How to register to vote

Rachel Crawford, Managing Editor

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the two front-runners for the 2016 presidential election.

Even if it seems unlikely that your choice could affect the election, it won’t make a difference if you don’t vote. And if you’re not registered to vote in time, then you can’t vote at all.

According to the National Census, only 38.2 percent of 18-24 year olds in Texas were registered to vote in the 2012 presidential elections. Only 971 young adults were registered to vote, and only 572 actually voted. Given these numbers, it’s true what older generations say; younger people don’t vote. It may be because of time, work or even not knowing how to vote.

Below are instructions on how to register to vote, according to VoteTexas.gov.

To be eligible to vote, you must:

  • Be a United States citizen
  • Be a resident of the county where you submit the application
  • Be at least 18 years old on Election Day
  • Not be a convicted felon
  • Not have been declared by court to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated

 

An application can be picked up at your county’s Voter Registration office and you can register in person, or an application can be picked up at libraries, government offices or high schools to register by mail.

Applications are also available online, but they must be printed, filled out and mailed to your County Voter Registration office.

After applying, a voter registration card will be mailed to you within 30 days. If any information is incorrect, the card needs to be taken to the Voter Registrar immediately to be fixed.

Each card has a precinct number on the top, which indicates what part of the county you are to vote in. When you get to the polls, you must have an acceptable form on photo ID.

Acceptable forms of photo IDs (from Votetexas.gov):

  • Texas Driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
  • Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by the DPS
  • Texas personal identification card issued by the DPS
  • Texas license to carry a handgun issued by the DPS
  • United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph
  • United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
  • United States passport

A list of secondary forms of ID that can be presented if none from the list above are available can be found on www.votetexas.gov.

If you lose your voter registration card, notify your county Voter Registrar in writing to receive a new one.

If any information has changed, contact your Voter Registrar to correct the information.

To vote in the upcoming presidential election, the deadline to register to Oct. 11, 2016.

For more information, visit www.votetexas.gov.