Election Day is quickly approaching. And in Texas, early voting starts on Monday, Oct. 21. If you鈥檙e one of the thousands of people who鈥檝e just recently moved to the state, you鈥檒l want to hurry and register 鈥� the last day to do so is Oct. 7.
While that deadline is quickly approaching, don鈥檛 stress! It鈥檚 a relatively easy process for even the newest Texas transplants.
The simplest way to make sure you鈥檙e on the voter rolls is to fill out a voter registration card. The is available on the Texas Secretary of State鈥檚 website. You can also do this in person at your county election office. (Find your local office .)
鈥淥n the registration card, a voter will be asked for their Texas driver license or ID card number,鈥� said Alicia Pierce, a spokesperson with the Texas Secretary of State.
But what if you don鈥檛 have your shiny, new Texas ID in hand yet? That鈥檚 OK!
鈥淚f they don't have that, they can provide the last four digits of their Social Security number,鈥� Pierce said.
After you鈥檝e filled out the form, you鈥檒l need to print, sign and mail it to the address listed on .
Then, when you vote, you鈥檒l have to show one of the approved forms of ID. That list includes an Election Identification Certificate, a special form of identification available only to people who have never had a Texas ID. To get one, you can either with the state鈥檚 Department of Public Safety or walk in. When you arrive at the DPS office, EICs are given priority.
鈥淚f a person does not have and cannot reasonably obtain one of those IDs, they must sign a and provide supporting documentation,鈥� Pierce said.
How to get a driver鈥檚 license
If you do want to flash that Texas license at the polls, you鈥檒l need to do a few things before applying for one.
First off, the state wants you to register your car within 30 days of moving to Texas. To do so you鈥檒l need to get a . (The rules around this are changing some come Jan. 1. Read more about that .) Make sure you have your vehicle insurance card with you for that step. After getting the inspection, take your insurance card, vehicle inspection report and proof of ownership 鈥� or current car registration from your previous state 鈥� to the county tax-assessor collector office.
Once your vehicle is registered, you are clear to get a Texas drivers license. By state law, you鈥檒l need to get that within 90 days of moving. To do this you'll want to schedule an with DPS, or go and standby for an opening. (Make sure when you head to the DPS office you have the .)
This is where things get a little more complicated. Depending on which DPS location you鈥檙e trying to visit, you might not be able to get an appointment for months. At the time this story was published, for appointments at Texas Department of Public Safety locations around Austin ranged from two weeks to a month.
Why is the wait for a license appointment so long?
The problem isn't new 鈥� and DPS is well aware of it. While an agency spokesperson declined to do an interview for this story, they did respond to emailed questions from The Texas Newsroom. Addressing the massive wait times, DPS cited, 鈥渁 number of factors that impact the department鈥檚 ability to serve customers.鈥� Those include the state鈥檚 population growth, staffing at the agency and the fact that a quarter of people who schedule appointments end up not showing at their designated time.
To tackle some of the delay, Texas DPS recently they鈥檒l be opening the next few Saturdays.
For people who can't wait a month to get a new license, standby appointments are available if you show up at a DPS office 鈥� but there's no guarantee on how long the wait will be.
The state launched its online appointment system in May 2020. While the system has reduced the long physical lines that can be seen at DPS offices, virtually the lines still exist. The Texas Newsroom is waiting for the agency to reply to a public records request concerning average wait times since 2020.
While you won鈥檛 likely be waiting past the 90-day window state law provides, there are many reasons a person may want to get a license much faster: an out-of-state license expiring, etc. As a new Texas resident myself, I wanted my license because I've always used it as a form of identification when voting.
(You can hear about my quest to get a Texas license by clicking the play button at the top of this story.)
Are there any ways I can get my license quicker?
Since you鈥檝e read this far, I鈥檓 going to let you in on a little secret.
In Austin, there鈥檚 one DPS location that鈥檚 off the general public鈥檚 radar. It鈥檚 located right across the street from the Texas Capitol in the Robert E. Johnson Legislative Office Building.
From what I鈥檝e learned, it鈥檚 mostly used by government officials or their friends and family. But you can make an appointment there by calling 512-463-9962.
This location is so off the radar that , the business review website, says it鈥檚 closed. But, reader, it鈥檚 not! I made an appointment there and got my Texas license days later.
So apologies to the one Yelp reviewer who wrote, 鈥淪hhhh, seriously, do not tell anybody about this location. For some number of years, poor Austinites have suffered under the misimpression that this DPS location is only for government workers---and they are wrong.鈥�
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