Election Code § 85.005

Sec. 85.005. REGULAR DAYS AND HOURS FOR VOTING. Text of subsection prior to the amendments made by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2025. Applies to elections ordered before the date the Secretary of State issues the report required by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 32, eff. September 1, 2025. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), in an election in which a county clerk is the early voting clerk under Section 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. Text of subsection as amended by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2025. Applies to elections ordered on or after the date the Secretary of State issues the report required by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 32, eff. September 1, 2025. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), in an election in which a county clerk is the early voting clerk under Section 83.002, early voting by personal appearance at the main early voting polling place shall be conducted on each day of the early voting period 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. Text of subsection prior to the amendments made by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2025. Applies to elections ordered before the date the Secretary of State issues the report required by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 32, eff. September 1, 2025. (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. Text of subsection as amended by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2025. Applies to elections ordered on or after the date the Secretary of State issues the report required by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 32, eff. September 1, 2025. (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 day of the early voting period 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. Text of subsection prior to the amendments made by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2025. Applies to elections ordered before the date the Secretary of State issues the report required by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 32, eff. September 1, 2025. (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. Text of subsection as amended by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2025. Applies to elections ordered on or after the date the Secretary of State issues the report required by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 32, eff. September 1, 2025. (c) Voting in a primary election, the general election for state and county officers, or 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 four days of the early voting period except that voting shall be conducted for at least nine consecutive hours on a Sunday. 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. Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1142, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 203, Sec. 1.07; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 554, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991. Amended by: Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1107 (H.B. 2309), Sec. 1.17, eff. September 1, 2005. Acts 2021, 87th Leg., 2nd C.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 1), Sec. 3.09, eff. December 2, 2021. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 679 (H.B. 1217), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2023. Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1184 (S.B. 2753), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2025.