Below you’ll find all the resources you need to vote in Dawson County, so find out what you need to know for your voice to be heard at the ballot box! Even more resources can be found at March to the Polls.

Vote in Just Four Steps!

Step 1: Register or Update Your Registration

The most important step to voting is making sure you’re registered to vote by the stated deadline before the upcoming election you’ll be voting in. You can find this deadline on the Dawson County Elections Website under the “Public Notices” section. There, you can click on the link for “ORDER OF ELECTION” to find this information.

If you’ve never registered to vote or you’ve let your registration lapse:

Option 1. Visit the Dawson County Election Administrator’s Office in Lamesa

Their address is:

116 Austin Ave.
Lamesa, Texas 79331

The office is open from 8am to noon and 1pm to 5pm Monday through Friday (excluding state and federal holidays). The location is in the Courthouse Annex that also houses the Dawson County Tax Office (the entrance is West toward the post office from the tax office entrance). Their phone number is 806-329-3323. It’s as simple as dropping by and filling out the voter registration application!

Option 2. Take or Mail Your Voter Registration to the Elections Administrator

You can fill out a voter registration application in advance and either deliver to the Dawscon County Elections Administrator’s office or mail it to them at the address listed in Option 1. The envelope should be addressed to the Elections Administrator.

Click here to get a blank Texas Voter Registration Application to fill out by hand

Click here to fill out the Texas Voter Registration Application online and then print it

Please note, filling out the application online does not register you to vote! Texas does not offer online voter registration. The form still must be printed and either mailed or delivered to the Elections Administrator.

Vote.org has made this option as easy as can be. Just fill our the form below to generate an application that’s ready to be printed and mailed!

Option 3. Register When Updating Your Texas Driver License or State Identification Card

You can register to vote online if you have an existing Texas-issued driver license or state identification when renewing, replacing, or changing your contact information for either of these cards. Follow the steps on Texas DPS’ web portal to update your license or identification card. You’ll be given the option to register to vote while updating your contact information.

If you need to update your registration:

Registration needs to be updated by the deadline (usually 30 days before an election) if you’ve moved within Dawson County, within Texas, or your name has changed.

If you’ve moved from outside of Texas, you will follow the directions in the section above to register to vote.

Option 1. Update Your Registration Online

If you’ve moved within Dawson County or Texas, the easiest option is to update your registration online by visiting the Texas Secretary of State’s website! To use this option, you must have your Voter Unique Identifier (VUID), which is printed on your Voter Registration Card.. You can also find this by visiting the Texas SOS My Voter Portal, in which you can enter your name, county, date of birth, and zip code to display your voter registration information.

Option 2. Update Your Registration by Mail or In-Person

Other options for voters currently registered in Texas to update their registration include:

• providing the name changes on the back of your voter registration certificate and mailing it to the county voter registrar
• submitting a new application in-person or by mail and checking the box for “change”
• writing a letter to the voter registrar explaining the name change

Notes on Voter Eligibility

The following are the voter requirements to be able to vote in Dawson County:

• be a citizen of the United States
• be a resident of Dawson County
• be at least 17 years and 10 months old (you must be 18 to vote)
• not be finally convicted of a felony, or if a convicted felon, you must have fully discharged your punishment, including any incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or be pardoned

Step 2. Keep Track of Election Dates

It can be hard to keep track of what elections are upcoming, what and who is on the ballot, and where and when voting is happening. The most reliable source for all things elections is the Dawson County Elections Information page. Here you can find voting and election information. Votetexas.org has a wealth of information, as well, and you can check our calendar for important election dates.

If you need help deciding how to vote, check out these resources below:

League of Women Voters

Ballotpedia Sample Ballot

And if you would like reminders about election dates and deadlines, vote.org can help with that:

Step 3. Gather Documents to Vote

Voting in Person

Photo ID for Voting

If voting in person, whether in early voting or on election day, you will be asked to show photo ID. Acceptable IDs include:

• Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas election ID certificate
• Texas personal ID card
• Texas handgun license
• US military ID with photo
• US citizenship certificate with photograph (doesn’t need to be current)
• US passport

For voters 70 or over, the acceptable photo ID may be expired for any length of time if the identification is otherwise valid. For voters 18-69, the ID may be expired for no more than four years.

