Texas Election Code 85.005 – Regular Days and Hours for Voting
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), in an election in which a county clerk is the early voting clerk under § 83.002, early voting by personal appearance at the main early voting polling place shall be conducted on each weekday of the early voting period that is not a legal state holiday and for a period of at least nine hours, except that voting may not be conducted earlier than 6 a.m. or later than 10 p.m.
(b) In an election to which Subsection (a) does not apply, early voting by personal appearance at the main early voting polling place shall be conducted at least nine hours each weekday of the early voting period that is not a legal state holiday unless the territory covered by the election has fewer than 1,000 registered voters. In that case, the voting shall be conducted at least four hours each day. The authority ordering the election, or the county clerk if that person is the early voting clerk, shall determine which hours the voting is to be conducted.
Terms Used In Texas Election Code 85.005
- General election: means an election, other than a primary election, that regularly recurs at fixed dates. See Texas Election Code 1.005
- Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Primary election: means an election held by a political party under Chapter 172 to select its nominees for public office, and, unless the context indicates otherwise, the term includes a presidential primary election. See Texas Election Code 1.005
- Special election: means an election that is not a general election or a primary election. See Texas Election Code 1.005
- Week: means seven consecutive days. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(c) Voting in a primary election or the general election for state and county officers shall be conducted at the main early voting polling place for at least 12 consecutive hours on each weekday of the last week of the early voting period, and the voting in a special election ordered by the governor shall be conducted at the main early voting polling place for at least 12 consecutive hours on each of the last two days of the early voting period. Voting under this subsection may not be conducted earlier than 6 a.m. or later than 10 p.m.
(d) A voter who has not voted before the scheduled time for closing a polling place is entitled to vote after that time if the voter is in line at the polling place by closing time. The secretary of state shall promulgate any materials and provide any training to presiding judges necessary to properly process voters under this subsection.