Polk County Texas            

For voters aged 18-69 years, photo ID can be expired for up to four years.

For voters aged 70 and older, photo ID can be expired for any length of time if otherwise valid.

Here is a list of the supporting forms of ID that can be presented if the voter does not possess one of the forms of acceptable photo ID and cannot obtain one due to a reasonable impediment:

• Valid voter registration certificate
• Certified birth certificate (must be an original)
• Copy of or original current utility bill
• Copy of or original bank statement
• Copy of or original government check
• Copy of or original paycheck
• Copy of or original government document with your name and an address (original required if it contains a photograph)

After presenting a supporting form of ID, the voter must execute a Reasonable Impediment Declaration.

Voter Registration Application

To vote in Texas, you must be registered. Simply pick up a voter registration application, fill it out, and mail it at least 30 days before the election date. 

You are eligible to register to vote if:

• You are a United States citizen;
• You are a resident of the county where you submit the application; 
• You are at least 17 years and 10 months old, and you are 18 years of age on
  Election Day.
• You are not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole); and
• You have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

Are you already registered?

To confirm your voter registration status, you may select one of three methods to perform a search:

• Your Texas driver’s license number, if you provided it when you applied for voter registration;
• Your Voter Unique Identifier (VUID), which appears on your voter registration certificate;
• Your first and last name.

Find out if you are registered to vote

Name or Address Change

♦  regular mail, common or contract carrier: 101 W. Mill St. Suite 265 Livingston, Texas 77351
♦  FAX* (936-327-6855)
♦  email* (Shock@co.polk.tx.us)

If the early voting period has not yet begun, you may submit your application by one of the above methods or in person. If the application is submitted in person, it must be delivered by the applicant. Another person may not deliver your application for you.

Polk County Elections provides the HART Verity Touch Voting System with the Verity Access that is available at all voting locations to serve voters who are blind, have limited vision, or limited dexterity that prevents them from marking the ballot without assistance. The HART voting system is ADA compliant and certified by the Texas Secretary of State for use in Texas. This is an option at all Early Voting In-Person and Election Day polling sites in Polk County.

There is a new law in Section 63.0013-of the Voting Rights Act that allows voters with mobility problems to be accepted for voting ahead of others in line. Ask your voting clerk to move you to the front of the line if this will help you while in your polling site.

Tell the election official if you are a voter who needs help to vote. You do not have to provide proof of your disability. Voters are entitled to receive assistance if they:

• Cannot read or write; or
• Have a physical disability that prevents them from reading or marking the ballot; or
• Cannot speak English, or communicate only with sign language, and want assistance in communicating with election officials.

Voters may be assisted by:

• Any person the voter chooses who is not an election worker;
• Two election workers on Election Day; or
• One election worker during early voting.

Voters MAY NOT be assisted by:

• Their employer;
• An agent of their employer; or
• An officer or agent of their union.

The person assisting the voter must read him or her the entire ballot, unless the voter asks to have only parts of the ballot read. The person assisting the voter must take an oath that he or she will not try to influence the voter’s vote and will mark the ballot as the voter directs. If the voter chooses to be assisted by polling place officials, poll watchers and election inspectors may observe the voting process, but if the voter asks to be assisted by a person the voter chooses, no one else may watch him or her vote.
It is illegal for a person assisting the voter to:

• Try to influence the voter’s vote;
• Mark the voter’s ballot in a way other than the way they have asked; or
• Tell anyone how the voter voted.

Voters who cannot speak English, or who communicate only with sign language, may use an interpreter to help them communicate with election officials, regardless of whether the election official(s) attending to the voter can speak the same language as the voter. The voter may select any person other than the voter’s employer, an agent of the voter’s employer, or an officer or agent of a labor union to which the voter belongs. If the voter cannot read the languages on the ballot, the interpreter may also assist by translating the language on the ballot for the voter in the voting booth. If the voter is deaf and does not have a sign language interpreter who can accompany them to help communicate with the poll worker or read the ballot, please use RelayTexas (dial 7-1-1) in order to contact us at (936) 327-6805 and request assistance.

