Here are the dates Lake Houston area voters need for the November election. Early voting in Harris County runs from Monday, October 19 through Friday, October 30. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail is Friday, October 23. The deadline to register to vote has already passed, it was October 5.
The Dates
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Voter registration deadline | October 5, already passed |
| Early voting | October 19 through October 30 |
| Mail ballot application deadline | October 23 |
| Election Day | November 3 |
If You Are Not Sure Your Registration Is Current
Check it before you go rather than at the polling place. Harris County runs a voter lookup at harrisvotes.com and in the Harris Votes app, and the state runs one at votetexas.com.
The Houston Press reported on the mechanics after speaking with Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, whose office runs elections, and with Tax Assessor-Collector Annette Ramirez, who serves as voter registrar and maintains the rolls. According to that reporting, voters whose records are on the county’s suspense list can still vote, in person on a regular ballot or by mail with a Statement of Residence form, and a voter whose status shows as pending should still turn up to vote. Officials also said a provisional ballot cast by someone who is not on the active list will not be counted, and that a person in that position can register on site for the next election. A mail ballot application from someone who is not registered is rejected unless officials can verify that the registration was submitted before the deadline and takes effect by Election Day.
Harris County said earlier this month that it had worked through a backlog of voter registration records, which this paper covered in its report that all 75,000 backlogged records were processed by October 3.
One Practical Note for the Booth
The ballot is long. County officials put the average at roughly 100 contests. Voters may bring a written or printed sample ballot into the voting booth to work from, but not a cell phone.
