Beginning Monday, Texans are heading to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2022 midterm election. Polling places for early voting open across Bexar County at 8 a.m.
There’s a lot at stake Nov. 8: elections for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller and land commissioner, among other offices. Democrats are trying to break the Republicans’ 24-year lock on those statewide offices. And for the first time in more than two decades, Bexar County voters will choose a new county executive (or “county judge,” as we Texans style it).
Voters also will decide the winners of the five Congressional seats that include Bexar County as well as the county’s delegation for the state Legislature that begins its new session in January.
Every election, the parties work to register more voters and convince them to actually go vote, but millions of Texans still stay home, especially in years where there’s no presidential election. In the last midterm election, just under half of Bexar County’s registered voters showed up to vote; in 2014, it was just 32%.
If you’re already registered, great! If you’re not sure, you can find out (see details below). Answers to other election season questions are below. Is there a question we missed? Ask it in the comments below this article, and we will find the answer.
Learn more about the candidates up and down the ballot and see their responses to our Q&A by checking out the San Antonio Report’s in-depth 2022 voter guide.
When is early voting?
Early voting starts Monday, Oct. 24, and continues through Friday, Nov. 4, with 51 voting locations open across Bexar County. Voter can cast their ballot at any voting center. Voting hours vary during the early voting period, with polls opening at 8 a.m. daily except for Sunday, Oct. 30, when they open at noon. Click here to see where and when you can vote early.
How do I know if I’m eligible to vote?
You are eligible to vote if you registed by the Oct. 11 deadline and are:
- A U.S. citizen
- A resident of the county where you submit your voter registration application
- At least 18 years old on Election Day
- Not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation and parole)
- Not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
How can I determine if I’m registered to vote?
You can check your voter registration status here. You’ll need either:
- your Voter Unique Identifier, or VUID, and your date of birth,
- your Texas driver’s license number and date of birth, or
- your full name, county, date of birth and zip code.
What about voting by mail?
You must request an application from the Bexar County Elections Department to vote by mail. In Texas, you are eligible to vote by mail only if you:
- are 65 years or older on Election Day
- are disabled
- expect to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day
- will be absent from the county you’re registered in during early voting and on Election Day
- are in jail but otherwise eligible to vote.
On your application to vote by mail, you must include an ID number, either your Texas Driver’s License number, your Personal ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security Number. The law requires that one of the numbers must match a number on your voter registration record.
Is it too late to apply to vote by mail?
The deadline for Bexar County to receive your application to vote by mail is Oct. 28.
What do I need to bring with me to vote?
You need to provide one of the following seven forms of identification:
- Texas driver’s 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
- U.S. military identification card containing your photograph
- U.S. citizenship certificate containing your photograph
- U.S. passport (book or card)
If you don’t have one of the seven forms of identification listed above and can’t reasonably get one, you can fill out a form declaring a “reasonable impediment” and bring one of these:
- A copy or original of a government document that shows your name and an address, including your voter registration certificate;
- A current utility bill;
- A bank statement;
- A government check;
- A paycheck; or
- A copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law that establishes your identity, which may include a foreign birth document.
If I’m registered to vote but haven’t received my voter registration card, can I still vote?
Yes. You aren’t required to show your registration certificate to vote in person. Just be sure to bring one of seven approved forms of photo ID for voting, and know what forms of ID you can bring if you don’t possess and can’t reasonably obtain one.
What else is on the ballot?
In addition to the race for county judge, the ballot includes races for district attorney and two seats on the Bexar County Commissioners Court in precincts 3 and 4. Races for the Texas Supreme Court, state Court of Criminal Appeals and 4th Court of Appeals are being decided, along with Bexar County’s district courts and courts-at-law.
Voters in Judson and East Central independent school districts will vote on bond propositions, and voters Somerset and South San Antonio ISDs will election school board trustees.
See a copy of a sample ballot here.
