The midterm election is coming up fast! Voters in Texas will soon decide who should represent them in the Texas Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Many state and local offices are also on the ballot along with local county and city propositions.

You may have questions about voting or need a little more information to decide on who to vote for. Here’s what to know.

Where can I find information about voting?

The Texas Secretary of State’s VoteTexas.gov is a great source of information for Texas voters. Here you’ll find information on voter registration requirements, polling place locations, voter ID requirements, and more.

The library also has a guide to Voting in Texas, with information on laws governing absentee and early voting, voting with a felony conviction, polling place rules, and more.

Am I registered?

You can check your voter registration status on My Voter Portal. Voter registration ended Monday, October 5th, 2026, so you will not be able to vote in this election if you haven’t registered.

If you’ve moved or changed your name since the last time you registered, you will need to update your information. If you’ve recently moved, you might be required to vote at a new polling location. See our Legal FAQ, Can I vote anywhere in Texas? for more details.

When and where can I vote?

Early voting begins on Monday, October 19th, and runs through Friday, October 30th. Early in-person voting is open to all registered voters, and you can vote at any early voting location in your county.

If you miss early voting, you can still cast a vote on Election Day, which is Tuesday, November 3rd. You can vote at any voting location in your county on Election Day if your county participates in the Countywide Polling Place Program. Many larger counties throughout Texas are approved to use this program.

If your county does not participate, then you must vote in your assigned precinct. If you have questions, you can reach out to your county's Elections Office for help.

The Voting in Person section of VoteTexas.gov explains how to find your polling place.

Researching a Candidate's Legislative Record

It can be tough to sift through all the candidate information out there. Many advocacy organizations, political groups, and news outlets will endorse candidates based on their experience and political positions. If you are interested in more detailed information about a state senator or representative’s voting history, you can evaluate their legislative record by using Texas Legislature Online (TLO).

Each legislator has a House or Senate member profile page for every legislative session they have participated in. This page includes links to the legislator’s contact information, committee assignments, and links to bills or amendments they have authored or sponsored.

You can also use TLO to track a legislator’s voting record. This process requires a little more leg work as there are no compilations of how an individual legislator has voted on every bill. You may need to start by choosing a specific bill or bills to review from a particular session. While not all votes are recorded, many can be found in the House or Senate journals. You can also watch prior committee hearings in the House and Senate to get a better idea of a legislator's record. See the Find Vote Information page for more details.

As always, we’re happy to help with any research questions you may have. See our Ask a Librarian page for info about how to get in touch with us.