Election Day in Travis County: 201 Vote Centers, 7-to-7 Hours, and a Mail-Ballot Deadline at the Close of Polls
Early voting is over, and Tuesday is the last word. Any registered Travis County voter can cast a ballot at any of the county's record 201 vote centers — and a mail ballot can still be hand-delivered to the elections building until the polls close at 7 p.m.
Travis County goes into Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3 with more places to vote than it has ever opened: 201 vote centers, staffed by more than 1,000 election workers, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado's office has called it the most accessible election in the county's history — and because Travis County votes countywide, a registered voter can use any of the 201 sites, not just the one nearest home.
The electorate doing the choosing is about 940,000 registered voters, according to the Clerk's office. Limon-Mercado has warned first-time voters not to underestimate the ballot itself: between federal and state races, county offices and the city's own questions, it is a long one, and the clerk's website posts estimated wait times for each location so voters can pick a shorter line before they leave.
Austin voters will settle five City Council districts — Districts 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9 — along with two bond propositions, Proposition A's $260 million package and Proposition B's $35 million for parks and library projects, and eight amendments to the city charter.
About 27,000 voters applied to vote by mail in this election, and their deadline is as hard as everyone else's. A mail ballot must be postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day and received by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4 to count. A voter who still has theirs can skip the mailbox entirely and hand-deliver it, with a valid ID, to the Travis County Elections building at 5501 Airport Blvd. on Tuesday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Voters heading out in person need an accepted photo ID. The clerk's office is posting locations, wait times and sample ballots at VoteTravis.gov, and its call center — 512-238-VOTE — handles polling-place problems and any report of voter intimidation. When the polls close at 7 p.m., anyone already in line stays in line and votes.
