Monday, Oct. 5, is the last day to register to vote.

New Secretary of State Robert Howden has rolled out an online portal that allows Texans to confirm their active voter registration, register to vote in the upcoming election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, or make changes to a voter registration certificate. 

Monday, Oct. 5, is the last day to register to vote in the November Election and early voting runs from Monday, Oct. 19 through Friday, Oct. 30.

Requests for a ballot by mail must be received by Friday, Oct. 23. The mail ballot must be received by Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, (Election Day) at 7:00 p.m. if the carrier envelope is not postmarked, OR Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, (the next business day after Election Day) at 5:00 p.m. if the carrier envelope is postmarked by 7:00 p.m. at the location of the election on Election Day (unless overseas or military voter deadlines apply).

 The link to the Secretary of State’s voter registration portal is: https://bit.ly/4gMFjUL.

The portal, with a first build date of Aug. 18, confirms voter registration by asking for First Name, Last Name, Suffix, Date of Birth, and either ZIP Code and county, Driver’s License number or Voter ID number.

If a site visitor is not registered, a link asks in English or Spanish if the person is a U.S. Citizen and whether they will be 18 years of age on or before Election Day.

Clicking “No” on the citizenship question triggers the response: “You must be a United States citizen to proceed with this form.”

A similar message informs those under 18 that they must be at least 18 years old in order to vote.

Answering “yes” to both questions opens a form that must be completed, printed, signed and sent by U.S. Mail to the Secretary of State’s office.

The form requests a Driver’s License number, Texas ID number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. There is a box to check if a person does not have any of those documents.

The information form includes a warning that giving false information to procure voter registration is perjury and a violation under state and federal law.

“Conviction of this crime may result in imprisonment up to one year in jail, a fine  up to $4,000, or both,” the form says. “Please read all three statements to affirm before signing: I am a resident of this county and a U.S. Citizen; I have not been finally convicted of a felony, or if a felon, I have completed all of my punishment, including any term of incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or I have been pardone [sic.]; and I have not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.”

Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Howden on July 17 to succeed Secretary Jane Nelson, who Abbott appointed in January 2023 following her three decades in the state Senate.

A University of Texas at Austin graduate, Howden had worked in Abbott’s office as director of legislative affairs. He previously worked with Govs. Bill Clements and Rick Perry.

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