You would be able to register to vote at the DMV, vote on election day even if you never registered, and get a mail ballot by email.
What it does
HB 180 would rewrite large parts of Texas election law, from how you register to how you vote by mail and how voting districts are drawn, and most of the changes would apply to elections ordered on or after September 1, 2027. County registrars would register you automatically when you get a Texas driver's license or ID, and register you when you change your address on one, unless you opt out of voter registration. The state would offer voter registration on its official website, let you register at your polling place on election day and vote right away, let you apply for a mail ballot and check its status online, and let voters who are away from their county or who cannot easily vote in person receive their ballot by email. It would also add tribal, college, and state agency ID cards to the accepted photo IDs, and it would create a 14-member citizen redistricting commission and let 17-year-olds vote in primaries, but only if voters approve related constitutional amendments.
What it means for your community
The first place you would notice this is the DMV and your polling place: an automatic registration when you get a license or ID, and a chance to register and vote the same day if you show a Texas license or ID with your current address, or a utility bill dated within the last 30 days along with a license, passport, or military ID. Counties run the polls, so the new hours and drop boxes land on your county clerk: counties with 55,000 or more people would have to offer 12-hour weekdays in the final week of early voting, plus a 12-hour Saturday and a 6-hour Sunday, and counties could place ballot drop boxes at polling places or other sites the state approves. Your city, county, homeowners association, or property manager could no longer write rules that keep volunteers from knocking on doors to register voters or handing out campaign leaflets, though it could still set reasonable limits on the time, place, and manner of that activity. If voters approve the related constitutional amendments, a 14-member citizen commission would draw the districts for Congress, the Texas Legislature, and the State Board of Education, starting with the 2030 census.
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