Elections Frequently Asked Questions

You are eligible if you are:

• a United States citizen;
• a resident of Hays County;
• at least 18 years old by Election Day – you may register at 17 years and 10 months of age;
• not a convicted felon – this restriction is removed when your sentence is completed, including any probation or parole;
• not declared mentally incapacitated by final judgment of a court.

You will remain registered as long as you remain eligible and notify us of address changes.

Voter registration applications are available at:

• county elections offices;
• other county offices, such as Tax-Assessors/Collectors or County Clerks;
• libraries;
• U.S. Post Offices;
• Texas Department of Public Safety offices; and
• Texas Department of Human Services offices. 

You may obtain an application by calling us at (512) 393-7310 or downloading the Hays County Voter Registration Application.  Please note that while the PDF is form-fillable, all modern browsers disable this functionality within the browser.

You may register to vote at any time. However, your application must be submitted 30 days before an election for you to be eligible to vote in that election.

You will receive a Voter Registration Certificate within 30 days of submitting your application. Return Service Requested is an instruction to the USPS to return a Certificate that is not deliverable as addressed. Please do not rip your Certificate along the dashed line.  

Check your certificate to make sure all information is correct.  If there is a mistake, immediately make the necessary corrections and return the certificate to the Voter Registrar.  Otherwise, sign and retain your Voter Registration Certificate for your records.  

You may present your certificate at any Hays County vote center on Election Day.  You will receive a new certificate with a different identifying color every two years.  Note that even if you have an older Voter Registration Certificate, your registration will never automatically expire unless you move to another address or you can no longer receive mail at your registered address.

Promptly notify Hays County Elections in writing of your new address by:

• updating the information on your current voter registration certificate and returning it to the Voter Registrar;
• completing a voter registration application and checking the box for “change of address”; or
• making voter registration address changes when you update your driver’s license at DPS.

You will receive a new Voter Registration Certificate.  These are printed every Friday and will be mailed to the registered address (physical or mailing) that you provided.  You will be able to vote in your new precinct 30 days after your notice has been received.

You must notify the Hays County Elections of your change of address as soon as possible.  Meanwhile, you may vote a full ballot in your former precinct if your registration has not become effective in your new precinct.  You will be required to complete a Statement of Residence before voting.

You must newly register in the county in which you reside.

During Early Voting, you may be eligible to vote a limited ballot. A limited ballot allows you to vote on any offices and propositions which are common to both your new and former counties of residence.  You may be eligible to receive a limited ballot in your new county of residence if you were qualified to vote in your former county at the time you moved, and your registration in the new county is not yet effective.

You must apply for a limited ballot and vote by personal appearance during the Early Voting period with the Early Voting Clerk conducting the election in your new county of residence.  This period generally begins on the 17th day and ends on the 4th day before the Election Day of a given election.  Limited ballots are not available on Election Day.

Yes. Promptly notify the Elections Office in writing of the name change following the same steps for a change of address. You will receive a new voter registration certificate within 30 days.

Pursuant to §13.146(b) of the Election Code, the term suspense is used to designate those voters for whom the Hays County Election Administrator does not have a current address. A voter with this designation will be removed from the suspense list and restored to active status once that person has advised the Hays County Election Administrator of his or her new address. This new address is important not only so that voter records will be accurate, but also to ensure that the voter is voting in the elections in which he or she is eligible based upon residency.

Request a replacement certificate in writing from the Elections Office. Your replacement certificate will be mailed to address of record, whether physical or mailing.  You may vote without your certificate by presenting acceptable photo identification at the polling place, or presenting secondary identification and signing an affidavit.

As a vote center county, Hays County offers voting at any open polling location on either Election Day or during Early Voting.

Check the Current Year Elections page and select the desired election for vote center locations, dates, and times. Local newspapers and many websites will also publish this information. You are welcome to call the Hays County Elections Office at 512.393.7310.

You may apply for a ballot by mail in Texas if you:

• are 65 years of age or older on Election Day;
• are disabled;
• expect to give birth within three (3) weeks before or after Election Day;
• will be away from Hays County on Election Day and during Early Voting;
• are confined in jail or by involuntary civil commitment.

Download an application for ballot by mail.  Please review the form carefully and fill out all required fields.  Review the Texas Secretary of State’s ballot by mail information card for details on how to properly complete the form. Send your original signed paper application to:

Hays County Elections

120 Stagecoach Trail

San Marcos, TX 78666-5268

For information about voting and registration options available to members of the military posted outside the county, as well as U.S. citizens living overseas, visit Vote Texas or the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

Either is acceptable – whichever you consider your permanent residence.

If you are registered in your home town (and it is not in Hays County) and you will not be in that county on Election Day or during Early Voting, you may request an application for ballot by mail from your county's Elections Office.

All polling locations are handicapped accessible. If you have difficulty with mobility or standing in lines for extended periods, you may request priority placement at the head of the voting line. The Verity Duo touchscreen voting system is fully accessible with an Audio-Tactile Interface containing manual controls, headphones, and a sip-and-puff device port.  You are also entitled to receive assistance if you cannot read or write, or have a physical disability that prevents you from reading or marking the ballot.

Tell the poll worker that you need help to vote.  You do not have to provide proof of your disability.

Under Texas law, you may be assisted by

• any person of your choice;
• an election worker present at the polling location.

You may not be assisted by:

• your employer;
• an agent of your employer; or
• an officer or agent of your union.

The person assisting you must read you the entire ballot, unless you ask to have only parts of the ballot read.  He or she must also take an oath affirming that he or she will not try to influence your vote and will mark your ballot as you direct. 

