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2025 Texas Statutes
Election Code
Title 7 - Early Voting
Subtitle A - Early Voting
Chapter 86 - Conduct of Voting by Mail
Section 86.003. Method of Providing Ballot to Voter: Required Address

Universal Citation:
TX Elec COde § 86.003 (2025)
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Sec. 86.003. METHOD OF PROVIDING BALLOT TO VOTER: REQUIRED ADDRESS. (a) The balloting materials for voting by mail shall be provided to the voter by mail. A ballot provided by any other method may not be counted.

(b) Subject to Subsection (c), the balloting materials shall be addressed to the applicable address specified in the voter's application. The election officer providing the ballot may not knowingly mail the materials to an address other than that prescribed by this section.

(c) The address to which the balloting materials must be addressed is the address at which the voter is registered to vote, or the registered mailing address if different, unless the ground for voting by mail is:

(1) absence from the county of residence, in which case the address must be an address outside the voter's county of residence;

(2) confinement in jail, in which case the address must be the address of the jail or of a relative described by Section 84.002(a)(4);

(3) age or disability and the voter is living at a hospital, nursing home or other long-term care facility, or retirement center, or with a relative described by Section 84.002(a)(3), in which case the address must be the address of that facility or relative; or

(4) involuntary civil commitment, in which case the address must be the address of the facility or of a relative described by Section 84.002(a)(7).

(d) If the applicable address specified in a voter's application is an address other than that prescribed by Subsection (c) or subject to Section 86.002(a), the voter's application shall be rejected in accordance with Section 86.001(c).

(e) Repealed by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., 1st C.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 5), Sec. 18, eff. December 1, 2017.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 203, Sec. 2.12; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 554, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 565, Sec. 4, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1381, Sec. 14, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1316, Sec. 23, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.

Amended by:

Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 980 (H.B. 658), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2017.

Acts 2017, 85th Leg., 1st C.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 5), Sec. 8, eff. December 1, 2017.

Acts 2017, 85th Leg., 1st C.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 5), Sec. 18, eff. December 1, 2017.

Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 711 (H.B. 3107), Sec. 60, eff. September 1, 2021.

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