The Polk County Clerks Office is dedicated to making all polling places fully accessible. We believe polling places should support voters, not hinder them! When you go to the polls in Polk County, you can expect:

• Your polling place will meet strict accessibility standards, including:
• A location on the ground floor that can be entered from the street or via an elevator with doors that open at least 36 inches
• Doors, entrances, and exits used to enter or leave the polling place that are at least 32 inches wide
• Any curb next to the main entrance to the polling place must have curb-cuts or temporary non-slip ramps
• Stairs necessary to enter or leave the polling place must have handrails on each side and a non-slip ramp.
• Removal of all barriers such as gravel, automatically closing gates, closed doors without lever-type handles, or any other barrier that impedes the path of the physically disabled to the voting station.
• Voting systems that are accessible to voters with physical disabilities and can accommodate no vision, low vision, no hearing, low hearing, limited manual dexterity, limited reach, limited strength, no mobility, low mobility, or any combination of the foregoing (except the combination of no hearing and no vision)
• Each polling place will offer at least one type of accessible voting equipment or Direct Record Electronic (“DRE”) device. This equipment allows voters with disabilities to vote directly on the system or assist them in marking the paper ballot. Depending on the type of system, voters with disabilities may use headphones or other assistive devices to help them vote independently and secretly.

Polling places are inspected to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Checklist. 

On September 1, 1999, Texas became the first state to require that all new voting systems be accessible to voters with disabilities and provide a practical and effective means for voters with disabilities to cast a secret ballot. Polk County's voting system meets the disability standards as prescribed by the Texas Secretary of State and Federal Help America Vote Act. These features allow voters to cast their votes privately, securely, and without assistance.

The Verity Access audio tactile interface (ATI) provides audio ballots with volume and speed controls, adaptive device compatibility, and Braille. Intuitive navigation and plain-language instructions make marking accurate choices quick and easy. Flexible settings for voter ease - the voter can change the language, text size and screen contrast at any time during the voting process.

Voters who are visually impaired or blind may choose to use headphones to hear the ballot read aloud. The audio is recorded in both English and Spanish. Voters can also customize volume and speed.

A voter with limited dexterity or limited upper body mobility may vote by using the tactile input jelly switches.

• The red jelly switch is similar to the Move wheel. Click the red jelly to move through options.

• The green jelly switch is similar to the Select button. Click the green jelly to make selections.

Curbside Voting is available during Early Voting and Election Day for any voter who has difficulty walking, standing for long periods, or are physically unable to enter the polling place. You may ask that an election officer bring a secure voting unit to you at the entrance of the polling location or to a car at curbside.

Voters who are planning to vote curbside are encouraged to contact us before or upon arrival at the polling location. Please call (936) 327-6805.

Voters with a disability may apply for a permanent exemption. The application must contain written documentation either from the U.S. Social Security Administration evidencing he or she has been determined to have a disability, or from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evidencing a disability rating of at least 50 percent.

Exemption Applications

ENGLISH

SPANISH

Voters 18 years of age and older with disabilities, voters 65 years of age and older, and voters who expect to be out of the county during both the early voting period and election day may request a ballot be mailed to them.

To vote by mail, you must first apply for a ballot. The Polk County Elections Division only sends out applications or ballots with a specific request from the voter.

We must receive your application no earlier than January 1st of the year in which the election is held and no later than the close of business 11 days before election day. If the deadline falls on a weekend, the last day to submit an application is the preceding Friday. If the deadline falls on a state or federal holiday, the ballot application must be received on the preceding business day.

If you choose to use mail your application or use a contract carrier (FedEx, UPS, USPS Express or Priority Mail, etc.), applications can be delivered to:
Polk County Clerks Office
101 W. Mill St. Suite 265
Livingston, TX 77351     

You may also submit an application by email or fax:

Email: Shock@co.polk.tx.us  Fax: (936) 3276855

NOTE: If you submit an Application for a Ballot by Mail by fax or email, it must also be submitted by mail and received in our office within four business days of your electronic submission.

We can accept an application in person directly from the individual voter only before early voting begins.