Bardwell, Texas Public Records

Residents can register to vote online through the Texas Secretary of State website at www.votetexas.gov, where eligible citizens complete and submit applications processed by the Ellis County Elections Administrator. To register, applicants must be U.S. Citizens, Texas residents, at least 17 years and 10 months old (must be 18 by election day), not finally convicted of a felony (or have completed sentence, parole, and probation), and not declared mentally incapacitated by a court. The voter registration deadline in Texas is 30 days before an election. At the polls, voters must present one of seven approved forms of photo ID: Texas driver license, election identification certificate, Texas personal ID card, Texas license to carry a handgun, U.S. Military ID card, U.S. Citizenship certificate with photo, or U.S. Passport. The town holds municipal elections for mayor and city council positions. With a mayor and five council members serving staggered terms, municipal elections occur on uniform election dates in May under Texas law, typically the first Saturday in May. The next Bardwell city election is scheduled for May 2026 to elect council members whose terms expire. Candidate filing information and ballot measures specific to the community can be obtained from Bardwell City Hall at (972) 646-3936 or through the Ellis County Elections Administrator, which contracts to conduct elections for the city. Since the town is incorporated with its own municipal government, residents vote in city elections as well as county, state, and federal contests. Residents can find their assigned polling location by visiting the Ellis County Elections website or the Texas Secretary of State's polling place lookup at www.votetexas.gov, where entering a residential address will show the correct precinct and polling location. The county uses countywide voting centers for early voting, allowing any registered voter to cast a ballot at any early voting location regardless of precinct. On election day, voters must vote at their assigned precinct polling place. Under Texas law, voter registration information is public record with certain restrictions; the Ellis County voter registration list can be purchased for political purposes. Campaign finance reports for local, county, and state candidates are public and filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, searchable at www.ethics.state.tx.us. Precinct-by-precinct election results are public records available through the Elections Administrator after certification. All 150 Texas House of Representatives seats will be up for election (Bardwell is in House District 10), though U.S. Senate seats and U.S.Current federal, state, and local election schedules, ballot contests, candidate filings, and certified results for Bardwell voters are published by the Texas Secretary of State Elections Division (https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/).S. Races in 2024 and 2026 for House; Senate Class II in 2026 does not include Texas senators). County offices including Ellis County Commissioners for certain precincts may be on the ballot depending on the election cycle. Voters should check with the Ellis County Elections Administrator for the full sample ballot for their precinct as the election approaches. Texas offers limited absentee voting by mail; only voters who meet specific criteria can vote by mail: those 65 or older, those who will be out of the county during the election period including early voting, those in jail but otherwise eligible, or those with a disability or illness. Applications for mail-in ballots (Application for Ballot by Mail) must be submitted to the Ellis County Elections Administrator and can be downloaded from the Ellis County website or requested by phone. Applications must be received (not postmarked) by the 11th day before election day. Completed mail-in ballots must be returned by 7:00 PM on election day, either by mail (postmarked by election day, received by 5:00 PM the day after) or hand-delivered to the Elections Administrator's office. Texas does not have universal vote-by-mail; most voters are expected to vote in person either during early voting (typically 10-12 days before election day) or on election day itself.