As mid-term elections approach, the voter registration period for eligibility in the Nov. 8 election closes on Oct. 11, with early voting running from Oct. 24 to Nov. 4. The election will determine the political offices of state governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, land commissioner and agriculture commissioner in Texas.

UT Austin student government and on-campus organizations such as Mobilize. Organize. Vote. Empower. Texas are currently tabling on campus to help maximize voter registration and help students who need to change their voting addresses. MOVE field canvasser Andrew Brandt said students can also access voter registration forms through local Austin libraries and register to be a volunteer deputy registrar.

“If someone’s interested, they can get in touch with us at movetexas.org and we can find a way to get them registered,” Brandt said.

According to the Texas Secretary of State website, eligible voters can register with a valid Texas driver’s license, state ID number or the last 4-digits of their social security number. When heading to the polls, voters must provide an approved form of voter ID to cast their ballot, such as a driver’s license or passport.

“Regardless of how you vote, whether it’s in person or by mail, you have to identify yourself when you vote in Texas,” said John Scott, Texas Secretary of State, in a Sept. 20 press release.

Voters can cast their ballot for governor, lieutenant governor, state and federal representatives, as well as other state-level positions in the November election. Locally, voters will decide on the mayoral position, and based on their area of residency, several city council district elections will be on the ballot as well.

While mail-in ballot voting is an option, only individuals who are 65 and over, sick ordisabled, absent from their county of residency or expected to give birth within three weeks before or after the election may vote by mail. For those who meet these requirements, an application must be completed and delivered to their county clerk by Oct. 28 to receive a mail-in ballot form.
Brandt said voters can use vote411.org to research candidates from a more direct, non-partisan point-of-view.

“Typing in your current address, it’ll populate an entire form,” Brandt said. “They send out questions to candidates, and candidates self-respond. You get to see exactly what (the candidate) responded. There’s no spin on it.”

In the most recent 2018 midterm elections, about 53% of registered voters cast their ballots in Texas, according to data from the Texas Secretary of State’s office. Brian Peña, treasurer of the University Democrats, said he encourages everyone eligible to make their way out to the polls this year to increase turnout.

“We are (registering) over 150 (students) every single day,” Peña said. “And this is not just us, it’s not just UT. It’s dozens of (organizations) that go to your grocery stores or farmers markets, they’re going to movie theaters, everywhere they can to register voters. This is the time we have to make it happen. But in the end, students need to come out and they need to actually vote.”