Fresno, Texas Public Records

Texas residents can register to vote online through the Texas Secretary of State at www.votetexas.gov, or by completing a voter registration application and submitting it by mail or in person to the Fort Bend County elections office. The registration deadline is 30 days before any election. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens, at least 18 years old by election day, residents of Fort Bend County, not finally convicted of a felony unless all punishment including probation and parole has been completed, and not declared mentally incapacitated by a court. A Texas driver's license or state ID number is required for online registration. As an unincorporated community without municipal government, there are no city council or mayoral elections specific to the area. Residents participate in county, state, and federal elections instead. County-level races include positions such as County Judge, County Commissioners for each precinct, County Clerk, District Clerk, County Attorney, Sheriff, Tax Assessor-Collector, County Treasurer, and justices of the peace. These county offices are typically contested in the primary elections held in March and general elections in November of even-numbered years. Local residents can find their assigned polling location using the "Find My Polling Place" tool on the Fort Bend County Elections website or by calling the department directly. Polling place assignments are based on the voter's residential address and precinct. Texas requires voters to present one of seven approved forms of photo identification: Texas driver's license, Texas Election Identification Certificate, Texas personal identification card, Texas license to carry a handgun, U.S. Military ID card with photo, U.S. Citizenship certificate with photo, or U.S. Passport. Voters without acceptable ID may sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and present supporting documentation. Election records that are public in Texas include voter registration lists, which are available for political purposes to candidates and political parties, campaign finance reports searchable through the Texas Ethics Commission at www.ethics.state.tx.us, candidate filings and ballot information, and precinct-level election results. The county elections website publishes unofficial results on election night and certified results following canvassing. All statewide executive offices will be contested, including Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Land Commissioner, and Agriculture Commissioner. One of Texas's two U.S. All Texas House of Representatives seats, including the district representing the community, will be up for election, as will approximately half of the Texas Senate seats depending on the district cycle. County voters will also elect the County Judge, various County Commissioners depending on precinct cycle, and other county offices, as well as judicial positions at the district and county level. Any bond measures, constitutional amendments, or special district elections will also appear on the ballot. Texas has restrictive mail-in voting laws. Only voters who are 65 years or older, disabled, out of the county during the election period including early voting, or confined in jail but eligible to vote may request an absentee ballot by mail. Applications for mail-in ballots must be received by the Fort Bend County Elections Department no later than 11 days before election day. Early voting in person is available for all registered voters and typically begins 17 days before election day and ends four days before election day, with extended hours and multiple locations throughout Fort Bend County. Specific early voting sites, dates, and hours for each election are posted on the Fort Bend County elections website well in advance. Texas does not offer online voting or no-excuse absentee voting, and voters are encouraged to participate either during the early voting period or on election day at their assigned precinct location.