Texas has purged 1 million ineligible voters. How to find if you were one of them
Governor Greg Abbott recently announced the removal of about 1.1 million ineligible voters since 2021.
These voters are “people who moved out-of-state, are deceased, and are non-citizens,” according to a press release. Though this purge has taken place for almost three years, it is still an ongoing process.
With the Presidential election approximately two months away, you should double-check that you were not accidentally removed.
How to know if you are eligible to vote
Those eligible to vote must be applicants must be:
U.S. citizen.
A resident of the county they are applying to.
18 years of age by election day (you may apply for registration at age 17 years, 10 months).
Not a convicted felon (unless a person’s sentence is completed -- including any probation or parole).
Not declared mentally incompetent by a court of law.
Residents must complete a voter registration form at least 30 days before the election date. This year’s general election is on Nov. 5, so you need to register before Oct. 7 in Tarrant County.
To avoid any problems, follow these steps to make sure you are registered.
How to know if you’re registered to vote
To check if you are registered, all you have to do is visit texas.gov.
From there, go to “Texas Voter Registration” and then “Check if you’re registered.” You can choose to check by your voter ID number, Texas driver’s license number, or address.
And then, you can see your voter registration status. You can also see what address you are registered under and your voter ID number. If you need to change your address or track your ballot by mail, you can also do so at the Texas Secretary of State website through its “MY VOTER PORTAL.”
How to register to vote
If you realize you are not registered to vote, there is still time.
To do so, you will need to print and fill out the voter registration form, then either mail it to the Tarrant County Election Department or drop it off in person.
On Tarrant County’s website, you will find under elections a register to vote option. It has links to the voter registration application in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
After filling out the form, you need to turn it in before Oct. 7. To mail the form, title the envelope with Voter Registration and the address under Tarrant County Elections, 2700 Premier St., Fort Worth, TX 76111-3011.
To drop off the form in person, visit 2700 Premier St. The offices are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.