MASS EMAIL (HS Principals): Registering Your Eligible High School Students to Vote

Texas Secretary of State sent this bulletin at 09/11/2025 05:34 PM CDT

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ELECTIONS DIVISION

TO: Texas High School Principals

FROM: Elections Division, Texas Secretary of State

SUBJECT: Registering Your Eligible High School Students to Vote

DATE: September 11, 2025

Dear High School Principal:

Thank you for your service to the community as a high school principal. As part of your responsibilities, we want to remind you of your role in helping eligible high school students register to vote under Section 13.046(a) of the Texas Election Code. As a high school deputy voter registrar, you play a crucial role in this process. To fulfill this obligation, please ensure that you distribute voter registration forms at least twice throughout the school year.

The voter registration deadline for the November 4, 2025 Election is October 6, 2025.

We reach out to you twice a year, at the start of each semester, to remind you of important voter registration guidelines. Voter registration forms must be made available to students during the final month of each semester of the school year. Considering the upcoming voter registration deadline for the election on November 4, 2025, we encourage you to distribute and collect voter registration applications ahead of this deadline, aiming for students to register by October 6, 2025. Additionally, you might consider implementing a system to ensure that eligible students who turn 18 are proactively offered the chance to register to vote.

We encourage you to review the documents provided below containing sections of the Texas Election Code, along with Rule 81.7 of the Texas Administrative Code, to fully understand your required responsibilities as a High School Deputy Registrar. We have also included a FAQ document that addresses common inquiries related to these laws and procedures.

Please also review the following helpful information to assist you in registering voters:

Who Can Register:

A student who:
- Is a citizen of the United States;
- Is at least 17 years and 10 months old, and will be 18 years of age by Election Day;
- Has not been finally convicted of a felony, or if a felon, must have completed all of the
  punishment, including any term of incarceration, parole, supervision, or period of probation,
  or must have been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disability to vote; and
- Has not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be
  totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
An employee of your high school can also register.

Where to Get Applications

Primary Sources

You may use the enclosed order form to request blank specially-coded applications from our office, free of charge.
Coded applications may also be ordered online, free of charge.
You may also print copies of the coded registration forms, available in both English and Spanish, and distribute them to your eligible students.

NOTE: We strongly suggest you use the enclosed order form or the online order form referenced above to acquire the voter registration applications.

Secondary Sources

You can also get voter registration applications from your county voter registrar. If you choose this option, please write "H.S. 18" on the application before returning it to the registrar; this will help us track its origin.
Individuals may also access our online application. They will need to complete the form online and then print, sign and submit it to their county voter registrar.

With respect to any forms you distribute or to which you refer students and employees (i.e. specially coded, county, or online), you must also provide students and staff with a required notice referenced below. You may collect completed applications - whether they are specially coded, county-issued, or printed from online - and submit them as instructed below.

Providing Notice to Applicants

You must provide the “Notice to High School Students or Employees Registering to Vote” to each person who submits a registration application to you. The Notice to High School Students or Employees Registering to Vote provides information on how the student or employee may return their completed application.

The printable notice can be located using the link provided below.

How to Return Completed Applications

After an individual completes their voter registration application, they can then return the completed form to you or a designated representative (as defined in Rule 81.7(c)(2)), or a volunteer deputy registrar, for delivery to the local county voter registrar in the county in which the individual resides. Individuals can also send the application in the mail or return the completed form in person to the voter registrar of the county in which they reside. You can find the address for a county’s voter registrar here. Please consult subsection (d)(3) of the Texas Administrative Code Rule 81.7 and the FAQs, provided below, for deadlines relating to the return of completed applications.

Once a completed voter registration application has been submitted to you, you are effectively responsible for safeguarding someone's right to vote. It is crucial to return the application to the voter registrar as soon as possible and by the legally mandated deadline. Failure to do so is a criminal offense.

Early Voting and Voting Information

The official source for voter information, available in both English and Spanish, is www.votetexas.gov. The first day of Early Voting for the November 4, 2025 Election is October 20, 2025 and the last day to vote early is October 31, 2025.

Additional Training Resources

For additional information, please see the High School Deputy Registrar Guide and High School Deputy Registrar Training PowerPoint. These materials and the additional resources provided below will be posted soon on our webpage.

Voter Registration Resources Referenced Above:

Thank you in advance for your commitment to this most important mission. If you have any questions about the voter registration application or this process, please email our office at elections@sos.texas.gov or contact us by phone at 800-252-VOTE (8683).

Sincerely,

Christina Adkins

Director of Elections

Office of the Texas Secretary of State

1019 Brazos Street | Rudder Building, 2nd Floor | Austin, Texas 78701 1.800.252.VOTE (8683)

elections@sos.texas.gov | www.sos.texas.gov

The information contained in this email is intended to provide advice and assistance in election matters per §31.004 of the Texas Election Code. It is not intended to serve as a legal opinion for any matter. Please review the law yourself, and consult with an attorney when your legal rights are involved.

If you have any questions regarding this e-mail, please e-mail elections@sos.texas.gov