Voters without ID

If you don’t have ID and cannot obtain one due to a reasonable impediment, you’ll need to sign a sworn statement that there is a reason why you don’t have any of the accepted IDs and present one of the following:

• Certified birth certificate
• Valid voter registration certificate
• Current utility bill, government check, bank statement or paycheck, or government document with your name and address

You can get a Texas election ID for free at any driver’s license office in the state, including the one in Lamesa. You must present documents verifying your identity and citizenship. More information can be found here, and you can access the application in both English and Spanish.

Voting with a Provisional Ballot

If you don’t have ID and do not have a reasonable impediment to obtaining one or did not bring ID to the polling place, you may cast a provisional ballot. In order to have the provisional ballot counted, you’re required to visit the Dawson County Elections Administrator’s office within six calendar days of the election to either present a valid form of ID or submit a temporary affidavit (or qualify for disability exemption) in the presence of the Elections Administrator and attest to the fact that you do not have any of the required photo IDs.

Voting by Mail

Requirements

To vote by mail, you must meet one of these requirements:

• 65 years old or older
• Sick or disabled
• Expected to give birth within three weeks of election day
• Expected to be away from Dawson County during all of early voting and on Election Day
• Confined in jail (but eligible to vote) or other involuntary civil commitment during all of early voting and on Election Day

Applying for a Ballot by Mail

If you meet the above requirements, you can obtain an application to vote by mail from the Early Voting Clerk (which is the same person as the Elections Administrator in Dawson County) or from the Secretary of State’s website.

Voters must reapply for an annual ballot every year. Once you’ve filled out the application, mail the application to the Early Voting Clerk at this address:

Early Voting Clerk
116 Austin Ave.
Lamesa, TX 79331

You must provide one of the following numbers on your ballot by mail (ABBM) and your mail ballot carrier envelope:

• Texas Driver’s License number
• Texas Personal Identification number
• Election Identification Certificate number issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (this is NOT your voter registration VUID number)
• Last four digits of your Social Security number

More information about voting by mail can be found at the Dawson County Elections information site in the “Vote with a Ballot by Mail” section, and vote.org makes it super-simple to fill out the application to vote by mail so you can print it and mail it in to the Early Voting Clerk at the above address:

Step 4. Vote!

Decide if you want to vote early, vote on Election Day, or vote by mail (if you are eligible). If you’re a member of the armed forces, their dependents, or a citizen outside of the United States, click here for resources.

Early Voting (In-Person)

Dawson County typically has one early voting location (as opposed to having at least one in each precinct for Election Day). You can check the Dawson County Elections Information page for early voting locations and hours, or visit our Upcoming Elections page for information on polling places and hours of operation.

Note the requirements in Step 3 for voting in person. You do not have to have your Voter Registration Card with you to vote in Texas, but if you know where it is, it’s a good idea to bring it!

Voting on Election Day

You can visit our Upcoming Elections page or the Dawson County Elections Information page to find Election Day polling locations and hours for each precinct. You must vote at a polling location in your precinct. If you’re unsure of your precinct and have your Voter Registration Card, you can use this video to determine your precinct:

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If you can’t find your voter registration card, you can visit the Texas Secretary of State’s website to look up your voter information. Not only will it tell you your registration status, but it will show your precinct, as well. For more information on this, head over to our Am I Registered to Vote? page.

As with early voting, be sure to bring an accepted photo ID. It’s not necessary to have your Voter Registration Card with you, but if you know where it is, it’s still a good idea to bring it!

Voting by Mail

If you plan to vote by mail, make sure you’ve followed the steps to apply to vote by mail (which must be done every year).

Once you’ve received your ballot, follow the instructions for filling out the ballot. Be sure to read the instructions and follow them so your ballot is not rejected. The League of Women Voters of Texas has a step-by-step instruction video that may be helpful:

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