Texans have until Monday, Sep. 5, to register to vote in primaries

DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) — Texans have only until Monday, Feb. 5, to register for the state primary election that will be held March 6.

Primary elections historically have low voter turnout. In 2016 only 21.5 percent of eligible Texans voted, which was the second lowest turnout in the country.

For most residents registration will require one of the following seven forms of qualifying photo ID:

>> 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 license to carry a handgun issued by DPS;

>> United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph;

>> U.S. citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph or a U.S. passport;

A federal court determined last year that Texas’ previously approved voter ID law, known at the time as Senate Bill 14, was discriminatory toward black and Hispanic voters. That same year year, Senate Bill 5 was passed, adding options for those who cannot “reasonably” obtain any of the seven forms of required identification.