Tex. Elec. Code § 86.005 · Chapter 86. CONDUCT OF VOTING BY MAIL
MARKING AND SEALING BALLOT.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) A voter must mark a ballot voted by mail in accordance with the instructions on the ballot envelope.
(b) A voter may mark the ballot at any time after receiving it.
(c) After marking the ballot, the voter must place it in the official ballot envelope and then seal the ballot envelope, place the ballot envelope in the official carrier envelope and then seal the carrier envelope, and sign the certificate on the carrier envelope using ink on paper. An electronic signature or photocopied signature is not permitted.
(d) Failure to use the official ballot envelope does not affect the validity of the ballot.
(e) After the carrier envelope is sealed by the voter, it may not be opened except as provided by Chapter 87.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 203, Sec. 2.12; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 554, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1315, Sec. 44, eff. Jan. 1, 2004.
Amended by:
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 683 (H.B. 1299), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2023.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/EL/htm/EL.86.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 0b7410737ffb372fa1f3d6084dcf496fa402a9d6c75b4f3c80d0dc210d0dbdf0
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.