If you are a voter with a disability:
You may vote by mail if you have a sickness or physical condition that prevents you from voting in person without needing personal assistance or injuring your health. Voters with disabilities may fill out an annual application to vote by mail.
You may apply with the county voter registrar for a permanent exemption for a photo ID.
Voters who are physically unable to enter the polling place may use curbside voting during early voting and on Election Day.
If you vote in person, the notice of voting order allows a voter with a disability and their helper to request to move ahead of other voters in line.
Persons who assist voters
- Persons who assist voters with a Vote by Mail application, Vote by Mail ballot, or in-person ballot must provide their relationship to the voter and address, and for the Vote by Mail ballot and in-person ballot, the person who assists must sign an oath and mark that they didn’t receive compensation.
- Persons who drive 7 or more voters who qualify for curbside voting must sign a form.
If you are physically unable to mark your ballot, or cannot read the ballot, you are eligible for assistance. You may choose anyone as an assistant except your employer or an officer of your union, or an agent of either. The assistant must take an oath of assistance administered by an election official. The assistant may read the ballot to you and mark your ballot. If you do not choose your own assistant, two election officials (of different political parties in the General Election) may assist you. Poll watchers and inspectors can observe the assistance by election officials.
An interpreter may be used if you and the election official cannot speak the same language. The interpreter must be a registered voter of the county, must take the oath of assistance and may interpret for any number of voters.
All Texas counties must provide one direct electronic voting machine (DRE) at each polling place for use by voters with visual disabilities, so they may cast their ballot without assistance. These machines are equipped with headphones and a keypad.
To find out more about how you may receive support while voting, click here.
For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.
If you are a person with a disability and have questions about your voting rights, call Disability Rights Texas’ Voting Hotline at 1-888-796-VOTE (8683)
