Tuesday is Election Day. Here's what you need to know for voting

Nusaiba Mizan, Austin American-Statesman
·4 min read

Election Day is just hours away and the Texas ballot is packed with important races and big-ticket propositions. Voters will have the opportunity to vote in key races, including contests for Texas governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

In Austin, voters will also elect a new mayor, choose candidates for five City Council seats, four Austin school board seats and consider three bond proposals, including a $2.44 billion bond package for Austin schools, the largest in district history.

Here's a last-minute guide to help you navigate any questions you may have before hitting the polls on Tuesday:

You need an acceptable form of photo identification to vote. It can be:

  • Texas driver's license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety

  • Texas election identification certificate issued by the DPS

  • Texas personal identification card issued by the DPS

  • Texas handgun license issued by the DPS

  • U.S. military identification card containing your photograph

  • U.S. citizenship certificate containing your photograph

  • U.S. passport book or card

More information regarding voter ID requirements is available on the Secretary of State's website.

2022 Midterm election polling locations are listed online on county website

All of the counties listed below have countywide polling.

You can also find your polling location on the Secretary of State's "My Voter Portal."

I didn't register to vote. Can I still cast a ballot?

The deadline to register was in early October, so you cannot vote in the 2022 midterm election. Texas does not offer same-day Election Day registration.

What's open and closed on Election Day 2022?

Election Day is not a federal holiday, so banks and the stock market are open. Mail will still be delivered.

Austin ISD schools will be closed over security concerns. Leander ISD will be closed for staff development.

At the polling place, people are not allowed to use cell phones within 100 feet of the voting stations.

People also cannot use devices to record sound or images within 100 feet of voting stations.

That means cell phones, cameras, tablets, laptops, and sound recorders cannot be used in the polling place.

You cannot wear apparel related to a candidate, measure, or political party appearing on the ballot.

What's on the ballot?

Everything from statewide to local positions, as well as local bond packages. In Austin, voters will choose a new mayor, five City Council seats, and decide on the largest bond package in Austin Independent School District history.

Governor

  • Greg Abbott (R)

  • Beto O'Rourke (D)

  • Mark Tippetts (L)

  • Delilah Barrios (G)

Lieutenant governor

  • Dan Patrick (R)

  • Mike Collier (D)

  • Shanna Steele (L)

Attorney general

More:Texas AG Ken Paxton's legal troubles are a campaign issue. What's behind them?

Comptroller of public accounts

  • Glenn Hegar (R)

  • Janet T. Dudding (D)

  • V. Alonzo Echevarria-Garza (L)

Commissioner of the General Land Office

  • Dawn Buckingham (R)

  • Jay Kleberg (D)

  • Alfred Molison, Jr. (G)

Commissioner of agriculture

  • Sid Miller (R)

  • Susan Hays (D)

Railroad commissioner

  • Wayne Christian (R)

  • Luke Warford (D)

  • Jaime Andres Diez (L)

  • Hunter Wayne Crow (G)

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3

  • Debra Lehrmann (R)

  • Erin A. Nowell (D)

  • Thomas Edward Oxford (L)

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 5

  • Rebeca Huddle (R)

  • Amanda Reichek (D)

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 9

  • Evan Young (R)

  • Julia Maldonado (D)

Judge Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5

  • Scott Walker (R)

  • Dana Huffman (D)

Judge Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6

  • Jesse F. McClure, III (R)

  • Robert Johnson (D)

You can see your county candidates, local candidates, and bonds in our ultimate election guide to 2022 Austin-area races. U.S. Representative and Texas legislature seats are also up for election.

Election endorsements:Statesman Editorial Board endorsements in the November 2022 election

When will results be out?

Results are reported gradually as precincts within the state's 254 counties report. Unofficial results on Election Night will be posted on our election results page and the Secretary of State's website.

Mail-in ballots postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day must be received by 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Common Cause Texas, a voter advocacy group, noted in a press release counting ballots begins once polls open on Election Day.

Texas is one of 38 states that permit election workers to begin processing ballots before Election Day, but it is also one of 23 states that forbid election workers from counting ballots before Election Day, Common Cause noted utilizing information compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Skye Seipp of the American-Statesman contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Tuesday is Election Day. Here's a last-minute voter guide