Texas

Your rights at the polls guide

Your Rights Under Federal Law

  • All voters have the right not to be discriminated against on the basis of race, national origin, or disability.
  • All voters have the right to vote free of intimidation.
  • All voters who need assistance by reason of disability or inability to read and write in English may choose someone to assist them to vote, as long as the person is not an agent/representative of the voter’s employer or union.

Your Rights When You
Check-In To Vote

  • If your voter registration is challenged by either your county registrar or a registered voter in the county, you have the right to cast a regular ballot if there has not been both a hearing and a final ruling on a challenge to your registration.
Your Rights If You Were Challenged Before You Go to the Polls
  • Other than the registrar, ONLY a registered voter in your county can file a challenge against you.
  • The challenger MUST sign a sworn statement based on their personal knowledge.
  • The statement MUST identify the challenged voter and the specific voter registration requirement that the voter allegedly does not meet.

Challengers CANNOT single out groups of people for challenges, such as only challenging residence of students.

Challenges CANNOT be based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity or national origin, or any other characteristics not relevant to voter qualifications.

If challenged by a registrar, you have the right to:
  • A limited window only (and not longer) for a registrar to challenge your registration application. Once an application has been submitted, a registrar has 7 days to determine its validity and 2 additional days to file a challenge.
  • Written notice if the challenge is not made in person, identifying the date, grounds, and explanation of your rights to a hearing.
  • Request a hearing using a signed, written request delivered to the registrar no later than 10 days after the challenge date, or immediately (orally) if you are challenged in person.
  • Receive a timely-requested hearing within 10 days of the request (or later if you wish) and appear personally and present evidence, or if you do not wish to attend, to submit an affidavit to the registrar before the hearing starts.
  • The registrar must give you notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing no later than 2 days after you file your written request.
  • If you were challenged in person and orally requested a hearing, the registrar can hold the hearing right away.
If challenged by a registered voter, you have the right to:
  • Vote even if you don’t respond to the challenge, if the challenge was made in the last 4 years and alleges you do not live at the residential address listed on your registration.
  • You should still follow the instructions for responding to the address confirmation.
  • A hearing no later than 20 days after the challenge is filed, if the challenge is based on grounds other than your residence. You may attend the hearing and present evidence in support of your qualifications; if you do not wish to personally attend, you may submit an affidavit before the hearing.
  • The registrar must send you a notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing, and a copy of the sworn statement challenging your registration, no later than 15 days before the hearing.
After a challenge you have the right to:
  • A prompt decision in writing.
  • An appeal to your jurisdiction’s district court.

Q&A: Your rights inside the polling place

01. What can poll workers ask me?
  • They will ask you to present one of seven forms of acceptable photo ID. The address on your ID does not need to match the one on file for you. If you do not have one of these types of ID, and meet one of seven acceptable reasons provided under Texas law for not having one, you may sign a “reasonable impediment” sworn statement. A poll worker may not question the reasonableness of your reason for not having an acceptable ID, if it is one of these seven.
  • They will ask if the residential address on your voter registration is up to date.
02. Who can I speak to if I am having any issues or problems with a poll worker?
Talk to the presiding judge. If that does not resolve the issue, call Election Protection.
03. I notice some poll watchers are taking photographs inside the polling place. Is that allowed?
No, poll watchers may not take photographs or videos of voters. This is an example of voter intimidation.
04. Who gets to decide who is inside the polling place?
Presiding judges determine who is allowed inside.
05. Who can I talk to if someone is trying to get in the way of me completing my ballot?
You should speak with a poll worker.
06. What are my rights if I need help voting?
Voters are entitled to assistance. If you have a disability that requires assistance to vote, or cannot read or write in English, you may receive assistance from a person of your choice, except your employer or an officer or agent of your union. You may also receive assistance from two poll workers on Election Day, or one poll worker when voting early in person.

Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Texas legal professional. Updated August 2024. Contact Fair Elections Center at
info@fairelection.codpixels.com

If you have questions or are experiencing problems voting, call the Election Protection Hotline and speak with a volunteer to get help.
  • Call in English: 866-OUR-VOTE
  • CALL in Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA
  • Call in Asian Languages: 888-API-VOTE
  • CALL in Arabic: 844-YALLA-US

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