Texas Voter ID, Explained: The Seven Photo IDs and the Backup Option for Voters Without One

Texas law requires voters to present photo identification when voting in person. The list of acceptable photo IDs is specific and contains seven forms: a Texas driver license, a Texas Election Identification Certificate, a Texas personal identification card, a Texas handgun license, a U.S. military identification card containing a photo, a U.S. citizenship certificate containing a photo, and a U.S. passport, in book or card form.

Expiration rules are more flexible than many voters expect. For most voters, an approved photo ID may be expired for up to four years and still be accepted at the polls. Voters who are 70 years of age or older may use an approved photo ID regardless of how long it has been expired. That means an older passport or license kept in a drawer may still do the job on Election Day.

Texas also provides a backup path for voters who cannot reasonably obtain one of the seven photo IDs. Those voters may sign a form called a Reasonable Impediment Declaration at the polling place, stating the reason they could not obtain an approved ID, and present a supporting document. Supporting documents include a copy or original of a government document showing the voter's name and address, a current utility bill, a bank statement, a government check, a paycheck, or the voter's voter registration certificate.

Election Identification Certificates, the free ID option on the list, are issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety for voting purposes. Voters who know well before an election that they lack photo ID can use that route, but the Reasonable Impediment Declaration exists so that a missing ID does not by itself end the conversation at the check-in table.

Voters can review the ID rules and confirm their registration through VoteTexas.gov, the state's official election information site. Checking the rules the night before, rather than in the parking lot, is the easiest way to keep Election Day simple.