Texas voter registration deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 11

AUSTIN, Texas - The verification process at the Travis County Registrar’s Office was in high-gear Monday afternoon. 

Registrar Bruce Elfant and his staff will continue adding names until the end of the day Tuesday. That’s the deadline to be eligible to vote for the November general election.

"Every day we pop a new record, because this is the highest, so every time we add a voter, we are at about 877,000 registered voters right now," said Elfant.

Matt Tighe was among those dashing down to the registrar’s office Monday.

"I was definitely pushing the deadline. When I woke up this morning. I had thought that I had registered already, but I apparently did not. So I got it done today," said Tighe.

Voter registrations with a postmark after Tuesday will not be accepted. Missing the deadline can also make it hard to complain about the outcome at the ballot box, which is why Ariel Evans used her lunch break to register.

"Exactly. I mean, like, if you're not getting out there and getting what you want out there and stuff like that and making sure that your vote is in I mean, in reality, like what ground do you have to stand on to say that things aren't the way you like them? You know, so. Yeah, definitely. Get up. Get out there and vote. Register to Vote," said Evans.

More than 90% of the population in Travis County is registered to vote. In 2018, the turnout was around 60%. Despite that a midterm election in Austin typically has a voter turnout of only about 40%.

"The challenge is encouraging people to follow through, it’s not enough to be registered, you do have to follow through and vote," said Elfant.

The new Travis County Registrar’s Office, which is located near the Hwy 183 and 290 interchange, closes at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Staff will be at the airport road location until the midnight deadline.

Williamson County also has extended hours. The office in Georgetown will be open until 7 p.m. Tuesday.