The telephone number for the Hays County Election Administrator’s Office is 512.393.7310.

We are located at the Hays County Government Center:

120 Stagecoach Trail

San Marcos, TX 78666-6294

Our e-mail address is elections@co.hays.tx.us and our website is https:/hayscountytx.com/elections/. 

Our fax number is 512.878.6699.

You are eligible if you are:

• a United States citizen;
• a resident of Hays County;
• at least 18 years old by Election Day;
• you may register at 17 years and 10 months of age;
• not a convicted felon;
• this restriction is removed when your sentence is completed, including any probation or parole;
• not declared mentally incapacitated by final judgment of a court.

You will remain registered as long as you remain eligible and notify us of address changes. Use this handy tool from the Texas Secretary of State to check the status of your voter registration.

Voter registration applications are available at:

• county Elections offices;
• other county offices, such as Tax-Assessors/Collectors or County Clerks;
• libraries;
• U.S. Post Offices;
• Texas Department of Public Safety offices; and
• Texas Department of Human Services office. 

You may obtain an application by calling us at (512) 393-7310 or downloading the Hays County Voter Registration Application.  Please note that while the PDF is form-fillable, all modern browsers disable this functionality.

Voter Registration

You may register to vote at any time. However, your application must be submitted 30 days before an election for you to be eligible to vote in that election.

Complete a postage-free post card application and mail it, or take it in person, to the Hays County Elections office.

You must be at least 17 years and 10 months of age on the date your application is submitted. If any of the information on the application is incomplete, you will be notified and required to send a second application. The second application must be received by the Hays County Election Administrator within 10 days.

Are you registered to vote in Texas? 

Check your voter registration BEFORE the election in which you wish to vote. Use this web tool from the Texas Secretary of State to find out if you are already registered in to vote in Texas.

Are You Eligible To Vote?

The Texas Secretary of State — the state’s election authority — has ruled that you can register to vote in Texas if you:

* are a U.S. citizen;

* are a resident of the county where you submit the application;

* will be at least 18 years old on Election Day;

* are not a convicted felon (though you will be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole); and

* have not been declared mentally incapacitated by a court of law.

You will receive a Voter Registration Certificate within 30 days of submitting your application.  Check your certificate to make sure all information is correct.  If there is a mistake, immediately make the necessary corrections and return the certificate to the Voter Registrar.  Otherwise, sign and retain your Voter Registration Certificate for your records.  You may present your certificate at any Hays County vote center on Election Day.  You will receive a new certificate with a different identifying color every two years.  Note that even if you have an older Voter Registration Certificate, your registration will never automatically expire unless you move to another address or you can no longer receive mail at your registered address.

Promptly notify the Hays County Elections Administrator in writing of your new address by

• correcting the information on your current voter registration certificate and returning it to the Voter Registrar;
• completing a voter registration application and checking the box for “change of address”; or
• making voter registration address changes when you update your driver’s license at DPS.

You will receive a new, corrected certificate.  These are printed every Friday and will be mailed to the registered address (physical or mailing) that you provided.  You will be able to vote in your new precinct 30 days after your notice has been received.

You must notify the Hays County Elections Administrator of your change of address as soon as possible.  Meanwhile, you may vote a full ballot in your former precinct if your registration has not become effective in your new precinct.  You will be required to complete a Statement of Residence before voting.

You must newly register in that county.  Complete an application and either mail it or submit it in person to the Voter Registrar of your new county.  You will be registered 30 days after your application is submitted.  Note that to register in time for an election, you must do so 30 days prior to Election Day for that election.  You will then receive a new certificate at your new address in that county.  If you are already registered elsewhere in Texas, you may utilize the Secretary of State’s online voter name and address change tool to register in your new county.  Previously, this tool was only available for making changes within the same county.

A limited ballot allows you to vote on federal, statewide, county, and local offices and propositions which are common to both your new and former counties of residence.  You may be eligible to vote a limited ballot in your new county of residence if

• you were qualified to vote in your former county at the time you moved; and
• your registration in the new county is not yet effective.

You must apply for a limited ballot and vote by personal appearance during the early voting period with the Early Voting Clerk conducting the election in your new county of residence.  This period generally begins on the 17th day and ends on the 4th day before the Election Day of a given election.  Limited ballots are not available on Election Day.  You may also completed a limited ballot by mail if you are already eligible to vote by mail.

For more information on limited ballots, please visit the Secretary of State’s limited ballot voters page.

Yes.  Promptly notify the Elections Administrator in writing of the name change following the same steps for a change of address.  You will receive a new certificate within 30 days.

