There are two ways to vote early in Texas.

1. Early voting by personal appearance 
2. Early voting by mail.

Early voting must be conducted for all elections. In most elections, early voting by personal appearance begins on the 17th day before election day (if the statutory deadline falls on Saturday, the deadline is moved to the 15th day before the election) and ends on the 4th day before election day.

1. In person:
If you are a qualified voter, you may vote early by personal appearance. No reason needed.

2. By Mail:
If you are a qualified voter, you may vote early by mail if one of the following reasons apply to you:

1. In person:
To vote early by personal appearance, you may vote in person at the main early voting polling place or at any other designated early voting branch location during regular business hours.
2. By mail:
If you are eligible to vote early by mail, you may submit an application for a ballot to the Office of Elections: on or after the 60th day before election day; and, before the close of business on the 7th day before election day.
 

APPLICATIONS Applications for ballot by mail are available from the Office of Elections or the Secretary of State's Office.

INFORMAL APPLICATION:

You are not required to use an official application form, as long as your application in writing includes; Your signature (or a witness signature if you cannot sign); The name and address at which you are registered to vote; The address to which the ballot is to be mailed (only if different from the address at which you are registered, as shown on your voter registration card); a description of the election for which you are requesting a ballot ( for primary election, you must state in which political party's primary you wish to vote); and. A reason why you are eligible to vote early by mail (to be eligible to vote early due to expected absence from the county, your application must give an out-of-county mailing address).

HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION:

If your are voting early by mail, you must: Send your application by regular mail or by common or contract carrier; or, Submit the application in person. NOTE: This option may be used only before early voting by personal appearance begins (usually the 17th day before the election).

Deadline for Return of Marked Ballot:
The marked ballot must be received by the Office of Elections before 7 p.m. on election day, and must be returned by mail or by common or contract carrier.

ILLNESS OR DISABLED AND CAN'T GO TO THE POLLING PLACE ON ELECTION DAY

If you become ill or disabled on or after the day before the final day for applying to vote by mail and you won't be able to go to the polling place on election day, you may send an application for a late early ballot by a representative who:
 

The application must have all of the same information as a regular application for an early ballot. A certificate issued by a licensed doctor, chiropractor, or accredited Christian Science Practitioner must also be included. The certificate must state that a sickness or disability happened on or after the day before the final day for submitting an application by mail which would prevent the voter from appearing at the polling place on election day without the possibility of needing personal assistance or of injuring his/her health. The certificate must also state the date that your disability occurred.

Your application for late voting due to a disability must be submitted to the Office of Elections:

The Office of Elections will then review your application and give your representative a ballot to deliver to you. The ballot must be returned in its original carrier envelope to the Office of Elections before 7 p.m. on election day by the same person who delivered the ballot to the voter.

Forms are available from the Office of Secretary of State or from the Office of Elections.

DEATH IN THE FAMILY AND WON'T BE IN TOWN ON ELECTION DAY.

If anyone related to you within the second degree by blood or marriage dies on or after the fifth day before election day, and as a result, you must be absent from your county on election day, you may vote late. Your application must be in the form of an affidavit. This form can be obtained from the Office of Elections. Your application must contain the same information as a regular application for a ballot by mail, as well as the day of the family member's death and a statement of your relationship to the family member.

FEDERAL POST CARD APPLICATION                           ONLINE FORM

The Federal Post Card Application ( FPCA) is a form provided by federal law to permit members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Merchant Marines, their dependants, and U.S. Citizens abroad to vote early by mail and, if necessary, to temporarily register to vote.

You are eligible to vote early with an FPCA if you are qualified to vote in Texas and you are:

An FPCA must be submitted to the early voting clerk by mail or common or contract carrier. It may be submitted any time during the calendar year of the election for which you are requesting a ballot or during the previous calendar year for elections to be held January or February of the following year. In this case, the application must be submitted within 60 days before the election.

The application must be submitted to the Office of Elections before the close of business on the 7th day before election day. A single FPCA may be used to request ballots for all elections held by a particular authority (county, city, school district, etc) within the calendar year. However, if you wish to vote in the election of more than one authority, you must submit a separate FPCA to each authority's early voting clerk.

An applicant who wishes to vote in a primary election must state a political party preference for early voting ballots for both the first and second primary (runoff) elections to be sent.

While an FPCA may be used temporarily to register applicants for the elections for which they are requesting ballots, the FPCA may not be used as an application for permanent voter registration. Therefore, FPCA applicants who are residents of Texas are encouraged permanently to register to vote by using the regular postage-paid registration application which is available from your Office of Elections or from the Secretary of State's office. You may continue to use the FPCA, irrespective of whether you are permanently registered.

FPCA's may be obtained by eligible voters from voting assistance officers within their branch of service, from a U.S. consulate or embassy, or from the Voting Assistance Program of the Department of Defense, Washington, D.C.20301.  Get the form ONLINE