On July 14, Austinites head to the polls for a slew of elections postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Austin City Council Member Delia Garza and longtime city and county lawyer Laurie Eiserloh are vying for the Travis County attorney’s job, former Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt and Texas State Representative Eddie Rodriguez face one another in the Democratic primary for Kirk Watson’s senate seat, and more. Click here to see a list of other important races.

Since local cases of COVID-19 are continuing to rise, please consider voting by mail if you are eligible to do so. Voting by mail will keep Election Day lines as short as possible and help to protect voters, polling-place workers, and the rest of our community.

If you wish to vote by mail, please submit an application as soon as possible. We expect there to be processing delays—so if you wait, you may not receive your mail-in ballot in time to vote.

Here’s a full list of steps you need to take:

Make Sure You’re Registered to Vote

If you are not yet registered to vote and wish to vote in next month’s election, you must register no later than today, June 15. Click here to register to vote.

Determine Your Eligibility to Vote by Mail

You may vote by mail if you are a registered voter and you are 65 years of age or older, if you sick or disabled, if you will be outside of Travis County during the entire election period, or if you are confined in jail but otherwise eligible to vote. The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that a voter’s fear of contracting COVID-19 does not qualify as a disability, but the voter is free to determine if his or her health conditions make it unsafe to vote in person. The justices also acknowledged that “election officials have no responsibility to question or investigate a ballot application that is valid on its face.”

Submit Your Application as Soon as Possible

If you are eligible to vote by mail, download an application in either English or Spanish, fill it out, sign it, and mail it as soon as possible to Dana Debeauvoir, Travis County Clerk – Elections Division, PO Box 149325, Austin, TX 78714-9325. All applications must be received by the county by 5:00 PM on July 2, but we urge interested voters to download and mail their applications as soon as possible, to avoid delays. Voters who wish to deliver their applications off in person must do so before June 29, when early voting begins.

Check Your Mailbox for a Ballot

If the county approves your application to vote by mail, it will send you a ballot that you can fill out and return. Completed ballots must be postmarked by July 14.

Voting is your right as an American and your duty as an engaged member of the Austin community. This year, please make sure to plan now so can fulfill that duty as safely as you can.

Together we can build an Austin for everyone!