Pursuant to §13.146(b) of the Election Code, the term suspense is used to designate those voters for whom the Hays County Election Administrator does not have a current address. A voter with this designation will be removed from the suspense list and restored to active status once that person has advised the Hays County Election Administrator of his or her new address. This new address is important, not only so that our records will be accurate, but also so that the voter is voting in the elections where he or she resides.

Request a replacement certificate in writing from the Elections Office.  Your replacement certificate will be mailed to your physical or mailing address.  You may vote without your certificate by presenting acceptable identification at the polling place and signing an affidavit.

Hays County is now a vote center county!  You may now vote at any open polling location in the county on both Election Day and during early voting. 

Check the Current Year Elections page and select the desired election for vote center locations, days, and times.  Local newspapers also list polling locations.  You can also call the office of the Hays County Elections Administrator at 512.393.7310.

You may apply for a ballot by mail if you:

• will be away from Hays County on Election Day and during early voting;
• are disabled;
• are 65 years of age or older on election day; or
• are confined in jail.

Download an application for ballot by mail.  Please review the form carefully and fill out all required fields.  Review the Texas Secretary of State’s ballot by mail information card for details on how to properly complete the form. For more information, call the Elections Office at 512.393.7310. 

For information about voting and registration options available to members of the military posted outside the county, as well as U.S. citizens living overseas, visit www.votetexas.gov/military-overseas-voters/.

Early voting is convenience voting, allowing a registered voter to vote at any early voting location during a typically two-week period prior to Election Day.  For general information on early voting visit our voter registration and ballot by mail page.  Early voting schedules are posted on the relevant election’s page, which will be hosted on the Current Elections page.

Either is acceptable – whichever you consider your permanent residence.

If you are registered in your home town (and it is not in Hays County) and you will not be in that county on Election Day or during early voting, you may request an application for ballot by mail from that county’s elections administration office.

Check here to see where you are registered.

All polling locations are handicapped accessible.  The Verity Duo touchscreen voting system is fully accessible with an Audio-Tactile Interface containing a sip-and-puff device port.  You are also entitled to receive assistance if you cannot read or write, or have a physical disability that prevents you from reading or marking the ballot.

Tell the election clerk that you need help to vote.  You do not have to provide proof of your disability.

You may be assisted by

• any person of your choice;
• one election worker during early voting; or
• two election workers on Election Day.

You may not be assisted by:

• your employer;
• an agent of your employer; or
• an officer or agent of your union.

The person assisting you must read you the entire ballot unless you ask to have only parts of the ballot read.  He or she must also take an oath affirming that he or she will not try to influence your vote and will mark your ballot as you direct. 

If you choose to be assisted by election clerks, a poll watcher and/or state election inspector present in the polling place may observe the voting process to verify that the ballot has been marked as you wanted.  If you ask to be assisted by a person of your choosing, no one else may watch you vote.

It is illegal for a person assisting you to:

• mark your ballot in a way other than the way you have asked;
• tell anyone how you voted; or
• try to influence your vote.

Interpreters at the Polls

If you cannot speak English, or if you communicate only with sign language, you may have an interpreter help you communicate with election clerks.  You may designate anyone to be your interpreter, provided that person is not your employer, an agent thereof, or an agent of your union.  

If you cannot read the ballot, your interpreter may translate the ballot for you in the voting booth after taking the Oath of Assistance.

Curbside Voting

Curbside voting is available to all voters who are physically unable to enter the polling place.  To request curbside voting, call the Hays County Elections office at (512) 393-3910 when you arrive at the polling location parking lot.  We will ask which parking spot you are located in, for a description of your vehicle, and for your callback number.  We will then pass your information to an election clerk at that polling location.  

Some polling locations feature a doorbell mechanism that will audibly alert the election clerks to your presence.  The election clerk will then bring a Verity Duo electronic voting device to you at the polling place's entrance or to your vehicle.  

After you vote, the election clerk or your designated assistant will then cast your printed vote record in the Verity Scan machine.  Your vote has not been cast until it is inserted in the Verity Scan machine.

You may conduct curbside voting during early voting or on Election Day.  It is always wise to call ahead, especially during busy days and hours.

The Federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 provides for provisional voting if a voter’s name does not appear on the list of registered voters due to an administrative error. If your name is not on the rolls of registered voters in your precinct, but you believe you are registered, the election judge at the polling location will attempt to determine if you are registered somewhere else in your county. If so, you will be able to vote and your address will be updated.

