Voting Guide for College Students | League of Women Voters of Houston

Avoid a rejected application: Texas requires an ID number on your mail ballot application and on the envelope you return your ballot in. Use your Texas driver's license, Texas personal ID, or Election Identification Certificate number, or the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. It must match what's on your voter registration. If you're not sure which one you used, write both.

How do I vote while I am away at school (out of state)?

If you go to school in another state but still use your Texas address as your permanent residence, and you have not registered or claimed residency in that other state, you can vote early by mail in Texas.

Request that your ballot be mailed to the address where you'll physically be at election time (school) by completing an Application for a Ballot by Mail. The same deadlines and ID-number rules above apply.

How do I vote while I am away at school (out of the country)?

If you're studying outside the United States, request an absentee ballot to vote from abroad using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).Start the overseas voting process on VoteTexas.gov.

Contact your county election office as early as possible with questions. Find contact information for every Texas county election office.

What ID do I need to vote? (Student IDs don't count in Texas)

To vote in person in Texas, bring one of these seven forms of photo ID. College and university student IDs are not accepted, even from a public university.

Texas driver's license
Texas Election Identification Certificate
Texas personal identification card
Texas license to carry a handgun
U.S. military ID card with your photo
U.S. citizenship certificate with your photo
U.S. passport (book or card)

Your ID may be expired for up to four years (any length of time if you're 70 or older). The address on your ID does not need to match your voter registration, so an ID with your parents' address is fine if you're registered at school.

Don't have one and can't reasonably get one? You can still vote by showing a supporting document, such as your voter registration certificate, a utility bill, or a bank statement, and signing a Reasonable Impediment Declaration at the polls. See the full ID rules on VoteTexas.gov.

I still need to register to vote — how do I do that?

Visit the Texas Secretary of State's website to register or update your voting address. Your application must be postmarked or submitted at least 30 days before Election Day. Already registered? Check your voter registration status.

Going to school in Texas but registered in another state?

You have two choices. You can register in Texas using your college address if you consider Texas home now. Or you can stay registered in your home state and request an absentee ballot from there. Every state has its own rules and deadlines; find yours at Vote.gov.

Follow us for the latest news

Can college students vote where they go to school in Texas?

Yes. If you're a college student in Texas who attends school away from home, you decide which place in Texas you call "home." If you consider your parents' address your permanent residence, you may use that address to register. If you'd rather register at your college address, including a dorm, you may do that instead. You cannot be registered in both places.

Where you register affects which races and candidates appear on your ballot. Registering at school means you'll vote in local races where you live during the school year. Registering at home means you'll vote in your hometown's races.

Good to know: Registering to vote in your college community will not affect your federal financial aid, your status as a dependent on your parents' taxes, or your tuition status.

How do I vote while I am away at school (in Texas)?

Wondering how to vote in Texas if you are away at college? If you're registered at a permanent address (such as your parents') in a different county than your school, you have three options:

Vote early in person in your home county, for example on a weekend trip home during early voting.
Vote on Election Day in your home county.
Vote by mail if you'll be away from your home county during both early voting and Election Day. See below.

If you're registered at your college address, vote in person in your school's county. Many campuses and nearby locations host early voting sites. Check your county elections office for locations.

Either way, a college student can vote away from home. You just need to be registered at one address and plan ahead for how you'll cast your ballot.

Can college students vote by mail in Texas?

Yes, if you qualify. Students can vote by mail when they are registered in one Texas county and will be outside that county for the entire early voting period and on Election Day. Here's how:

Fill out an Application for a Ballot by Mail. List the address where you'll physically be at election time (your school address) as the mailing address. Apply for a ballot by mail (Texas Secretary of State).
Send it to your home county's early voting clerk. It must be received, not just postmarked, at least 11 days before Election Day. Apply early; you can submit an application starting January 1 of the election year.
Mark and return your ballot by the deadline printed in your ballot instructions.