Voter registration for March primary open until midnight on Feb. 5

How to vote for March primary

Monday, Feb. 5 is the last day to register to vote in the March primary in Travis County.

AUSTIN, Texas - Travis County residents have until midnight to register to vote in the March primary.

"I think voter apathy is a real thing. Voter fatigue is a real thing where it feels like we're voting in an election almost every few months, and it's because we are," said Brian Pena, a third-year UT student and vice president of University Democrats. "So we're just out here to remind students over and over and over, they may get annoyed by us, but in the end, I think they appreciate what we do."

A few tables down, outside of Gregory Gym, Maggie DiSanza with Texas Rising was doing the same.

"Young people, 18 to 35, they are almost the largest demographic of Texas voters. They're an increasing electorate, and they're also increasingly diverse. And we are seeing that not only do they contribute a lot to Texas society working, going to school, participating in community-building events, but they are addressing some really important needs, like housing affordability, food access, all of these things," said DiSanza. "So we talked to a lot of young people who really are invested in politics, but just need an avenue to get involved. And that's what we're trying to do, is bridge the gap so that people can make their voices heard, in ways that are accessible, because sometimes our democracy isn't always accessible to people."

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According to Bruce Elfant, tax collector-assessor and voter registrar, 94% of eligible Travis County voters are currently registered. For those who haven’t registered, at this point mailing in an application is not the best option.

"Two things can happen. One is that you might drop it in a mailbox where the last pick-up already occurred, or you might drop it in a mailbox where they don't pick up that day. And by law, we have to go by the postmark," said Elfant. "The safest thing to do is to literally walk it into one of our tax office locations."

The main Travis County Tax Office on 2433 Ridgepoint Dr. is open until midnight.

For voters that are already registered, it’s a good time to double-check the address they are listed under.

"Travis County is a very dynamic community. People are moving here every day. People are moving within Travis County every day," said Elfant. "The higher the turnout, the more representative the outcome. And the predictions for this primary election are not optimistic, so I'm hoping that people will take this seriously."

Texas Rising will also have an early voting location at UT Austin. The group has tried to get one approved at St. Edward’s University but has not been cleared by the administration. They are hoping to get one approved in time for the May local election.

St. Edward's halts early voting efforts

Some local student advocates are frustrated. They say efforts to get an early voting site at St. Edward's University have not gone anywhere.

"Right now, we're at a stalemate with the university," said DiSanza. "We're just going to keep pushing and emphasizing that this is what the community wants and needs, and they need to step up and serve their community."

FOX 7 Austin reached out to St. Edward’s University on Monday and is waiting to hear back.

Below are some key dates for the March primary elections: