AUSTIN –Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade is reminding Texans to vote early in the upcoming general election. Early voting takes place from October 20 – 31 in all 254 counties across Texas.

“I encourage voters to take advantage of the convenience afforded by the early voting period,” said Andrade. “We anticipate a large voter turnout for the general election. By voting early you can avoid the long lines we expect to see on Election Day. My office has worked with county officials across the state and they are definitely prepared for such an important election.”

During early voting, voters may vote at any early voting location within their county. A list of early voting locations is available at www.VOTEXAS.org; voters should also check with their local county elections offices to determine polling hours.

Texas currently has 13.4 million registered voters. To prepare for the expected high turnout, Secretary Andrade has joined with several counties across the state to encourage Texans to vote early. Andrade also wants to remind voters to bring their voter registration certificate with them to the polls to expedite the voter check-in process; however, if their registration certificate is unavailable, the voter will still be allowed to vote with a valid I.D.

“It is our goal to ensure that every election in Texas is fair and credible and we believe that on November 5th, we will proudly look back on Election Day as a positive experience,” said Andrade.