As the 2020 Presidential Election quickly approaches, national voter turnout is projected to be the highest of this century.
Texas voter registration for 2020’s general elections closes Monday, Oct. 5. Registration can only be completed via mail or in-person, as Texas is one of nine states that does not allow online registration, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Texas has an informal online application, though it must be printed and mailed to a local voter registrar’s office in order to be officially processed, according to the Texas Secretary of State.
Texas is seeing far fewer registrations confirmed for newly eligible voters, which is most likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an article in the Texas Tribune.
“The coronavirus has brought widespread concern about how people can vote safely in Texas this November, especially as the state’s elected leaders have resisted the idea of broadening who is eligible to vote by mail,” the article reads. “But the state is already seeing one major effect of the pandemic on voting: It’s much harder to register voters.”
According to the Texas Secretary of State’s website, mail-in ballots can only be requested for voters who are “65 years or older, sick or disabled, out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance or confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.”
Voters can check their registration status online by entering a combination of either date of birth, name, county, driver’s license number or voter registration identification number. Texas voter registration eligibility requirements can be found on the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
Oct. 23 is the last day for eligible voters to request a mail-in ballot, and early voting will begin on Oct. 13 in Texas.