Katy-area voters go to the polls Nov. 8 to make their choices for statewide offices such as governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, among other offices. Voters will also select officeholders and decide local issues, depending on their residency.

Registering to vote

The deadline for registering to vote in the Nov. 8 election was Oct. 11.

To confirm that you are registered to vote, visit the Texas Secretary of State’s voter portal website at teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do. The website has a dropdown menu that asks you to provide one of these items:

• Texas Driver’s License and date of birth.
• Texas Personal Identification Number and date of birth.
• Election Identification Number (VUID) issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety and date of birth.

With that information, the database can look up your registration and confirm that you are registered to vote.

Voting by mail: Who’s eligible

According to the Texas Secretary of State’s office, you must meet one or more of these criteria to vote by mail:

• 65 years of age 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; or
• Confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.

Voting by mail: Needed information

According to the Texas Secretary of State’s office, to vote by mail you must provide one of the following numbers on your ballot by mail and your mail ballot carrier envelope:

• Texas Driver’s License.
• Texas Personal Identification Number.
• Election Identification Number (VUID).
• Last four digits of your Social Security number.

If you have not been issued any of these numbers, you must indicate so by checking the appropriate box on the ballot by mail or carrier envelope.

Voting by mail: Requesting a ballot

To request a mail-in ballot, contact your county election administrator.

• In Harris County, contact Clifford D. Tatum, elections administrator, at 713-755-6965.
• In Fort Bend County, contact John W. Oldham, elections administrator, at 281-341-8670.
• In Waller County, contact Christy A. Eason, county elections administrator, at 979-826-7643.

The Texas Secretary of State’s office said the early voting clerk must receive your marked ballot by:

• 7 p.m. on Election Day, or
• 5 p.m. the first business day after Election Day if the postmarked ballot was mailed within the United States from non-military voters and from any military voters who submitted an Application for Ballot by Mail (“ABBM”),
• by the 5th day after Election Day if your ballot is submitted from outside the United States.

Voting early in person

Early voting runs from Oct. 24-Nov. 4.

For information on where to vote early in person, contact your county election administrator, and choose the location close to where you live or work. Or, use the visit the Texas Secretary of State’s voter portal website at teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do. There, after entering your identifying information, click the hyperlink to the Nov. 8 election for a list of polling places.

When voting early in person—or on Election Day—you must bring one of seven acceptable forms of photo identification. These are:

• Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS.
• Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS.
• Texas Handgun License issued by DPS.
• United States Military Identification Card including your photograph.
• United States Citizenship Certificate including your photograph.
• United States Passport (book or card).