May 2024 election: What you need to know before voting
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the May 4 election, from where to vote to what's on the ballot.
It's almost time for Texans to cast their ballots in the May 4 election. Voters will have the opportunity to make their voices heard on local contests, bond proposals and more.
The last day to register to vote in this election was April 4. You can check online to see if you are currently registered.
Early voting will be held from Monday, April 22, through Tuesday, April 30.
Here is everything you need to know about voting in the May 4 election, from polling locations to what you may see on your ballot.
When and where you can vote
Registered and eligible Texas voters may vote at any early voting location located in the county in which they live.
Early voting locations were populated through the Vote Texas website two days before the first day of early voting. All voters had to do is plug in their information in order to find polling locations.
Early voting for the May 4 election will be held from Monday, April 22, through Tuesday, April 30. During early voting, polling place hours varied at each location.
On Election Day, May 4, things work a little differently.
You will want to see if the county you live in participates in the Countywide Polling Place Program (CWPP). If your county does participate in CWPP, you can vote at any polling place in the county. If your county doesn't participate in CWPP, you can only vote at the polling place assigned to you on Election Day.
On Election Day, all polling places across Texas are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. As long as you get in line before 7 p.m., you will be able to vote.
If you submitted a ballot by mail, you can check its status using this tracker.
What you need to bring to vote
To vote in Texas, you need to have a form of identification when you go to cast your ballot at a polling location. Here is a list of acceptable forms of photo identification:
- 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 Handgun License issued by DPS
- U.S. Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph
- U.S. Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
- U.S. Passport (book or card)
If you don't have one of the forms of ID listed above and can't reasonably obtain one, you can bring one of the following in order to execute a "Reasonable Impediment Declaration":
- Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate
- Copy of or original current utility bill
- Copy of or original bank statement
- Copy of or original government check
- Copy of or original paycheck
- Copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document)
Reminder: cellphones are not allowed inside polling locations. Voters can, however, print a copy of their sample ballot and bring it with them to the polls.
What will be on the ballot?
Ahead of the election, you can look up a sample ballot for your county.
If you live in Travis County, you can check here; for Williamson County voters, a sample ballot can be found here; and for Hays County voters, you can view a sample ballot here.
Here's a breakdown of some of the major races in our area this election.
Travis County
For the first time, Texans living in counties with a population of 75,000 or more will elect three people to their appraisal district board of directors. This is a result of the changes Texas lawmakers made to the tax code with Senate Bill 2, which was passed in the second special session of the 88th Texas Legislature. An appraisal district board of directors oversees the operations of the appraisal district, which is responsible for appraising property for property taxes.
An appraisal district board of directors oversees the operations of the appraisal district, which is responsible for appraising property for property taxes.
In Travis County, some familiar faces are running for each of the three director positions on the Travis Central Appraisal District Board of Directors.
Former Austin City Councilmember and director of the Travis County Taxpayers Union Don Zimmerman is facing off against Jett Hanna, a member of the Texas Supreme County Professional Ethics Committee.
Travis County GOP Chairman Matt Mackowiak is running for Place 2, along with attorney Shenghao “Daniel” Wang and Jonathan Patschke, who is the treasurer of the Libertarian Party of Travis County.
Dick Lavine, a board member of Progress Texas and and the senior financial analyst of Every Texan, is facing Bill May in the race for Place 3.
City of Austin
Residents living in several neighborhoods that were annexed by the city of Austin want to be disannexed from the city. The disannexation propositions on the ballot are:
- Prop A: Lost Creek, 738 acres of land west of the Lost Creek Blvd and the Capital of Texas Highway intersection
- Prop B: Morreland Addition, four acres of land east of the intersection of Menchaca Road and Mooreland Drive
- Prop C: Blue Goose Road, 28 acres of land near the intersection of Highway 290 East and Blue Goose Road
- Prop D: Lennar at Malone, 40.48 acres of land near West Slaughter Lane and Slaughter Creek Drive
- Prop E: Wildhorse/Webb Track, 104 acres of land at the corner of Decker Lane and Lindell Lane
- Prop F: River Place Outparcels, 212 acres of land adjacent to the River Place Municipal Utility District
City of Lakeway
People living in the city of Lakeway will decide on a $22 million parks bond proposition. The bond would pay for upgrades to five parks and recreation centers in the city, including the Lakeway Activity Center and Lakeway Swim Center.
City of Leander
Leander residents will elect a mayor during this election. Incumbent Christine DeLisle is facing four challengers, including former mayor John Cowman, Travis County GOP Spokesperson Andy Houge, security executive Damon Burger and mechanic Fred Summers.
Elgin ISD
Elgin ISD leaders are asking residents to approve two bond propositions that total $375 million.
Prop A is $366 million to build a new elementary school and new middle school, improve capacity at the high school, purchase new school buses and complete other campus upgrades and improvements. Prop B is $9 million to enhance career, technology and education arts programs and renovate the district’s press box.
If voters approve the bond, the school tax rate would not increase. Property values could change and that would impact the school tax portion of a homeowner’s property tax bill; however, district leaders note that because of homestead exemptions, residents ages 65 and older will not see an increase in their school district tax bills.
Georgetown ISD
Georgetown ISD leaders are asking residents to approve a bond package that is broken up into four propositions:
- Prop A sets aside more than $597 million for improvements related to growth. It includes funding for construction of a new elementary, middle and high school
- Prop B sets aside $20 million for technology improvements
- Prop C sets aside more than $27 million for fine art purposes, including funds for a new performing arts center at East View High School
- Prop D is nearly $4 million for athletic upgrades
The district said if these proposals are approved, it would result in a one-cent tax increase per $100 property valuation.
How to get the latest election results
Be sure to bookmark kvue.com/elections in order to get live results once the polling sites around Central Texas close on Election Day. Follow along with the latest election stories at kvue.com/VoteTexas.
Download the KVUE mobile app to get election results straight to your phone.