May 1 Election Guide: What Collin County voters should know

COLLIN COUNTY, TX — Collin County voters are facing important local decisions this election cycle, from a major bond election in Plano to mayoral and city council races in cities like McKinney.

Many of the local contests feature five or more candidates each and with so many candidates running, it’s quite possible plenty of local races will head to run-off elections sometime later this summer.

Some jurisdictions require candidates to reach a majority of the vote, which is more than 50%, to outright win. With so many candidates in a single race, that can be hard to do. The top two vote-getters will head into a runoff typically if no one candidate gets the majority of the vote.

Below, WFAA has compiled a list of many of the bigger local races in Collin County, some information about Plano’s bond election, and other general information voters should know before heading to polls.

Early voting starts April 19 and runs through April 27. Election Day is May 1.

How to check if you’re registered

To be eligible to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen over 18 years old on Election Day. You also must have a valid Texas or federal photo ID to cast a ballot, although there are certain exemptions to that.

You must be registered in order to vote in Texas. You can check online to see if you are currently registered to vote.

Those who wish to vote by mail must submit their application for a mail-in ballot no later than April 20.

To vote by mail in Texas, you must be:

• 65 years or older
• disabled
• out of the county on Election Day and during early voting
• confined in jail

Ballots submitted by mail must be received by election workers by 7 p.m. on May 1, with a few exceptions.

Where do I vote? How to find your polling place

Collin County voters can visit any early voting location in the county during early voting and on Election Day.

On May 1, polling places across Texas will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

What do I need to vote?

When you head to the polls, you need one of the following forms of ID to cast your vote.

• Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
• Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
• Texas Handgun License issued by DPS
• United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph
• United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
• United States Passport (book or card)

Your driver’s license does NOT need to be REAL ID compliant, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

The photo ID must be current, or, for voters under the age of 70, have not expired more than four years prior to voting. Those age 70 and older can use any expired photo ID that otherwise remains correct, no matter how long it has been expired.

Your address on your photo ID does not need to match the address you used to register to vote.

Don’t have one of those? Here are supporting forms of ID.

• a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate
• a current utility bill
• a bank statement
• a government check
• a paycheck
• a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate
• a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document)

What’s on my ballot?

Collin County voters can find a sample ballot specific to their address by visiting the county’s elections website.

Below, WFAA has compiled a look at some of the noteworthy local races happening in Collin County this cycle. For more information about a candidate or a position, click on the hyperlink.