Election day for the Texas Constitutional Election is November 2nd, 2021. The polls will be open from 7 am to 7 pm across the state. Texans will be voting on eight potential amendments to the state constitution that cover a wide variety of issues.
The amendments on the ballot range in topics from issues borne directly out of the COVID-19 pandemic, to tax policy changes, infrastructure funding, officeholder restrictions, and more.
Amendments will be ratified and added to the State Constitution if it receives a simple majority vote of more than 50% approval. The Dallas Express previously provided an in-depth breakdown of each proposed amendment in this October 15th article.
In addition to the eight State of Texas amendments on the ballot, the cities of Glenn Heights, Lewisville, Mesquite, Richardson, Sachse, Wylie, and Highland Park ISD will also vote on their own propositions. A sample ballot for Dallas County can be found here, courtesy of Dallas County Votes.
Election day is the last chance to vote as early voting ended on October 29th. Turnout for off-year elections is usually the lowest of all elections. This lack of enthusiasm is likely due to the lack of national or statewide candidates on the ballot.
According to the Texas Secretary of State, turnout in this early voting election cycle has decreased compared to the last state constitutional election in November 2019. The Secretary of State’s office reported on Wednesday, October 27th, that 2.3% of registered voters in the state had so far cast a ballot ahead of the November 2nd elections.
During the November 2019 elections, turnout in the first nine days of early voting stood at 2.9%.
There are 443 polling locations in Dallas County alone, so voters should have no problem finding a site that works for them. To find your nearest polling location and check your voter registration status, utilize the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
To vote on election day you must be a registered voter and present one of the following forms of identification accepted by Texas:
- 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
- U.S. Passport
However, some scenarios may allow you to vote without providing one of those seven forms of ID. Visit the Vote Texas website for a full explanation of these scenarios and what is required to vote in person.