Everything you need to know as early voting begins in Texas

TEXAS, USA — Early voting for the Nov. 5 election to pick the next president of the U.S. begins on Monday in Texas.

Early voting in the general election begins Oct. 21 and runs until Nov. 1. There are several key races on the ballot in Central Texas. Voters will decide a hotly-contested U.S. Senate race between incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Colin Allred.

Here’s everything you need to know about early voting and mail-in ballots this election season.

Polling locations across Central Texas

Below are links to county election offices, where they are keeping lists and maps of voting locations for both early and day-of voting.

• Bell County
• Bosque County
• Brazos County
• Burleson County
• Coryell County
• Falls County
• Grimes County
• Hill County
• Lampasas County
• Limestone County
• Madison County (under 'General Election' tab)
• McLennan County
• Milam County
• Robertson County

Deadline to send in your application to vote by mail

The deadline to send in your application to vote by mail in the Nov. 5 election is Oct. 25.

Deadline to send in your mail-in ballot

Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. if the carrier envelope is not postmarked or Nov. 6 if the carrier envelope is postmarked by 7 p.m. at the election location on election day (unless overseas or military voter deadlines apply).

Who’s eligible to vote by mail?

In Texas you’re eligible to vote by mail if:

• 65 years or older on Election Day
• Sick or disabled
• Expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day
• Absent from the county of registration during the early voting period and on election day
• Civilly committed under Chapter 841 of the Texas Health and Safety Code
• Confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.

How to apply for a ballot by mail

You can get a formal application for a ballot by mail by:

• Downloading an application for a ballot by mail from the Texas Secretary of State’s website
• visiting the Texas Secretary of State’s office
• The early voting clerk in your county.

To vote by mail, you must provide one of the following numbers on your application:

• Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal Identification Number or Election Identification Certificate Number issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (NOT your voter registration VUID number)
• If you have not been issued one of the numbers above, the last four digits of your Social Security Number

Voters can send applications to vote by mail to the early voting clerk by:

• In-person delivery
• Regular mail
• Common or contract carrier or
• Fax
• Email

Stay with KCEN 6 News and kcentv.com for complete election coverage. Download the KCEN 6 News mobile app for updates sent to your phone or watch on your own time by downloading our streaming app KCEN 6+.

More on KCENTV:

Read more on KCENTV.COM: