2020 Local Elections

- turning Tarrant blue -

Click to View Your City's Postpone/Cancellation Status and New Dates Governor Abbott Issues Proclamation Allowing For Postponement Of Local Elections Set For May 2nd: Various cities have postponed their elections. Most all of Tarrant County's municipalities moved their election to the November ballot; Fort Worth's will be placed on the July primary runoff ballot.

Local Elections Matter. While these races are non-Partisan, we encourage you to vote for candidates that will enact policies that make our communities stronger. Please check back below for information we have gathered pertinent to Tarrant County Democrats. If you have additional municipality content to add, please email [email protected].

Registration

Most frequent questions and answers

What makes me eligible to vote in Tarrant County?

You are a U.S. citizen
You reside in Tarrant County
You are at least 18 years of age by election day (you may apply for registration at age 17 years, 10 months)
You are not a convicted felon (unless your sentence is completed — including any probation or parole)
You are not declared mentally incompetent and ineligible to vote by a court of law

How do I know if I am already registered?

Go to https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do.
Select your method of lookup by using the drop-down box on the right-hand side of the page.
- VUID = Voter Unique Identifier (displayed on your voter registration card)
- TDL = Texas Driver’s License
Enter your information and press “Submit.”

I’m not registered--so, how do I register?

There are a few different methods for completing your registration.

Postage-paid Options:

Obtain a voter registration application at the Tarrant County Election Administration Office (located here) as well as any Tarrant County subcourthouse, library, post office, city hall, high school, or public service office. Complete the application and mail it to the address below.
Go to this website to fill out a voter registration application online and a postage-paid voter registration application will be mailed to you. After receiving the application, complete the form and mail it to the address below.
A Volunteer Deputy Registrar (or VDR) may also register you to vote if one is present at an event you happen to attend. The VDR will turn in the application for you.

Non-Postage-paid Option:

Download the voter registration form at home/work/a library, print it out, and complete it. Mail the completed form to the address below.

ALL Voter Registration Applications should be mailed or returned in person to:

Voter Registration
Tarrant County Elections
2700 Premier St.
Fort Worth, TX 76111-3011

What do I do if I’m registered, but my address/name has changed?

If you moved within Tarrant County or have changed your name and still reside within Tarrant County, the easiest option is to complete the form at this link.

Other options are:

Correcting your current voter registration certificate (on the back) and return it to the Voter Registrar.
Fill out a new voter registration application form and check the “change” box.
When you apply for or change your Texas driver’s license, change your voter information at the same time.

If you have permanently changed counties you must re-register in the new county. This will also account for any name changes. The same registration process and registration deadlines still apply. Read more in the section above.

**If you miss the registration deadline, you may be eligible to vote using a limited ballot. This means you would vote on any measures or candidates your old and new county share in common. This is ONLY available during early voting. You may NOT vote using a limited ballot on election day. Read more about this process here.**

College students and those away from their county temporarily should follow directions for completing a ballot by mail application.

Vote By Mail

Most frequent questions and answers

Who is eligible to vote by mail?

You are eligible to vote by mail if you:

- will be away from your county on Election Day and during the hours that early voting is conducted;
- are sick or disabled;
- are 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
- are confined in jail.

Annual Application or Regular Ballot By Mail Application?

There are TWO types of applications:

- Annual Application for Ballot By Mail: This is only for voters 65 years of age or older or disabled voters.
  - When you select the “annual” option on the application you will receive a mail ballot for all elections held during a calendar year. Annual applications may be submitted beginning the first day of a calendar year (January 1) and no later than the 11th day before Election Day.
- Regular Ballot By Mail Application: Anyone not qualifying for an annual ballot.

How do I apply?

Request (or download) an Application for Ballot by Mail.
- To request by phone, call 817-831-8683
- To request an application be mailed to you, click here.
To download and print at home, click here.
- Complete the application and return it to the Tarrant County Early Voting Clerk.
- You can see full directions about how to complete the application here.

Mailing Address:
Tarrant County Elections
PO Box 961011
Fort Worth, Texas 76161-0011

Express Courier Delivery:
Tarrant County Elections
2700 Premier St.
Fort Worth, Texas 76111-3011

Fax: 817-850-2344

Email: [email protected]

How do I vote?

Prerequisites: already a registered voter and applied to vote by mail

Quick reference:

Complete your ballot with black ink.
Place it inside the grey envelope and seal.
Place the grey envelope inside the yellow envelope (and the SOR form, if applicable).
Seal.
Sign over the flap.
Mail.

