Between primaries, runoffs, local propositions and midterms, dozens of local, state and federal elections go before Tarrant County voters this year.
Want to cast ballots in any of them? You must be registered to vote.
The deadline to register to vote in time for the March 3 partisan primaries is Feb. 2. Early voting runs Feb. 20-27.
Texans can check their registration status here. If you need to register, visit votetexas.gov.
Election officials recommend registering as soon as possible.
The Texas Secretary of State’s office, which is responsible for elections, saw a monthslong backlog of applications in 2025 following an update to its registration system.
Texas redistricting efforts delayed new registration cards
Meanwhile, the Secretary of State’s office has not been able to send out new voter registration cards to residents who saw theirs expire in 2025, the office confirmed in a Facebook post on Jan. 17.
Legal challenges to Texas’ congressional redistricting last summer delayed some Tarrant County-area cards and others as some voters’ district boundaries were in limbo.
Congressional redistricting is typically done at the beginning of each decade after the U.S. census. Gov. Greg Abbott called for the mid-cycle changes after pushes from President Donald Trump, who asked Abbott to create five more Republican-leaning districts.
Registration cards themselves are not required to cast ballots as voters may use other approved forms of ID, including driver licenses and handgun licenses.
Election dates to know
Jan. 31 – Texas Senate District 9 runoff: The winner of this special election fills a Texas Senate seat representing most of Tarrant County.
March 3 – Texas primaries: Republican and Democratic nominees face off for local, state and federal offices. The winner of these partisan races primaries will be on the Nov. 3 ballot.
- Feb. 2 – Deadline to register to vote for this election
- Feb. 20 – State must receive applications for mail-in ballots
- Feb. 17-27 – Early voting
- March 3 – Election Day
May 26 – primary runoffs: Any primary race where no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote will head to a runoff.
- April 27 – Deadline to register to vote
- May 15 – State must receive applications for mail-in ballots
- May 18-22 – Early voting
- May 26 – Election Day
May 2 – local elections: Residents will elect officials to city councils and school boards as well as decide on measures such as bond proposals.
- April 2 – Deadline to register to vote
- April 20 – State must receive applications for mail-in ballots
- April 20-28 – Early voting
- May 2 – Election Day
June 13 – expected local election runoffs: In general, one will be necessary if no candidate in a local race receives more than 50% of the vote.
- May 14 – Deadline to register to vote
- June 2 – State must receive applications for mail-in ballots
- Dates to be determined – Early voting
- June 13 – Expected Election Day
Nov. 3 – midterm elections: GOP and Democratic nominees face off for local, state and federal offices. For local voters, these include some for the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, Texas House seats, congressional races and the U.S. Senate.
- Oct. 5 – Deadline to register to vote
- Oct. 23 – State must receive applications for mail-in ballots
- Oct. 19-30 – Early voting
- Nov. 3 – Election Day
Find who represents you at the Texas Secretary of State’s website, as well as a sample ballot here.
What to bring to the voting center
To cast a ballot, voters must present one of seven valid photo IDs:
- Driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
- Election identification certificate issued by DPS.
- Personal identification card issued by DPS.
- Texas handgun license.
- U.S. military identification card containing the person’s photograph.
- U.S. citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph.
- U.S. passport (book or card).
If a voter doesn’t have an acceptable photo ID, they must fill out a reasonable impediment declaration form and present a copy of or original of one of the following:
- Government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate.
- Current utility bill.
- Bank statement.
- Government check.
- Paycheck.
- Certified U.S. birth certificate or a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity, which may include a foreign birth document.
What to do if registration is questioned
Anyone who shows up to vote without an acceptable form of ID or who saw their voter application delayed, can cast a provisional ballot. Such ballots allow people to cast votes when their registration is in question. Those ballots are subject to heavy scrutiny before being tabulated for official results.
Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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