To be eligible to vote by mail in Texas, you must request a ballot by mail application and:
be 65 years or older (eligible to apply for an annual ballot by mail);
be disabled (eligible to apply for an annual ballot by mail);
expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day;
be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance; or
be confined in jail or involuntary civil commitment, but otherwise eligible.
Notes
Regular mail ballot applications for the over 65 years of age or disabled groups are only applicable for the one election that the application is filled out for.
Annual applications are valid for one calendar year and only available to the over 65 and disable voters.
If you are in the military or a citizen overseas, obtain a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). These applications stay in effect for one federal election so it is important to update your mailing address with the county.
Please note additional information pertaining to mail ballot applications:
A mail ballot application may also be obtained by contacting our office at (903) 590-4777 or by email to request an application be mailed to you.
Our office can only send an application to the individual requestor. The application cannot be requested by a family member or friend (Texas Election Code Sec. 276.016).
A mail ballot application can be submitted as early as January 1 of the calendar year in which the election is occurring.
Once the application is completed, mail it to:
Smith County Elections Administration
Attn: Early Voting Clerk
302 E. Ferguson Street
Tyler, Texas 75702
Mail ballot applications must be submitted to the early voting clerk before the close of business on the 11th day before Election Day. If the 11th day is a weekend, the last day to submit an application is the preceding Friday.
Mail Ballot Information:
We send out mail ballots 30 days before Election Day.
Mail ballots can be returned to our office by mail as soon the voter receives their ballot.
Hand delivered mail ballots can only be accepted in the our office on Election Day-they cannot be accepted at any other place.
Hand delivered mail ballots can only be delivered by the individual voter; they cannot be delivered by any other individual or party.
The ballot is returned in a carrier envelope. This carrier envelope must be filled out by the voter or the voter's assistant.
The Secretary of State now offers a way to track your ballot. To track your ballot, you must provide personal identification information. If you want to track your ballot you can call our office at 903-590-4777 or click Ballot Tracker.
