Voter Guide 2024 | What Bexar County voters should know as Election Day arrives
Local voters will cast ballots for national-level offices like president and U.S. senator, along with county sheriff and others. Here's what you should know.
Adobe
The presidential election is approaching the finish line, and KENS 5 is here to make sure you're equipped with everything you need before heading to the polls.
Election Day is Tuesday, with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump headlining the Oval Office contest. But San Antonio voters will also decide on a U.S. Senate seat, several other state contests and whether some county leaders will remain in office.
When polls close on Tuesday at 7 p.m., all results will be posted at KENS5.com/elections. We're here to make sure you have everything you need to be ready.
We're presenting this voter guide in chronological order of the process. The topics include:
- How to register to vote.
- Key dates for the election.
- How to cast your vote in the election.
- Learning about candidates.
- Tracking elections results.
How to register to vote
The deadline to register to vote is 30 days prior to the election in which you wish to vote. For November, that means the last day was Oct. 7.
If you don't know whether you're registered to vote, you can check here. Otherwise, it's too late to register to vote in Texas.
Key election dates
Here are the dates you'll need to know in order to navigate the election process in Texas.
🗳Monday, Oct. 7: Last day to register to vote
🗳Monday, Oct. 21: Early voting opens in Bexar County
🗳Friday, Oct. 25: Last day to apply to vote by mail
🗳Friday, Nov. 1: Early voting closes in Bexar County
🗳Tuesday, Nov. 5: Election Day
How to cast your vote
Early voting
Early voting in Bexar County for the general election wrapped up on Nov. 1 and saw nearly 575,000 residents make it to the polls in person out of the county's roughly 1.295 million registered voters. That amounts to a 44% turnout.
That's down from the 50% of registered voters who voted early in 2020 – when the early voting period was extended a week due to COVID-era protocols – but up from the 2016 presidential election, when 41.8% of Bexar County residents made it to the polls early.
Election Day - Nov. 5, 2024
The polls in Bexar County will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Election Day on Nov. 5. Those who are in line when polls close will have a chance to fill out and cast their ballot.
Click here to find your polling center. Remember: While you have an assigned polling center based on your address, you can head to any of the county's hundreds of voting sites to cast your ballot on Election Day.
Make sure to have at least one of the following types of ID:
- Texas driver's license
- Texas election ID certificate
- Personal Texas ID card
- Texas handgun license
- U.S. citizenship certificate with photo
- U.S. military ID
- U.S. passport (book or card)
Mail-in voting
Texans are allowed to vote by mail but must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- If you're 65 years of age or older on election day.
- If you're sick or disabled (here that means having a sickness or physical condition preventing you from appearing at the polls on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring your health).
- If you're going to be out of the county on election day or during the early-voting period.
- If you're expected to give birth within three weeks before or after election day.
- If you're confined in jail, but are eligible to vote.
Those eligible must fill out this absentee-ballot application and submit it to the Bexar County Elections Office to be able to submit a mail-in ballot for the election. It must be completed and received at the elections office at least 11 days before the election.
Voter ID
You don't want to get to a polling location and not be ready. There are certain types of ID you need to show before you cast your ballot.
Here's a list that shows you all of the acceptable ID forms.
Is my voter registration information public?
Voter privacy rules vary by state. In Texas, if you are registered to vote, your name, address, precinct you live in and registration number is public record. But your birthday or social security number is kept confidential. The Texas secretary of state allows certain individuals to keep their information confidential, including law enforcement, judges and some crime victims.
What's on the ballot?
Below is a sample of the key races Bexar County voters will ask to weigh in on, from federal races to state contests to questions regarding San Antonio City Council salaries and ethics review procedures. Find the full sample ballot here.
President
🗳Donald Trump - Republican
🗳Kamala Harris - Democrat
🗳Chase Oliver - Libertarian
🗳Jill Stein - Green Party
U.S. Senator
🗳Ted Cruz - Republican
🗳Colin Allred - Democrat
🗳Ted Brown - Libertarian
U.S. Representative, District 20
🗳Joaquin Castro - Democrat
U.S. Representative, District 21
🗳Chip Roy - Republican
🗳Kristin Hook - Democrat
🗳Bob King - Libertarian
U.S. Representative, District 23
🗳Tony Gonzales - Republican
🗳S. Limon - Democrat
U.S. Representative, District 28
🗳Jay Furman - Republican
🗳Henry Cuellar - Democrat
U.S. Representative, District 35
🗳Steven Wright - Republican
🗳Greg Casar - Democrat
Texas Railroad Commissioner
🗳Christi Craddick - Republican
🗳Katherine Culbert - Democrat
🗳Hawk Dunlap - Libertarian
🗳Eddie Espinoza - Green
Bexar County Sheriff
🗳Nathan Buchanan - Republican
🗳Javier Salazar - Democrat
Bexar County Commissioner, Precinct 1
🗳Lina Prado - Republican
🗳Rebeca Clay-Flores - Democrat
Bexar County Commissioner, Precinct 3
🗳Grant Moody - Republican
🗳Susan Korbel - Democrat
Tracking election results
KENS5.com will have live updates of all results in the Bexar County and Texas elections. All results will be posted at KENS5.com/elections.