Molly Broadway, Voting Rights Training Specialist
Photo ID Options for Voting
The first week of mid-term election early voting proved to be busy in several locations throughout the nation. Longer lines don’t seem to be deterring most folks, but nobody wants to stand in line only to find out they didn’t bring the right identification or documents.
In the state of Texas, registered voters may use one of any of the following seven forms of photo ID when casting their ballots. With the exception of the U.S. citizenship certificate, the approved photo ID must be current or have expired no more than four years before being presented for voter qualification at the polling place.
- Texas Driver 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 license to carry a handgun issued by DPS
- United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph
- United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
- United States passport
If You Don’t Have One of the Approved Photo Options
Registered voters who do not have one of the seven forms of approved photo ID can complete and sign a statement, called a reasonable impediment declaration, that says they were not able to obtain one of the seven required forms of ID, AND then they must also provide one of the following documents:
- Valid voter registration certificate
- Certified birth certificate
- Current utility bill statement
- Bank statement
- Government check
- Paycheck
- Any other government document that displays the voter’s name and an address
A voter’s reason for not obtaining an ID cannot be questioned by election officials. After asking a voter if he or she has one of the seven IDs, election officials cannot question or challenge voters about why they could not obtain an ID.
If you have any questions about your rights as a voter with a disability, or if you believe your rights have been violated, please call our voting rights hotline at 1-888-796-VOTE (8683).