Anyone may vote provisionally upon request.  Typical or required provisional vote cases include the following:

• You have applied for a ballot by mail and wish to vote in person but have not returned, canceled, or received your mail ballot from the main Early Voting Clerk;
• You are registered but are attempting to vote in a precinct other than the one in which you are registered;
• You do not present an acceptable or supporting form of identification;
• You are registered in the precinct but your address is not located in the political subdivision conducting the election;
• You voted in another party’s primary in the primary election.

If your registration cannot be found, you may vote provisionally by filling out an Affidavit of Provisional Voter and casting an electronic ballot. The provisional ballot’s printed vote record is kept separate from regular ballots will be individually reviewed by the provisional voting ballot board. The ballot will be counted only if the voter is determined to be a registered voter in that precinct. Provisional voters will receive a notice in the mail by the tenth (10th) day after the local canvass advising them if their provisional ballots were counted.  The notice will provide the reason why a provisional ballot was rejected in the case of an adverse finding.

If you vote provisionally because you were unable to present any acceptable or supporting form of photo identification (see section below) at the time of voting, you will need to visit the Hays County Elections office within six (6) calendar days of the date of the election to provide one of the acceptable forms of photo ID in order for your provisional ballot to be counted. Executing a Reasonable Impediment Declaration along with presenting a supporting form of identification will allow you to vote normally.

Acceptable Forms of Photo Identification

• Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS);
• Texas election ID certificate;
• Texas personal ID card;
• Texas handgun license;
• United States military ID with photo;
• United States citizenship certificate with photo; or
• United States passport book or card.

Supporting Forms of Photo Identification

• certified domestic birth certificate or court admissible birth document;
• current utility bill;
• bank statement;
• government check;
• paycheck;
• government document with your name and an address, including your
• Voter Registration Certificate; or
• an out-of-state driver’s license.

Numbers to call for help

• 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) English
• 888-Ve-Y-Vota (839-8682) Spanish
• 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, and Tagalog
• 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287) Arabic
• 301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683) American Sign Language (video call)
• 888-796-VOTE Disability Rights Texas 

All citizens wishing to vote must be on the official list of registered voters. Voters may use one of seven forms of photo identification. These IDs may be expired no more than 4 years; however, persons 70 years of age or older may use an indefinitely expired ID. 

Acceptable forms of ID include (with the issuing agency in parentheses):

• Texas Driver’s License (Department of Public Safety, DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate (DPS)
• Texas Personal Identification Card (DPS)
• Texas Handgun License (DPS)
• U.S. military identification card with photo (Department of Defense)
• U.S. citizenship certificate with photo (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services)
• U.S. passport book or card (Department of State)

Registered voters without photo ID who cannot reasonably obtain one may sign a form and present the original or a copy of one of the following documents with the voter’s name and address:

• Certified domestic birth certificate or court admissible birth document
• Current utility bill
• Bank statement
• Government check
• Paycheck
• A government document with the voter’s name and address.  This includes a voter registration certificate, an out-of-state driver’s license, or an expired (beyond 4 years) Texas driver’s license.

The form is called a Reasonable Impediment Declaration.  The voter must indicate one of the following reasons for not providing a photo ID.*

• Lack of transportation
• Disability or illness
• Lack of birth certificate or other documents needed to obtain an acceptable form of photo ID.
• Work schedule
• Family responsibilities
• Lost or stolen identification
• Acceptable form of photo ID applied for but not received

*the ID address does not have to match the voter registration address.

Important: A student ID is not a form of valid voter ID.

Once you sign the form and show your ID you will be able to cast a normal ballot at your polling place.

The name on your photo ID and the list of registered voters must match.  If your name is substantially similar (i.e. slightly different; a common variation of your formal name; contains an initial, middle name, or former last name; or your first, middle, or last name is in a different field on the ID than it is on the list of registered voters) you may still be able to vote a normal ballot. However, you must also submit an affidavit stating that you are the same person on the list of registered voters.

If you do not have any of these forms of ID, you can get an Election Identification Certificate to present at the polling place.  To find out more about these certificates, click here.

Please visit our Become an Election Worker resource page.  On that page you will find eligibility requirements, pay schedule, application instructions, and more.

No.  There is no authority under Texas law that requires voters to wear face coverings when voting.  However, election officials and clerks should make efforts to communicate to voters that wearing face coverings is strongly encouraged, including through posted signs.  The Secretary of State is designing signs that can be used for this purpose.  Additionally, election officials may design their own signs for posting.  These signs must be approved by the Secretary of State prior to use (T.E.C. § 62.013).  Election officials can also consider reasonable social distancing measures for voters who are not wearing face coverings in the polling place.

For more information about wearing face coverings at polling locations, please review the Secretary of State’s advisory here.