In 1987, Texas became the first state to allow early voting, increasing the opportunity to cast an in-person ballot before election day. Voting by mail also is available to certain Texans. In Texas, all registered voters can cast a ballot during the early voting period without giving a reason.

The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 25. The deadline for mail-in ballots to be returned or postmarked is Nov. 5, unless it is from an overseas voter. The Nov. 5 election is quickly approaching,

The first early voters cast their ballots on Friday (Sep 20) for November's knife-edge United States presidential election, as Democratic candidate Kamala Harris headed for a campaign event focused on