When are elections in Brenham?
Future Election Dates
The City of Brenham General Elections are held every (4) years, in odd-numbered years, on the first Saturday in May.
I work in the City. Am I eligible to vote in a City election?
Unfortunately, working in the City does not make you eligible to vote in a City election.
I own rental property in the City. Am I eligible to vote in the City election?
In short, you must be a registered voter within the city limits of Brenham. Simply owning property within the city limits does not qualify you to vote in a City election. To be qualified to vote in a City election, a person must:
- Be 18 years of age or older on the day of the election;
- Be a citizen of the United States;
- Not have 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;
- Not have been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be:
- Fully discharged his sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision, or completed a period of probation order by any court; or
- Been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disability to vote; and
- Be a registered voter within the city limits of Brenham for more than 30 days prior to the day of the election.
I'm not sure if I'm registered; how can I confirm my voter registration status?
You can confirm your registration status by going to the Texas Secretary of State’s website at www.votetexas.gov or by calling your local voter registrar’s office in the county where you live.
What is the deadline to register to vote?
The deadline to register and be eligible to vote in the May 6, 2023 General Election is April 6, 2023.
If I submit my registration by the deadline, what happens next?
Your voter registration becomes effective thirty (30) days after it is accepted by the county voter registrar in your county. Once your registration is accepted by the voter registrar, your voter registration certificate will be generated and mailed to the address you provided on your application. Once you receive your certificate, be sure to read the information on the back of the certificate, sign by the “X” on the front of the card.
I am registered to vote, but I moved this past year. Is there anything I need to do to make sure that I won't have a problem voting in May?
If you moved “within the same county/city” you must file the new address information in writing with your voter registrar. The last day to make a change of address that will be effective for the May election is April 6, 2023. If you miss this deadline, you may return to your old precinct to vote. You will be required to complete a "statement of residence" indicating your new address.
If you moved to a “different county/city” you must re-register in your new county of residence. The deadline to register is April 6, 2023. You cannot vote in a city or county in which you do not reside. If you miss the deadline, you can still vote in the new county/city during early voting or on election day using other methods provided by State law.
I don't remember seeing my certificate lately. Is that a problem? Don't I just stay registered?
New certificates are mailed out every two years to the most recent address you gave to the voter registrar. If you do not recall receiving a new blue and white voter registration certificate, you may contact the voter registrar in your County to verify your registration status prior to Election Day. If you did not receive your certificate because you moved to a new county, you will need to re-register with the voter registrar in the new county.
I can't find my voter certificate/card. Will I be able to vote without it?
Yes but you must have a valid, government issued, form of photo ID.
Can anybody vote early in person, or only those people who are going to be out of town on Election Day? What are the dates for voting early in person?
Any voter that is registered within Washington County and the City of Brenham may vote early by personal appearance (in person). Early voting by personal appearance for the May 6, 2023 General Election begins on Monday, April 24, 2023 and ends on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. The hours of early voting will be 8:00 a.m. to 5: 00 p.m. There will be no Early Voting on Saturday, April 29th or Sunday, April 30th.
Where do I go to early vote?
Early voting will be held in the Washington County Annex Building, 100 S. Park Street, Brenham, Texas.
Can anybody vote early by mail (also referred to as absentee voting)?
Only specific reasons entitle a registered voter to vote early by mail (absentee voting). Voters may only vote by mail if they:
- will be away from your county on Election Day and during early voting; or
- are sick or disabled; or
- are 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
- are confined in jail; or
- are expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day
I meet one of the requirements shown above to vote early by mail. What do I do now? Are there deadlines connected with this procedure?
You must request an Application for Ballot by Mail (ABBM) from the Washington County Elections and Voter Registrar’s Office. Carefully complete the ABBM form and return it to the Voter Registrar at 100 E. Main St., Suite 105, Brenham, TX 77833. The last day to submit an ABBM is April 25, 2023 by 5:00 p.m. Please note that the ABBM must be delivered in person by the requestor, unless another delivery method is allowed by law.
It's Election Day, I'm registered and ready to vote. Where do I go? What are the hours for voting on Election Day?
On Election Day, you will need to vote in the Ward in which you live, the polling locations are as follows:
Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library
100 Martin Luther King, Jr. Pkwy
Washington County Event Center
1305 E. Blue Bell Road
Brenham VFW Hall
1200 E. Tom Green Street
Blinn Junior College Student Center
1007 Walter Schwartz Way
If you do not know which polling location you should vote at, look at your voter registration card in the block labeled CITY and it will tell you which ward you vote in. You can also look up your ward on the City’s website (www.cityofbrenham.org). The hours of voting on Election Day are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
What do I need to take with me on Election Day to the polls?
You must take one of the following forms of identification:
- Texas Driver’s license,
- Texas election identification certificate,
- Texas personal identification card
- Texas concealed handgun license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety;
- United States Military identification card containing your photograph;
- United States citizenship certificate containing your photograph; or
- United States passport
With the exception of the U.S. citizenship certificate, for ages 18-69, the identification must be current or have expired no more than 4 years before being presented for voter qualification at the polling place. Voters 70 or over, may present an acceptable photo ID that is expired for any length of time.
Other exemptions to the photo voter identification requirement which are subjected to other provisions:
- Voters with consistent religious objection to being photographed
- Voters who do not have any photo identification due to a natural disaster as declared by the President of the United States or the Texas Governor
These voters may cast a provisional ballot at the polls, appear at the voter registrar’s office within six (6) days after election day to sign an affidavit swearing to the religious objection or natural disaster, in order for the voter’s ballot to be counted.
Alternatively, a voter who possess an acceptable form of photo ID but does not have it at the polling place or does not possess an acceptable form of photo ID, and is able to obtain one, may choose to leave the polling place, and return before the polls close with an acceptable form of ID. The voter may also choose to vote provisionally and cure their ballot within six working days after the election. Voter must submit proof of ID at their voter registrar’s office within six (6) days.
What if I do not possess one of the acceptable forms of ID named above?
You may complete a Reasonable Impediment Declaration form and present one of the following forms of supporting ID:
- Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and address, including the voter registration certification; or
- Copy of or original current utility bill; or
- Copy of or original bank statement; or
- Copy of or original government check; or
- Copy of or original paycheck; or
- Copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U. S. State or territory) birth certificate or (b) document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes your identity (which may also include a foreign birth).