Updated Oct. 23, 2014: According to the voter ID law that went into effect in November 2013, every Texas voter must show an acceptable form of ID to be allowed to cast their ballot in person. All IDs - with the exception of a Citizenship Certificate - must be current or less than 60 days expired.
Accepted photo IDs include:
- Texas drivers license or Texas-issued personal ID card
- Texas concealed handgun license
- U.S. passport
- U.S. Citizenship Certificate or Certificate of Naturalization
- U.S. Military ID card with photo
- Electronic Identification Certificate (EIC)
The Electronic Identification Certificate (EIC) is the required document for all voters who do not already have another approved form of ID. (If you do have any other approved form of ID, you are not eligible for an EIC.) An EIC is valid for six years, and there is no expiration date for certificates issued to citizens 70 years of age or older.
To apply for an EIC, visit a Texas Department of Public Safety office (see map below) during regular business hours and complete an Application for Texas Election Certificate (DL-14C) (PDF) | Application for Texas Election Certificate (Spanish) (DL-14CS) (PDF). To qualify for an EIC you must:
- Bring documentation to the office to verify your U.S. Citizenship
- Bring documentation to the office to verify your Identity
- Be eligible to vote in Texas (Bring your valid voter registration card to the office, or submit a voter registration application through the Texas Department of Public Safety at the office)
If you are using a name other than what is on your birth certificate, such as a married name, you will be required to show legal documentation of a name change. Documents must be original or certified copies, and not a photocopy.
Acceptable documents:
- Marriage license
- Divorce decree
- Court ordered name change
Find a DPS office near you on this map - there are five offices in Bexar County:
View San Antonio Department of Public Safety in a full screen map
For DPS Office Hours, click here. All Bexar County DPS Offices will also be open on Saturdays from October 11, 2014 - November 8, 2014 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m for EIC transactions only.
Exemptions to the Photo ID law
- If you are voting by mail, you do not have to submit a photo ID.
- If you have a documented disability, you may apply at your county voter registrar for a permanent exemption from the photo ID requirement. If approved, you will not need a photo ID to vote.
- Voters who have a consistent religious objection to being photographed and voters who do not have any valid form of photo identification as a result of certain natural disasters as declared by the President of the United States or the Texas Governor, may vote a provisional ballot, appear at the voter registrar’s office within six (6) calendar days after election day, and sign an affidavit swearing to the religious objection or natural disaster, in order for their ballot to be counted.
Has your name changed since you registered to vote?
If the name on your approved photo ID does not exactly match my name on your voter registration card, election officials will review the ID and if a name is “substantially similar” to the name on their list of registered voters, you will still be able to vote, but you will also have to submit an affidavit stating that you are the same person on the list of registered voters. A voter’s name is considered substantially similar if one or more of the following circumstances applies:
- The name on the ID is slightly different from one or more of the name fields on the official list of registered voters.
- The name on the voter’s ID or on list of registered voters is a customary variation of the voter’s formal name. For example, Bill for William, or Beto for Alberto.
- The voter’s name contains an initial, middle name, or former name that is either not on the official list of registered voters or on the voter’s ID.
- A first name, middle name, former name or initial of the voter’s name occupies a different field on the presented ID document than it does on the list of registered voters.
- In considering whether a name is substantially similar, election officials will also look at whether information on the presented ID matches elements of the voter’s information on the official list of registered voters such as the voter’s residence address or date of birth.
