Akins students and staff who want to vote in the 2020 Primary Elections have a chance to avoid Election Day lines by voting early at the nearby polling site in the nearby Southpark Meadows shopping center.

Early voting begins today and will end on Friday, February 28. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout the voting period. During the 2018 elections, an Election Day voting site was removed from campus, but this year the elections office has assigned a site on the Akins campus on March 3.

During early voting, the closest location near Akins is in an empty storefront in Southpark Meadows, which the county has rented just for voting purposes. The location is at 9600 Interstate 35 S., Suite 600. It is between the Carter’s children’s clothing store and the School of Rock music school. 

If you are registered to vote in Travis County, you can vote at any Early Voting location no matter where you live in the county. 

On Election Day, the Southpark Meadows site will be utilized, again, and there will also be a site at nearby St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, which is on the northbound side of Interstate 35 south of Onion Creek Parkway. There will also be an Election Day voting site at the Manchaca United Methodist Church, which is located at 1011 FM 1626.

To learn more about polling locations, see sample ballots and look up wait times, visit the Travis County Votes website at www.votetravis.com.

To research the candidates, visit the League of Women Voters of Texas Voters Guide.

New Voting Machines

Travis County has started using new voting machines that are called ballot-marking devices that allow the voter to make selections, and then print those selections on the ballot card. The card must then be inserted into a scanner where the paper ballot is stored as a backup. This provides for a paper trail to allow for election audits and recounts.

Voter Photo ID Requirement

• Texas law requires voters to provide a photo identification card to vote. 
• Below is a list of acceptable forms of photo ID:
• Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• 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)

With the exception of the U.S. Citizenship Certificate, which does not expire, for voters aged 18-69, the acceptable form of photo identification may be expired no more than four years before being presented for voter qualification at the polling place. For voters aged 70 or older, the acceptable form of photo identification may be expired for any length of time if the identification is otherwise valid.

Voters can present supporting forms of ID that can be presented if the voter does not possess one of the forms of an acceptable photo ID and cannot reasonably obtain one. For more information, visit the Travis County Clerk’s Office website.