Early voting in Texas begins October 13—that’s less than two weeks away! Here’s a roundup of important dates and resources to help you be an informed voter for the general election. 

Important dates: 

• October 5: Deadline to register to vote
• October 13: First day of early voting
• October 19: Educator Voting Day
• October 23: Last day that a vote-by-mail application can be received (not postmarked)
• October 30: Last day of early voting
• November 3: Election Day! Mail-in ballots must also be received by this date.

Helpful resources: 

• Visit votetexas.gov to check your voter registration status, download a ballot-by-mail application, find your polling location, and more.
• Do you have questions about voting by mail? Check out the “So, You’re Thinking about Voting by Mail” article on our Teach the Vote advocacy blog. And for more in-depth coverage of the upcoming election, including updates on key races and issues, continue to read teachthevote.org/news. 
• Have your students participate in the Democracy Powered by You(th) voter registration competition.
• Know your candidates by visiting teachthevote.org/races to learn more about their education stances and see how your state legislators voted on education issues.
• For breaking news and advocacy insights, keep up with the ATPE lobby team on Twitter @TeachTheVote.
• Check out TexasEducatorsVote.com. Our nonpartisan, educator-focused coalition offers a plethora of additional resources on participating in elections.
• Prepare your ballot ahead of time by using vote411.org to make a sample ballot that you can print out and bring with you to the polls.

Curious what it’s like to vote in-person during a pandemic? ATPE Lobbyist Andrea Chevalier detailed her experience of voting in-person for the primary runoff election, and many of her preparations and recommendations are still relevant to the general election. We’ll see you—from a six-foot distance—at the pools!