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A group of Texas A&M University students attended Brazos County commissioner hearings for the past two months to discuss one agenda item — the county’s early-voting location.
Historically, Texas A&M hosted the polling location within its campus at the Memorial Student Center. This year, however, the county commissioners put the location up to a vote. With a simple majority, it was decided that the location would be moved to the newly constructed City Hall right in the center of College Station.
County Commissioner Nancy Berry, who oversees the precinct that includes Texas A&M, cited the convenient location of the City Hall as well as low voter turnout at the Texas A&M polling place as reasons for moving the early voting location. However, data obtained by The Texas Tribune showed that it was one of the county’s most popular early-voting sites in recent general elections.
When the Tribune first asked Berry about these figures, she said that what she meant by low voter turnout was that the amount of voters who showed up was much lower than what they expected given the concentration of people on the Texas A&M campus.
Voting FAQ: 2024 Elections
When is the next election? What dates do I need to know?
Election Day for the general election is November 5, and early voting will run from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. The deadline to register to vote and/or change your voter registration address is Oct. 7. Applications to vote by mail must be received by your county of residence – not postmarked – by Oct. 25.
What’s on the ballot for the general election?
In addition to the president, eligible Texans have the opportunity to cast their ballots for many Texas officials running for office at the federal, state and local levels.
This includes representatives in the U.S. and Texas houses and the following elected offices:
-1 U.S Senator (Ted Cruz)
– 1 of 3 Railroad Commissioners
– 15 State Senators
– 7 State Board of Education members
– 3 members of the Texas Supreme Court
– 3 members of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
– 5 Chief Justices and various justices for Texas Courts of Appeals
Lower-level judges and local county offices will also appear on the ballot:
– Various district judges, including on criminal and family courts
– County Courts at Law
– Justices of the Peace
– District Attorneys
– County Attorneys
– Sheriffs
– Constables
– Tax Assessor-Collectors
How do I make sure I’m registered to vote?
You can check to see if you’re registered and verify your information through the Texas Secretary of State’s website. You’ll need one of the following three combinations to log in: Your Texas driver’s license number and date of birth. Your first and last names, date of birth and county you reside in. Your date of birth and Voter Unique Identifier, which appears on your voter registration certificate.
What if I missed the voter registration deadline?
You must be registered to vote in a Texas county by Oct. 7 to vote in the Nov. 5 presidential election. You can still register for other elections.
If you’re registered but didn’t update your address by the deadline, you may still be able to vote at your previous voting location or on a limited ballot. (Voters are typically assigned precincts based on where they live. In most major counties, voters can vote anywhere on Election Day, but some counties require you vote within your precinct. If that is the case, you may have to return to your previous precinct. See which counties allow countywide Election Day voting here. You can usually find your precinct listed on your voter registration certificate or on when checking your registration online.)
If you moved from one county to another, you may be able to vote on a ballot limited to the elections you would qualify to vote in at both locations, such as statewide races. However, limited ballots are only available during early voting. Find your county election official here and contact them to ask about or request a limited ballot.
What can I do if I have questions about voting?
You can contact your county elections official or call the Texas Secretary of State’s helpline at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683). A coalition of voting rights groups is also helping voters navigate election concerns through the 866-OUR-VOTE (687-8683) voter-protection helpline. The coalition also has hotlines available for voters who speaker other languages or have accessibility needs.
For help in Spanish, call 888-VE-Y-VOTA or 888-839-8682.
For help in Asian languages, call 888-API-VOTE or 888-274-8683.
For help in Arabic, call 888-YALLA-US or 888-925-5287.
For help in American Sign Language through a video, call 301-818-VOTE or 301-818-8683.
For help from Disability Rights Texas, call 888-796-VOTE or 888-796-8683.
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In interviews for this story, however, Berry stated that she mistakenly asked for the wrong election numbers.
The decision elicited backlash from students at the university. Among them, MOVE Texas A&M, a nonpartisan student organization that focuses on voter engagement, is fighting to get the location back on campus. The group has also raised over $10,000 to help fund shuttle buses that take students, faculty and staff to City Hall for all of early voting.
Berry has since stated that removing the on-campus early voting location “was a mistake.” The county is contributing $5,000 toward transportation to take student voters to City Hall through an interlocal agreement with Texas A&M.
The county is also planning to reinstate the on-campus polling place for 2023.
This is not a unique case, however. Across Texas, many universities lack on-campus polling sites. Coupled with state laws regarding voter ID and registration, advocate groups say these are barriers that make it harder for young Texans to vote.
Disclosure: MOVE Texas and Texas A&M University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.
