A Step-by-Step Voter Registration Guide for Bexar County Ahead of November

San Antonio residents who plan to vote in the November 3, 2026 election shouldn’t wait until Election Day to check their voter registration. In Texas, the deadline to register or update an address in time for the election is Monday, October 5. The state generally requires voters to be registered 30 days before an election.

Whether you’re voting for the first time, recently moved, turned 18, became a U.S. citizen, or simply are not sure your registration is current, here are 5 essential steps to take in preparation for Election Day. 

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1. Make Sure You’re Eligible to Vote

To register and vote in Bexar County, you must be a U.S. citizen and a resident of Bexar County. You also must be at least 17 years and 10 months old when you apply and be 18 by Election Day.

People with felony convictions may be eligible once they have fully completed their sentence, including incarceration, parole, supervision, and probation, or if they have received a pardon. A person also can’t register if a final court judgment has found them totally mentally incapacitated, or partially incapacitated without the right to vote.

For immigrant and mixed-status households, it’s important to remember that eligibility is individual. Naturalized U.S. citizens may register and vote under the same rules as U.S.-born citizens. But a green card, work authorization, visa, or long-term residence in the U.S. doesn’t make someone eligible to vote on its own. Only U.S. citizens may register.

2. Check Your Status

Even if you’ve voted before, check that your registration and address are current. Texas voters can use the state’s Am I Registered? tool to search their record using their Voter Unique Identifier, or VUID, from their voter registration certificate; a Texas driver’s license number; or their name and other requested identifying information.

Bexar County voters can also check their information through the county elections website or call 210-335-VOTE (8683).

This check is especially important for people who moved, even within San Antonio. If election mail is returned as undeliverable, or if the voter registrar receives information suggesting a voter may have moved, the voter may be placed on the “suspense list.” 

This designation means the registrar is uncertain about the voter’s current residential address. So the voter hasn’t lost the right to vote, but it’s a sign to update your address and resolve any issue before the deadline.

A voter on suspense can still vote if eligible, including by completing a Statement of Residence when voting in the same county.

3. Register or Update Your Address by October 5

While Texas doesn’t offer fully online voter registration, you can complete an application online through VoteTexas.gov, but you must then print it, sign it, and submit the paper form.

You can also get a paper registration application from the Bexar County Elections Department and at many public locations, including libraries and post offices.

When filling out the application, provide a Texas driver’s license or personal identification number if you have one. If you don’t, use the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you don’t have either, the form allows you to indicate that. Just make sure the application is signed; an unsigned form is incomplete.

For the November 3 election, the application must be postmarked or received by October 5. If you mail it, don’t wait until the last minute.

If you moved within Bexar County, update your address as soon as possible. If you moved to another Texas county, submit a new voter registration application in the county where you now live. 

If you miss the October 5 deadline after moving to a new county, you may be eligible to cast a limited ballot during early voting at that county’s main early-voting polling place, but not on Election Day

4. Plan Ahead for ID and Voting

Once your registration is confirmed, prepare for how you will vote. Early voting in the November 3 election is scheduled for October 19 through October 30.

Texas generally requires an acceptable photo ID for in-person voting, such as a Texas driver’s license, Texas personal ID card, U.S. passport, qualifying military ID, Texas handgun license, election identification certificate, or U.S. citizenship certificate with a photo.

Eligible voters who don’t have, and can’t reasonably obtain, one of those photo IDs may still cast a regular ballot by signing a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and presenting qualifying supporting documentation, such as a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, voter registration certificate, or qualifying birth document. 

A voter who simply forgot an acceptable photo ID at home must use that ID, return with it before polls close, or vote provisionally and follow the required process after Election Day.

5. Always Refer to Official Information

Election deadlines and locations can change, so always check official sources to verify details you’re unsure of. Start with the Bexar County Elections Department and VoteTexas.gov; they’re the best sources of information. The League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area also offers nonpartisan voter education and registration guidance.

The key step is simple: check your status now. If you need to register or update your information, submit a complete, signed application by October 5, well before San Antonio voters head to the polls on November 3, and you should be good to use your voice.