If you choose to be assisted by election clerks, a poll watcher and/or state election inspector present in the polling place may observe the voting process to verify that the ballot has been marked as you wanted.  If you ask to be assisted by a person of your choosing, no one else may watch you vote.

It is illegal for a person assisting you to:

• mark your ballot in a way other than the way you have asked;
• tell anyone how you voted; or
• try to influence your vote.

Interpreters at the Polls

Voting devices display ballots in English or Spanish at the voter's choosing. If you cannot speak either language, or if you communicate only with sign language, you may have an interpreter help you communicate with election clerks.  You may designate anyone to be your interpreter, provided that person is not your employer, an agent thereof, or an agent of your union.  If you cannot read the ballot, your interpreter may translate the ballot for you in the voting booth after taking the Oath of Assistance.

Curbside Voting

Curbside voting is available to all voters who are physically unable to enter the polling place.  To request curbside voting, ring the curbside request bell at the polling place – an election clerk will be with you shortly. You may also call the Hays County Elections office at (512) 393-7310 when you arrive at the polling location parking lot.  We will ask which parking spot you are located in, for a description of your vehicle, and for your callback number.  We will then pass your information to an election clerk at that polling location.  

The election clerk will bring a Verity Duo electronic voting device to you at the entrance of the polling place or to your vehicle.  After you vote, the election clerk or your designated assistant will then cast your printed vote record in the Verity Scan machine.  Your vote has not been cast until it is inserted in the Verity Scan machine.

You may request curbside voting at any time polls are open during Early Voting or on Election Day.  It is always wise to call ahead, especially during busy days and hours.

Additional Numbers to Call for Assistance

866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) English

888-Ve-Y-Vota (839-8682) Spanish

888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, and Tagalog

844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287) Arabic

301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683) American Sign Language (video call)

888-796-VOTE Disability Rights Texas 

The Federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 provides for provisional voting if a voter’s name does not appear on the list of registered voters. If your name is not on the rolls of registered voters in your precinct, but you believe you are registered, the election judge at the polling location will attempt to determine if you are registered somewhere else in your county. If so, you will be able to vote and your address will be updated.

Anyone may vote provisionally upon request.  Typical or required provisional vote cases include the following:

• You have applied for a ballot by mail and wish to vote in person but have not returned, canceled, or received your mail ballot from the main Early Voting Clerk;
• You are registered but are attempting to vote in a precinct other than the one in which you are registered;
• You do not present an acceptable or supporting form of identification;
• You are registered in the precinct but your address is not located in the political subdivision conducting the election;
• You voted in another party’s primary in the primary election.

If your registration cannot be found, you may vote provisionally by filling out an Affidavit of Provisional Voter and casting an electronic ballot. The provisional ballot’s printed vote record is kept separate from regular ballots and will be individually reviewed by the provisional voting ballot board. The ballot will be counted only if the voter is determined to be a registered voter in that precinct. Provisional voters will receive a notice in the mail by the tenth (10th) day after the official local canvass advising them if their provisional ballots were counted. The notice will provide the reason why a provisional ballot was rejected in the case of an adverse finding.

If you vote provisionally because you were unable to present any acceptable or supporting form of photo identification at the time of voting, you will need to visit the Hays County Elections office within six (6) calendar days of the date of the election to provide one of the acceptable forms of photo ID in order for your provisional ballot to be counted. Executing a Reasonable Impediment Declaration along with presenting a supporting form of identification will allow you to vote normally.

All citizens wishing to vote must be on the official list of registered voters. Voters may use one of seven forms of photo identification. These IDs may be expired no more than 4 years; however, persons 70 years of age or older may use an indefinitely expired ID. 

Acceptable forms of ID include (with the issuing agency in parentheses):

• Texas Driver’s License (Department of Public Safety, DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate (DPS)
• Texas Personal Identification Card (DPS)
• Texas Handgun License (DPS)
• U.S. military identification card with photo (Department of Defense)
• U.S. citizenship certificate with photo (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services)
• U.S. passport book or card (Department of State)

Registered voters without photo ID who cannot reasonably obtain one may sign a form and present the original or a copy of one of the following documents with the voter’s name and address:

• Certified domestic birth certificate or court admissible birth document
• Current utility bill
• Bank statement
• Government check
• Paycheck
• A government document with the voter’s name and address.  This includes a voter registration certificate, an out-of-state driver’s license, or an expired (beyond 4 years) Texas driver’s license.

The form is called a Reasonable Impediment Declaration. The voter must indicate one of the following reasons for not providing a photo ID.*

• Lack of transportation
• Disability or illness
• Lack of birth certificate or other documents needed to obtain an acceptable form of photo ID
• Work schedule
• Family responsibilities
• Lost or stolen identification
• Acceptable form of photo ID applied for but not received

*the ID address does not have to match the voter registration address.

Important: A student ID is not a form of valid voter ID.

Once you sign the form and show your ID you will be able to cast a normal ballot at your polling place.

The name on your photo ID and the list of registered voters must match.  If your name is substantially similar (i.e. slightly different; a common variation of your formal name; contains an initial, middle name, or former last name; or your first, middle, or last name is in a different field on the ID than it is on the list of registered voters) you may still be able to vote a normal ballot. However, you must also submit an affidavit stating that you are the same person on the list of registered voters.

If you do not have any of these forms of ID, you can get an Election Identification Certificate to present at the polling place.

Please visit our Poll Worker Resources page, where you will find eligibility requirements, the pay schedule, application instructions, and more.

The Hays County Office of General Counsel maintains the Public Information Request System. Additionally, you may also find information there about mass gathering permits and payment.

Texas Office of the Attorney General Public Information Act poster