Texas
2026 Voting Rights Scorecard
Redistricting Texas adopted a new congressional map in 2025 that will be used for the 2026 elections. The map was challenged in court after a threejudge panel found that it was likely an unconstitutional racial gerrymander and blocked it in November 2025. The U.S. Supreme Court put that decision on hold in December 2025 and later overturned it in April 2026, allowing the new map to remain in place. The map redraws five districts currently held by Democrats that include significant numbers of Black voters and other voters of color.
Vote by Mail Texas meets four of the seven criteria. The state has some restrictive vote by mail policies, including requiring voters to provide an excuse to vote by mail and requiring voters to include a copy of their ID in order for their application to be valid.
In-person Early Voting Texas currently allows early voting to begin 17 days before Election Day and end four days before Election Day, giving voters a 12-day window to cast their ballots. Polling places must be open for at least nine hours each day, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. In 2025, Texas passed legislation that will shorten the early-voting period by five days. Under the new schedule, early voting will begin on a Thursday and continue through the day before Election Day, with two full weekends of voting and longer Sunday hours. However, these changes have not yet taken effect statewide. Counties have until August 1, 2027, to transition to the new system, meaning the current 17-day early-voting period remains in place in elections that have not yet transitioned to the new schedule.
Voter ID Laws In Texas, voters must provide identification to vote in person, and student IDs are not permitted forms
of identification. A voter who does not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of the seven approved photo IDs may still be able to vote by completing a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and presenting certain alternative supporting documents, such as a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or voter registration certificate.
CBCF’s scorecard evaluates voting rights and access to the electoral process across 15 states with large Black populations. This fact sheet highlights key laws, policies, and recent developments affecting voting access in Texas.
Access to Polling Places Texas has enacted one law to enhance the accessibility of voting sites and another to restrict it. In 2023, Texas passed S.B. 924, which limits counties with small numbers of voters from combining precincts, providing voters with more options. However, in 2021, Texas passed S.B. 1 which banned mobile polling locations and “drive-by voting,” where all voters could vote from their car and banned 24-hour voting locations. Drive-by voting is now exclusively for physically disabled or ill voters.
Disinformation Campaigns In 2019, Texas passed S.B. 751 prohibiting the creation and distribution of deepfake political advertising within 30 days of an election. This legislation helps protect voters in Texas from political disinformation. Additionally, Texas legislation prohibits a person from entering into a contract or other agreement to print, publish, or broadcast political advertising that is misleading about its source.
Felon Disenfranchisement Texas allows people with felony convictions to vote once they are “fully discharged,” which includes completing probation/parole and payment of fees if that was a part of the sentence. Alternatively, if a convicted felon receives a pardon from the Governor, their voting rights are immediately restored.
Key
Inclusive voting policies: These states implement policies that protect and uphold the right to vote.
Moderate restrictions on voting: These states have policies that impose limitations on voting rights but maintain notable access for most voters.
Highly restrictive voting policies: These states enforce policies that severely limit voting rights and access.
For more information on voting in Texas, visit www.vote411.org/texas Explore the full 2026 Voting Rights Scorecard