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Elderly woman with sign "Your Vote Matters"How to Vote using a "Vote by Mail" Ballot 

Registered voters who meet the eligibility criteria may apply to have a ballot mailed to them.

Steps to Vote using Ballot by Mail (Absentee)

 

Step 1: Confirm you are Registered to Vote in Dallas County at least a month before the election

Enter your name and birthday into Voter Lookup at DallasCountyVotes.org  to confirm your registration is “active” in Dallas County. If you are not “active,” see details on registering to vote..   All new registrations or updates - name change, new address - must be completed 30 days before an election

Step 2: Do you qualify to use a Vote by Mail (Absentee) Ballot?

In Texas, in order to vote by mail, a voter must have a qualifying reason. A voter may vote by mail if they:
        • will be away from their county on Election Day and during early voting;
• are sick or disabled;
• are 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
• are confined in jail, but eligible to vote.

Step 3: Apply for a ballot to be mailed to you

Deadline: See Key_Election_Dates

First: Obtain an “Application to Request a Ballot Form” and a 58¢ postage stamp. You may

Second: Complete and sign the application. You must sign the application EXACTLY how you plan to sign your ballot. If the signatures don't match between the application and ballot, your ballot will be disqualified by the election department's signature board.

  • TIP: Take a picture of your signature and refer to it when you sign your ballot which is in Step 5 below.
  • TIP: Voters 65 years and older or voters with a disability need to apply each year; voters out of town or confined to jail must apply for each election separately. If you would like to vote in the Democratic Party's Primary or Republican Party's Primary, you will need to mark which one. 

Third: Submit the application to the Early Voting (EV) Clerk's office.

Dallas County voters use the following for Requesting a Ballot by Mail:

Mail and In Person – 

 Heider Garcia – Early Voting Clerk
Dallas County Elections Department
1520 Round Table Drive
Dallas TX 75247
 Fax – (214) 819-6303 (This fax is specific to ballot requests)
 Email – evapplications@dallascounty.org (This email is specific to ballot requests)
 Hours – Monday – Friday 8:00am – 4:30pm

 


Submit application    Due Dates; See https://lwvdallas.org/voting_overview#ballotbymail for dates for next election
In person via drive-thru Only the voter may submit the application in person at the Dallas County Department. Applications due by 4:30pm on the "in person" deadline, 10 days before Election Day.
By Mail or Fed Ex / UPS Mail application to be received by Dallas County Elections Department by deadline, 10 days before Election Day.
By email and follow up with Mail Scan the application, email it to evapplications@dallascounty.org 
by deadline and then mail the original to arrive within 4 days of your email
By Fax and follow up with Mail Fax the application to the specific ballot request fax number (214) 819-6303 
by deadline, and then mail the original to arrive within 4 days of the fax. 

 
Note: If you submitted your “Application to Request a Ballot” form earlier in the calendar year, you may call the Dallas County Elections to confirm that you are on the list to receive a ballot by mail for the upcoming election. 

Note:  If you have any questions about your application for Ballot by Mail, please email your questions to the 
Dallas County Elections Department at:  evapplications@dallascounty.org .  

The Ballot Tracker:  https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/BallotTrackerApp . 

 

Step 4: Research candidates and issues on your ballot

About 30 days before Election Day, the League of Women Voters populates Vote411.org  and supplies libraries with printed voter guides. Both contain unedited answers from candidates to questions on relevant issues and pro/cons on propositions and bonds. Here are Voters Guide / Vote411.org.



 

Step 5: Complete your Ballot

Ballots arrive in the US mail in a large green envelope.
Sign it EXACTLY how you signed your application. 

  • After completing the Vote by Mail ballot, the voter puts it in the ballot envelope, then places the ballot envelope in the carrier envelope.
    • UNDER THE FLAP of the carrier envelope - voters should include the required ID information and their contact information! To be more certain that the ballot will be accepted, voters should include both the ID information AND the last four digits of their Social Security number.
    • OVER THE FLAP of the carrier envelope - voters must sign their name!

Step 6: Submit your ballot by mail or via drive-thru  at Elections Office

Deadline: See lwvdallas.org/Key_Election_Dates 

 Heider Garcia – Early Voting Clerk
Dallas County Elections Department
1520 Round Table Drive
Dallas TX 75247

 Method   Notes
 In Person
 Bring your photo id and your sealed ballot to the Dallas County Election Office yourself.   Deadline to submit a ballot in person is 7pm on Election Day.
 By U.S. Mail   A sealed ballot that arrives at the election office before 7pm on Election Day  - with or without a postmark - is accepted.  LWV-Dallas does not recommend using the U.S. Mail if you are trying to send your ballot within 5 days of Election Day .

 A ballot bearing a postmark showing it was given to the US Post Office on or before 7pm on Election Day is accepted if the  U.S. Post Office delivers it to the election office by 5pm on the next business day.  The U.S. Post Office no longer postmarks every piece of mail.
 Fed Ex / UPS (or similar common carrier) or courier
service
 Pay to have your sealed ballot shipped via Fed Ex / UPS or picked up by a courier service.  A ballot showing it was given to the Fed Ex/UPS or courier service on or before 7pm on Election Day with delivery scheduled to the Dallas County Election Office on or before 5pm on the next business day will be accepted if the service delivers it to the elections office by 5pm on the next business day. LWV-Dallas recommends getting a receipt and tracking delivery.
 NOT accepted at polling location   In Texas, polling places cannot accept a vote by mail ballot.

Step 7: Check if your ballot has been received by Dallas County Elections (Optional)


Anyone can check to see if a voter has voted in person at the polls or submitted a "vote by mail ballot." 

Use the Ballot Tracker at https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/BallotTrackerApp
OR
Download and search a spreadsheet at Dallascountyvotes.org.
  1. You will need to know your precinct number. If you don’t, go to    https://www.dallascountyvotes.org/voter-lookup

  2. Once you have your precinct number, go to Early Voting Reports at dallascountyvotes.org/early-voting-information/earlyvotingreport

  3. Click the red box for your precinct range under “Download cumulative list by Commissioner Court districts.”

  4. Scroll to your precinct and look for your name. The third date in the row is when your ballot was received by Dallas County Elections.

How to switch to in person voting at the Polls

If you have received a "Vote by Mail Ballot" in the mail and would like to vote in person at a polling location instead, you must surrender your "Vote by Mail Ballot" to either Dallas County Elections or any polling location. Your "Vote by Mail Ballot" will be terminated, and you will be put back on the list of voters who can vote in person at the polls. Historically, this is a slow process, so prepare to wait if you choose to do this.

Need Help? Call Us.

The League of Women Voters of Dallas - Contact us anytime at (214) 688-4125 and leave a message.  We will call you back as soon as we can.  You can also email us at info@lwvdallas.org  

Dallas County Elections Department  - The official website is Dallas County Votes - Absentee and click here for their phone, email, hours, and address. 

Quicklink for this page: lwvdallas.org/Vote_By_Mail
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