Some extra details:

Wait for your ballot. If you applied early, you should receive your ballot around one month before the election.
When your ballot arrives, fill it in according to the instructions. See the “Best Practices for Completing Your Ballot” for more info.
Fold your ballot and place it inside the grey official ballot envelope, also called the secrecy envelope. Put all pages of your ballot inside, even if you don’t vote on every page. Only put one complete ballot in each ballot envelope. Do not add the ballot of someone who lives with you, or both ballots will be rejected.
Seal the grey ballot envelope.
Place the grey ballot envelope inside the yellow official carrier envelope. If you accidentally left out a page of your ballot when you sealed the ballot envelope, you may place the missing page inside the yellow carrier envelope, but do not add pages from someone else’s ballot, or include a second complete ballot in the carrier envelope. If multiple ballots are inside the same carrier envelope, they will be rejected.
If you received a yellow “Statement of Residence” (SOR) form, fill it out and place it inside the yellow carrier envelope. The yellow envelope will have a barcode printed on it with a notation saying “SOR”. If an envelope marked “SOR” does not include the yellow SOR form, the ballot will be rejected.
- Put the SOR form inside the yellow carrier envelope, NOT inside the grey ballot envelope. It is the first thing the Early Voting Ballot Board will look for when opening envelopes, to make sure your vote can be counted.
Double check!
- Ballot filled out correctly and placed inside grey ballot envelope.
- Grey ballot envelope sealed and placed inside yellow carrier envelope.
- Last chance to make sure you didn’t forget a page. If you did, place it in the yellow carrier envelope.
- Only your ballot is inside the grey or yellow envelopes. Not anyone else’s.
- The yellow SOR form, if applicable, is complete and correct, and placed inside the yellow carrier envelope.
Seal the yellow carrier envelope. Make sure it will close properly before you wet the glue. If it is open, the ballot will be rejected. Do not use tape.
Sign the envelope. Sign inside the signature box, and across the bottom and top of the sealed flap. It is okay to make your signature bigger than normal if you need to.
Make sure that anyone who helped you mark your ballot fills out the affidavit on the yellow carrier envelope, and reads the oath under “instructions to assistant”.
If you cannot make your normal signature, you can still make a mark. If you cannot make a mark, leave the signature space blank. You must ask someone to witness your mark or affirm that you cannot make a mark. Your witness must complete, in full, the part of the affidavit that says “instructions to witness”. If you are able to make your mark, they must state your name, and include their information. If you cannot make your mark, they must check the box to indicate that you are unable to do so, in addition to the previous information. If the affidavit is not filled out correctly and completely, your ballot will be rejected.

Best Practices for Completing Your Ballot

- Use a pencil (or small markings) to keep track of which candidates you like
- When you decide which candidate to vote for, use a black ballpoint pen to fill in the correct box.
- Fill in the boxes completely, or as completely as possible.
- If you cannot fill in the box, it is okay to ask someone to help you fill it in. However, this person must complete the assistant portion of the affidavit on the back of your yellow return envelope, stating that they helped you at your request, and under your supervision.
- Do not use white out, and do not try to scratch out or cross out an incorrect choice.
- If you make an error, mark the correct box, and put an clear, legible mark next to the choice you want. The ballot will be marked as “overvote”, and the Early Voting Ballot Board will manually review your ballot to see if you indicated which choice you wanted to keep, and make sure it is counted correctly. If you do not indicate which vote you want to use, the ballot will be marked “overvote” and no vote will be recorded.
- Do not write or put markings in the margins of the ballot (where the barcodes are). The electronic scanner cannot read the ballot if there are markings there, and your ballot will have to be manually reproduced by the Early Voting Ballot Board in order to be counted.

View our VBM Page

Vote by Mail Page

Vote In Person

Most frequent questions and answers

What do I need to bring with me on the day I vote?

You must bring any one of following forms of photo identification with you to vote:

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 containing the person’s photograph
United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
United States Passport (book or card)

**Read more here if you DO NOT possess one of the forms of identification above.**

Where do I go to vote?

Good news! You can now vote at any Voting Center in Tarrant County. You do NOT have to go to your precinct’s assigned voting center anymore.

Voting Centers

I've never voted before. What can I expect?

If you choose to vote in person, please do so during early voting. You will avoid long lines and have a better experience. There is no difference in the ballot and equipment between early and election day voting. There are four parts to voting at the new voting centers.

REGISTRATION: Here your voter registration status will be checked against the County records.
- The easiest and fastest way to do this is to use your Texas Driver’s License. It is a good idea to bring your Voter ID card as back up, but will probably not be needed.
- The election clerk will verify your address.
- If this is a primary election, you will be asked to select a ballot: Democratic or Republican
- You will sign the iPad to verify that all information is correct
- The clerk will give you two slips of paper.
- You proceed to step two: Controller
CONTROLLER
- Hand the paper slips to the clerk working the controller.
- They will scan and return them with a third slip containing your personal voting access number. This will bring up the correct ballot at the voting machine.
- The clerk will tell you to select a ballot paper from the table.
- The clerk may direct you to the voting machines or ask you to wait if one is not available.
VOTING MACHINE
- Follow the prompts on the voting machine screen. If you have any questions, ask a clerk for help.
- You make your candidate selections, review and print your ballot. You have not voted yet.
- DO NOT LEAVE WITH THE PAPER BALLOT
SCANNER
- Following the prompts on the screen, insert your ballot into the scanner.
- When the American flag waves on the screen, your vote has been counted.
- Collect your sticker, take your selfie and make sure your friends go vote, too!

While it may seem like a good idea to wear a shirt or other campaign memorabilia, you will be asked to cover or remove anything before getting within 100 ft of the polling location.

- turning Tarrant blue -