone challenging or preventing you from voting who is not an election official behind a desk at the polling location.
3. Vote if you are in line when the polls close.
4. Use curbside voting and vote from a vehicle if you are a disabled person.
5. Vote even if your name is not on the list (using a provisional ballot or, if you have your voter registration card, using a regular ballot). It will be counted if election officials later verify you are eligible to vote.
6. Vote without a photo ID so long as you have other permitted forms of ID and fill out a form stating why you could not get a photo ID. (Examples are voter registration card, utility bill, check and other alternatives described at votetexas.gov). You are entitled to an explanation of any challenge to your ID.
7. Vote using a regular ballot if the address on the list is correct, even if it does not match your ID.
8. Vote using a regular ballot if the name on your ID does not exactly match your name on the list. (However, you will need to complete a form at the polling location.)
9. Get election materials in Spanish or English (or in Vietnamese in Dallas County).
10. Vote in-person if you applied to vote by mail but changed your mind. Bring your mail-in ballot to a polling site.
11. Receive assistance to complete your ballot. You may choose who helps you, but it cannot be your employer or union representative.
12. Cast a ballot privately without anyone looking over your shoulder, photographing or filming you, or listening to your conversation if someone is assisting you.
13. Take written materials into the voting booth that will help you with voting. This could be a sample ballot, a voter guide or this Voter Bill of Rights.

Report any violation of these rights to the election judge and call the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.

Learn More

Looking for more information about this year’s election? View our election guide, which includes early voting dates, details about vote by mail, links to find your polling place and more.

For more information about voting, visit votetexas.gov.

Advocate With United Way

Election Day is only the beginning of a very busy time in Texas politics. The Texas Legislature begins its 88^thsession on Jan. 10, kicking off an extremely important 140-day stretch, during which United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the Live United movement will advocate by contacting our elected representatives.

Remember, lasting change only happens when we work together. Sign up for our Advocacy Alerts, and join us as we speak up and speak out about how education, income and health policies impact our community and advocate to expand opportunities and drive systemic change.

Here are our key legislative priorities for this session:

Education

• Strengthen affordable high-quality early education
• Close student achievement gaps and create pathways for students to college or a career
• Achieve digital equity and inclusion for all

Income

• Ensure access to safe, quality, affordable housing stability for all
• Enhance innovative solutions for moving workers into good jobs and ensuring employers have a pipeline of skilled, ready-to-work employees
• Expand access to financial products that will allow Texans to build and grow savings and assets

Health

• Expand prevention efforts and early intervention services seeking to divert families from the child welfare, juvenile justice and criminal justice systems
• Improve comprehensive health by expanding access to affordable and quality physical, mental and behavioral healthcare programs and services
• Enhance non-medical drivers of health, including transportation and food

These issues directly impact our way of life in North Texas. We hope you’ll join us as we speak out on these and other important topics.

Advocacy Resources

New to advocacy or interested in learning more about key policy concerns? Get ready for the legislative session with these helpful resources:

• Our blog on how and why we advocate
• Recaps from our legislative session pre-briefings, which are separated by focus area: education policy, income policy and health policy