The 2022 Texas midterm elections are Nov. 8. Here's what you need to know.

AUSTIN − The 2022 midterm elections are three months away, but for Texans who plan to vote there's a fair amount of prep work to be done before casting a ballot on Nov. 8.

You'll have to make sure you're registered, figure out if your statehouse and congressional districts changed after lawmakers redrew the political boundaries last year to reflect population data uncovered in the 2020 Census, and you need to be aware of some key dates and deadlines that always seem to sneak up unnoticed in every election cycle.

What state and federal offices in Texas are on the 2022 ballot?

Midterms, sometime called "off-year" elections, are just that − elections that occur in the middle of a president's term so the White House is not in play this year. Neither is either U.S. Senate seat because neither incumbent is coming to the end of his present six-year term.

The top of the ballot for every Texas voter this year will feature exactly one congressional race. After that will come races for governor, lieutenant governor, Texas attorney general, comptroller, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner, and one of three seats on the Texas Railroad commission.

Next comes three of the nine places on the Texas Supreme Court and three of the nine places on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

More:Once 'sleepy affairs,' state supreme court races have new significance with redistricting, abortion

Election Day 2022 is Nov. 8. If you plan to vote, start preparing now.
Election Day 2022 is Nov. 8. If you plan to vote, start preparing now.

Then come the candidates for one seat on the state board of education, one seat in the Texas House, and one in the Texas Senate. Myriad county offices, judgeships, justices of the peace, and maybe even some local races will follow after that. Voters should check with their county and local governments for the complete list.

How to tell if you're registered to vote for the 2022 midterms

The easiest way is to find the 6-inch by 4-inch card sent by mail from the local voter registrar's office. Helpful tip: Look for two boxes near the center of the card that say "Valid from" and "thru." If the "thru" box says 12/31/2023, your registration is up to date. If it doesn't, or if you can't find your card at all, keep reading.

The Texas Secretary of State's office maintains a portal for Texans to check their registration status online. The URL is https://www.votetexas.gov/register-to-vote/. From there, click on the Am I Registered? link and find the "Selection Criteria" button. It takes you to a form that asks for your name, county of residence zip code and birthdate. Fill it out, and if your voter info pops up, you're good to go.

If not, there's a link to the left that says "Register." Click on that and follow the prompts.

How to tell what districts you live in

There are a couple of ways, and at least one of them can be tricky. Remember, pretty much every congressional district and all 150 districts for the state House and and the 31 in the state Senate have changed − dramatically, in some cases − after the Census. There are also two new congressional districts because Texas gained more population than most states.

If you're registered and found your card, you'll see just above your name and address 10 tiny boxes showing the district numbers for the offices at the state, county and local level. If your city council and school board are not divided into single-member districts, the boxes for them will be empty.

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If you're not yet registered or your card is not immediately handy, there's a state portal called "Who represents me?" The URL is https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home. that can help. Just fill our your street address and hit the "Find" button.

But here's the tricky part: The immediately visible top of the page tells you who represents you today, not which districts you'll be voting in on Election Day. For that information, scroll to the bottom and your districts for the upcoming elections will be listed in red type.

Important dates for the 2022 Texas midterm elections

Aug. 22: Last day to file a "declaration of write-in candidacy" for state and county offices.

Oct. 11: Last day to register to vote.

Oct. 24: First day of in-person early voting.

Oct. 28: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot. The application must be received by then, not postmarked by then.

Nov. 4: Last day of in-person early voting.

Nov. 8: Election Day: Polls open at 7 a.m. and close 7 p.m. It is also the last day for vote-by-mail ballot to be received If the envelope is not postmarked. Ballots received after that must be postmark by 7 p.m. Tuesday. Rules may vary from county to county, so contact your local elections office with questions ore request for clarification, and for rules covering overseas or military voting deadlines.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: The 2022 Texas midterm elections. Here's what you need to know.

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