SAN ANTONIO – While some voters are still waiting for their voter registration certificate, the Bexar County Elections Department is stressing that it is not needed in order to vote in the upcoming primary.
Mid-decade redistricting and problems with the state’s new voter registration system have delayed the mailing of voter registration certificates, according to reporting by the Texas Tribune and Votebeat.
As voters prepare to head to the polls with early voting for the March 3 primaries set to begin Tuesday, Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew is spreading awareness that you can still vote without one.
Under state law, certificates should have been mailed by Dec. 6. However, the unusual mid-decade redistricting prevented the Secretary of State’s software from meeting that deadline.
“We’ve been in a holding pattern to get out our voter registration cards to the Bexar County voters,” Carew said. “We are working very closely with Secretary of State’s office to resolve the issue so that we can get these cards out to each one of our voters.”
Voters will be required to provide one form of identification to vote in this year’s primaries. However, the voter registration is not one of the seven acceptable forms, even if voters had them in time for election day.
The approved forms of identification are:
- Texas Driver License
- Texas Election ID Certificate
- Texas Personal ID Card
- Texas Handgun License
- U.S. Citizenship Certificate (with photo)
- U.S. Military ID Card
- U.S. Passport (book or card)
If voters do not have access to one of the seven acceptable forms of identification, they can fill out a Reasonable Impediment Declaration.
“That gives other options for them to bring other forms to be able to identify themselves in the polling location,” Carew said.
In order to vote using a Reasonable Impediment Declaration, voters must also provide one of the following:
- Certified Domestic Birth Certificate (or Court Admissable Birth Document)
- Current Utility Bill
- Bank Statement
- Government Check
- Paycheck
- Government document with name and address (must also have voter registration certificate)
Voting for the March 3 primary will take place during the following hours:
- Tuesday, Feb. 17-Friday, Feb. 20: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 21: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Feb. 22: Noon to 6 p.m.
- Monday, Feb. 23-Friday, Feb. 27: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 3: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
In Bexar County, voters may cast their ballot at any polling location. Voters in other counties should check with their elections administrator to see whether they must vote at the polling place assigned for their precinct.
What’s taking so long?
A spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office told Votebeat that it is still working with “several counties” to upload redistricting data.
However, it has not been able to do so for Harris and Tarrant counties, because it had special runoff elections using old data, which was not completed until Jan. 31.
“They had redistricting. They had a special election, and now they’re preparing for the primary,” Carew said, referring to the Secretary of State’s Office. “They won’t be able to do the mass mail-out of voter registration certificates until the entire redistricting is completed across the state.”
While the certificate is not needed to vote, elections officials say they help voters ensure their registration and can help identify their new congressional or legislative district, if that has changed.
The Bexar County Elections Department portal shows whether you are registered to vote, as well as provides sample ballots and shows what representatives serve your precinct.
For voters in other counties, you can check your voter registration and polling location at VoteTexas.gov.
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