Texas votes: Here’s what to know on Election Day in Fort Worth, Tarrant County
Voters on Tuesday will pick which candidates they want to see on the November ballot for top state and county leadership roles, joining more than 100,000 others who have already cast their ballots in the Democratic and Republican primaries.
Election Day is Tuesday, with vote centers in Tarrant County opening at 7 a.m. and closing at 7 p.m.
On the ticket are races for county judge and Tarrant County district attorney. In both, longtime incumbents are not seeking reelection.
Voters will also pick between candidates running for statewide offices, including Texas governor where Gov. Greg Abbott has drawn multiple primary opponents and Democrat Beto O’Rourke is seeking to win over voters. He has several primary opponents.
Embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton, facing legal troubles, is up for reelection as a slate of Democrats and Republicans vie to be Texas’ lead prosecutor. Also on the ballot are several state House and Senate races and congressional seats.
“I think there’s just a general interest in all the, I guess you can call it, high profile races open in Tarrant County,” said Tarrant County Election Administrator Heider Garcia.
Tarrant County election records show that more than 102,900 people cast ballots in person during early voting, which ended Friday. Of those, 35,340 voted in the Democratic Primary and 67,570 voted in the Republican Primary. An additional 4,614 Democratic voters and 3,425 Republican voters returned mail-in ballots through Saturday, election records show. Overall, about 9% of registered Tarrant County voters had cast ballots through Saturday.
During the 2018 general election, the last gubernatorial election year, the election as a whole saw 75,385 Democratic Primary voters and 109,540 Republican Primary voters, a cumulative turnout of nearly 17% of registered voters.
Statewide, more than 1.6 million Texans have voted, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office.
What to bring to the polls
Texans should have a form of photo identification on hand when they head to the polls. Accepted forms of ID are:
- A Texas driver license
- A Texas election identification certificate
- A Texas personal identification card
- A handgun license A U.S. military ID card that includes your photo
- A U.S. citizen certificate with your photo on it
- A U.S. passport
Those without any of the seven identification documents can also submit a Reasonable Impediment Declaration with a supporting form of ID. This includes:
- A government document that includes the voter’s name and address (This includes a voter registration certificate.)
- A current utility bill
- A bank statement
- A government check
- A paycheck
- A birth certificate
Voting by mail
The deadline to request an application to vote by mail has already passed. Those using the voting method will want to get their ballots postmarked as soon as possible and may consider delivering their ballots in person to the Tarrant County Elections Office. Garcia recommended hand delivering ballots if they weren’t sent by Monday.
There are exceptions for military and overseas voters, but generally the deadline to return a mail-in ballot is 7 p.m. on Election Day if the carrier envelope isn’t postmarked or by 5 p.m. on Thursday (the next business day after Election Day with the Texas Independence Day holiday) if the envelope is postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Mail-in ballots can be tracked online through the Texas Secretary of State’s office at https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/BallotTrackerApp/#/login.
Garcia reminded voters to include both their driver license number and the last four digits of their social security number underneath the flap of the carrier envelope.
Polling locations in Tarrant County
Tarrant County voters can cast ballots in person at any Vote Center center on Election Day. A full list of polling places is available on the Tarrant County election office website at https://www.tarrantcounty.com/en/elections/Upcoming-Election-Information/Election-Results.html.
Polls close at 7 p.m. Voters who are in line but haven’t cast their ballots at that time should stay in line.
Curbside voting is also an option for those physically unable to go inside a polling place.
“One caution I give everyone is curbside is not meant to be efficient, it’s just meant to help someone who has a need,” Garcia said, noting that the process, including bringing out equipment, can take some time.
Need a sample ballot?
Personalized sample ballots are available for voters in Tarrant County using the election office’s voter lookup tool: https://gisit.tarrantcounty.com/TCVL/.
Garcia encouraged voters to review their ballots. This election is the first under newly drawn state legislative, congressional and State Board of Education districts.
“For some people, district lines have changed,” he said, meaning some voters may be in districts that they’re unfamiliar with. “So it’s important for them to download the sample ballot and make sure they know what they’re voting on.”
Election contacts
Tarrant County Election Office
- Website: tarrantcounty.com/en/elections.html
- Phone: 817-831-8683
Texas Secretary of State
- Website: sos.state.tx.us or VoteTexas.gov
- Phone: 800-252-8683
- Email: elections@sos.texas.gov
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 5:09 PM.
