Sample Ballot by ZIP Code: How to See Your Nov. 3, 2026 Ballot, Plus a Texas Guide as Early Voting Opens

Your sample ballot is the fastest way to know exactly what you will vote on Nov. 3, 2026, and most voters can see it online today. In Texas, in-person early voting opens this Monday, Oct. 19, and runs through Friday, Oct. 30, according to the Texas Secretary of State. Sample ballots there come from each county elections office, not the state. Below is how to find yours in any state, why searching by ZIP code alone can show the wrong races, and what Texas voters need to bring.

Why a ZIP code is not enough

ZIP codes are drawn by the Postal Service for delivering mail. Election districts are drawn separately, so one ZIP code can cross two congressional districts, several state legislative districts, different school boards and city limits. Two neighbors with the same ZIP code can have different ballots.

That is why official lookups ask for your street address, or for your name and date of birth so they can match you to your precinct. If a site asks only for a ZIP code, treat its ballot as a rough preview.

How to find your sample ballot in any state

1. County elections office. In most states the county prints the ballot, and its website posts sample ballots by precinct. Search for your county name plus “elections.”
2. State voter portal. Many secretaries of state have a “My Voter” page that shows your registration, polling place and, in some states, your ballot. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s voter page links to every state’s election office.
3. Nonpartisan guides. VOTE411, run by the League of Women Voters Education Fund, builds a ballot from your address and adds candidates’ answers to the same questions. Ballotpedia offers a similar sample ballot lookup.
4. Your mailbox. Some states, including California, mail a voter information guide or sample ballot to every registered voter before the election.

If your official sample ballot and a third-party guide disagree, the county’s version is the one that counts.

Texas: what to know as early voting opens

Dates. In-person early voting for the Nov. 3 election runs Monday, Oct. 19 through Friday, Oct. 30. During early voting you can use any early voting location in your county of registration. On Election Day, counties that use vote centers let you vote anywhere in the county; in other counties you must go to your assigned precinct.

Where to look. The state’s My Voter Portal, linked from VoteTexas.gov, shows your registration and early voting locations once you enter your name, county, date of birth and ZIP code. Sample ballots are posted by counties: in Harris County, for example, the elections office lists it under What’s on my Ballot at HarrisVotes.com, and Dallas, Bexar, Travis and other large counties have their own lookups.

What is on the ballot. Texas votes this year for governor and other statewide executive offices, a U.S. Senate seat, all 38 U.S. House seats, the Texas Legislature, judges and local offices. Your sample ballot adds any city, county or school district measures for your address.

ID. You need one of seven photo IDs: a Texas driver license, Texas Election Identification Certificate, Texas personal ID card or Texas handgun license (all from the Department of Public Safety), a U.S. military ID with a photo, a U.S. citizenship certificate with a photo, or a U.S. passport. For voters 18 to 69, the ID may be expired by up to four years; for voters 70 and older, any expired but otherwise valid ID is accepted. If you do not have one and cannot reasonably get one, you can sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and show a supporting document such as a utility bill or bank statement.

Phones. Texas law does not allow wireless devices such as phones, tablets or laptops to be used in the room where voting takes place, the Secretary of State says. Phones can be used outside that room as long as they are not recording. So if you plan your choices on a sample ballot app, write or print them first.

Bring your choices on paper

Our free ballot worksheet has a line for each common office and five lines for ballot measures. Copy your picks from the official sample ballot and take the sheet with you; that works in Texas and in states that are just as strict about phones. The voting plan sheet covers the rest: when and where you will vote, the ID you will bring and how you will get there.

Our voter registration deadline report lists the states whose deadlines fall today. Clocks fall back on Sunday, Nov. 1, two days before the election; the daylight saving time story has the details.

Key dates

Date	What happens
Monday, Oct. 19	Texas early voting opens; registration deadline in California, Pennsylvania and Michigan
Friday, Oct. 30	Last day of early voting in Texas
Sunday, Nov. 1	Clocks fall back one hour at 2 a.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 3	Election Day

Mark your early voting day on an October 2026 calendar or a weekly planner, and keep Nov. 3 circled on the November 2026 calendar. If you are in line when your polls close, stay in line: you can still vote.