Richardson, Texas Public Records

Texas residents can register online at www.votetexas.gov or submit a completed application by mail or in person to the Dallas County Elections Department. Registration must occur at least 30 days before any election. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, Texas residents, at least 18 by Election Day, not finally convicted of a felony unless sentence, probation, or parole is complete, and not declared mentally incapacitated by a court. While identification isn't required to register, applicants must provide their Texas driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. First-time voters who register by mail may need identification when voting. Municipal elections in Richardson occur in May of odd-numbered years, most recently in May 2025 with the next scheduled for May 2027. The Dallas County Elections Department administers these races under contract with the city. Voters elect a Mayor at-large and six council members representing single-member districts, typically for two-year terms. Candidate information, local ballot measures, and council district boundaries are available at www.cor.net/government/city-council or through the Dallas County elections office as election dates approach. When no candidate secures a majority, runoffs are held in June. Residents can locate their polling place through the Dallas County Elections website at www.dallascounty.org/departments/elections using the "Find Your Polling Place" tool, which requires a residential address. The tool displays precinct numbers, Election Day polling locations with addresses and hours, early voting sites and schedules, and current registration status. Voters can also call 469-627-8683 for assistance. Early voting in Texas typically begins 17 days before Election Day and ends four days prior, with multiple countywide locations offering extended hours including evenings and weekends. Texas law makes most election records public. Voter registration lists are available for purchase for political purposes, showing individual voter names, addresses, dates of birth with visible birth year, registration dates, and voting history indicating which elections someone voted in but not how they voted. The Dallas County Elections Department posts precinct-level results online after each election, breaking down vote totals by race and geographic area. Campaign finance reports for local candidates are filed with the city secretary and available for inspection. Candidate filing documents, ballot measure petitions, and election administration records are generally public under the Texas Public Information Act. Dallas County reported approximately 62% voter turnout among registered voters in the November 2024 general election, with over 830,000 ballots cast countywide in the presidential race. Richardson precincts typically exceed the county average, often reaching 65-70% in presidential years, reflecting higher educational attainment and civic engagement in the community. November 3, 2026, brings several major races to Richardson and Dallas County voters. Texas holds all statewide elections in midterm years, so the ballot will include Governor as incumbent Greg Abbott's term expires, along with Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and all other statewide executive offices. All 38 Texas Senate seats appear on the 2026 ballot, as Senate terms are staggered but all elected in midterm years, along with all 150 Texas House seats. Richardson is represented in the Texas Legislature by specific districts determined by 2021 redistricting. Federal races include one U.S. Senate seat, as Senator John Cornyn's seat is up for election in 2026, plus the city's U.S. House representative based on congressional redistricting. Dallas County offices on the ballot include County Judge, County Commissioners for specific precincts, County Clerk, District Clerk, Sheriff, Tax Assessor-Collector, County Treasurer, and District Attorney. Richardson municipal elections won't appear in November 2026 since city elections occur in May of odd years. Judicial elections for Dallas County District Courts, County Courts at Law, and Justice of the Peace positions will also be decided, as Texas elects judges. Texas maintains restrictive mail-in voting laws. Absentee ballots are available only to voters who are 65 or older, disabled, out of the county during the entire early voting period and on Election Day, or confined in jail but eligible to vote. The state offers no universal mail-in voting or no-excuse absentee voting. Eligible voters request mail ballots through applications submitted to the Dallas County Elections Department, available at www.dallascounty.org/departments/elections. Applications must be received, not postmarked, by close of business 11 days before Election Day. Completed mail ballots must be returned by 7:00 PM on Election Day, either by mail with an Election Day postmark and received the next business day, or hand-delivered to the elections office. Texas requires voters to provide identification numbers, either driver's license or last four SSN digits, on both the mail ballot application and the ballot return envelope. These numbers must match registration records, a requirement that has caused ballot rejections.