Limited Ballots
Limited ballots are used when a voter is registered in a Texas county other than their current county of residence. They include only the races on the ballot that are in common between the two counties.
For example, someone who recently moved from El Paso County to Jefferson County would be able to vote a limited ballot that includes statewide races like U.S. Senate and Governor, but not in state Senate, House, or congressional contests.
Limited ballots are only an option during the Early Voting period, and cannot be cast on Election Day.
Limited ballots can only be cast at the county's main early voting polling place.
If you need more information about casting a limited ballot, please contact your county election office first before going to the polls.
What Is – and Isn't – Allowed at a Polling Location
Cell Phones: Voters may not use a cell phone, tablet, laptop, or similar device inside the room where voting is taking place. Outside that room – in a hallway or in line – you may use your phone to check e-mail, text, or look over a sample ballot, but you may not make a phone or video call. Recording sound or images within 100 feet of the voting stations is prohibited.
Written Notes: Voters may bring their own written materials, including a marked-up sample ballot or voter guide, into the voting booth to help them vote. Those materials cannot be displayed or handed out as campaign material.
Political Apparel: Within 100 feet of the polling place entrance, no one can wear or display any clothing, buttons, signs, or apparel relating to a candidate, measure, or political party, regardless of whether that candidate or issue is on the ballot. You may be asked by a poll worker to cover or remove any prohibited apparel before entering the polling place.
Electioneering: Displaying campaign signs, passing out campaign literature, circulating a petition for signatures, or telling voters to cast a ballot for or against a particular candidate or measure is prohibited within 100 feet of an entrance to a polling location or within 20 feet of a designated curbside voting parking space reserved for voters who are physically unable to enter the polling place. Amplified electioneering – such as using a megaphone or loudspeaker – is prohibited within 1,000 feet of the polling place entrance.
Firearms: The Texas Penal Code generally prohibits bringing a firearm onto the premises of a polling place while voting is underway. Peace officers are the exception, whether they are on or off duty.
For additional guidance on activities prohibited at Texas polling locations, click here.
Voting Systems
Texas currently has two types of certified voting systems: those manufactured by Hart InterCivic (based in Austin, TX) and Election Systems & Software (or ES&S, based in Omaha, NE). All Texas counties use one of these two systems for conducting elections in Texas.
As of September 1, 2026, all voting systems used in Texas are required to produce a physical, auditable paper ballot. Depending on the equipment a county uses for conducting elections, voters will cast ballots using one of these methods:
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Hand-marked paper ballots: You mark your choices with a pen or marker and place the ballot in a ballot box or scanner.
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Ballot marking devices: You make your selections on a touchscreen, and the device prints a paper ballot showing your choices. You review it and then place it in a scanner or ballot box.
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Optical scanners: These count paper ballots, whether marked by hand or printed by a ballot marking device.
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Electronic voting machines with a paper record:You vote on screen and review a summary of your choices. The machine produces a paper record of your vote that is kept by election officials.
Voting machines in Texas are never connected to the internet, nor do they even have the capability of being connected to the internet or any other wireless network. County election officials conduct public Logic & Accuracy testing before and after each election to confirm the equipment accurately records and counts the choices voters make. Counties also conduct a hash validation test of the voting equipment to ensure the underlying software installed in the voting systems has not been altered.
County election officials conduct a Post-Election Hand Count Audit, which involves a manual review of paper ballots in a random selection of precincts to verify the accuracy of electronic voting systems.
After the election, county election officials also conduct a Risk-Limiting Audit (RLA), using a random sample of paper ballots to confirm that reported results are accurate.
Electronic pollbooks used to check voters in are typically connected through a secure network so a voter cannot check in at more than one location, but these systems are completely separate from the voting equipment.
Every polling place must offer at least one accessible voting device to accommodate Texas voters with disabilities, allowing them to vote independently and privately. Voters who are physically unable to enter the polling place may also use curbside voting by requesting an election officer bring a ballot to the entrance of the polling place or to a car parked at the curbside.
Reminder: Please take the time to double-check your ballot before it is cast. If your voting equipment prints a paper ballot or paper record, make sure all of your choices are reflected accurately before printing, and check again before depositing your ballot into a scanner or ballot box. Remember: the paper stays with election officials and is the record that can be used in the event of a manual audit or recount.
Who's Allowed in a Polling Place
Texas law strictly limits who may be inside a polling location. Besides voters and the election judges and clerks who administer the election, the only individuals allowed inside a polling place are:
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People authorized to assist voters;
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Children accompanying a parent who is voting;
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Peace officers;
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Election inspectors appointed by the Texas Secretary of State;
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Election observers appointed by Congress; and
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Poll watchers appointed by a candidate, political party, or specific-purpose political action committee.
Election inspectors are appointed by the Texas Secretary of State, and consist of trained state agency employees who volunteer to observe the voting process and take notes at a polling location or at the county's central count station. Election inspectors do not interact with voters or direct election workers, and are clearly identified with orange-bordered credentials, orange lanyards, and orange safety vests.
Congressional observers are appointed by the U.S. House or Senate under federal law, and are authorized to observe election activities, usually working in bipartisan pairs. Congressional observers do not handle ballots or equipment or interfere with the election administration process, and wear House or Senate identification and carry documentation of their assignments.
Poll watchers are appointed by candidates, political parties, and specific-purpose political action committees supporting or opposing measures on the ballot, authorized to observe the conduct of the election after completing a training course administered by the Texas Secretary of State. Poll watchers are not allowed to talk to voters, handle ballots, or use recording devices, and must wear a poll watcher badge issued by the election judge.
Every election judge, clerk, state inspector, and peace officer on duty at a polling place must wear a tag or badge identifying themselves, and congressional observers carry House or Senate credentials. The presiding judge at each polling place verifies credentials and has the authority to keep order in a polling place.
If you have a question about who someone is, ask the presiding judge. As a voter, you do not have to answer questions from an observer, and no observer may interfere with your vote or the voting process. Concerns about anyone's conduct should be directed to the presiding judge or to your county election office.