How we got 100% early voting turnout
Guest blog by Kevin Noack, Superintendent of Palmer ISD
Until all public educators learn to be attentive and vote, our fight for the children in this great state of Texas will be lost. The dedication and support that there once was for Texas public education has all but evaporated and it is up to us, the educators, to sift through the field of candidates to find those who want to restore that passion for all children that our state leadership once had. Because they are on the front line every day, our educators already know what is right for our state. We have absolutely no need to tell them how to vote. They simply need a reminder that they have a voice and the power to change things through voting.
This responsibility of reminding them falls directly on the shoulders of our school leadership to take an active role in this movement and to restore the support of education in our great state to what it once was. The answer is in the Vote! We must use every legal means possible to engage our staff in the voting process.
Here are ten of the methods that our leadership used to successfully raise the voting awareness of our staff members.
- It is an expectation of the district when we hire. We inform applicants and new staff members of this expectation.
- Every year, we have Friends of Texas Public Schools training for new teachers, which sets the tone for civic responsibility.
- We distribute voter registration cards at the convocation.
- Support is offered to first time voters by answering any questions they may have by our trained experts, administrative assistants, in place at every campus.
- All administrators are on board and back the cause in their building.
- Administrators promote voting competition within school departments. For example, the first department to get 100% is announced and publicly congratulated.
- Employees may get a substitute, come in late, or leave early to early vote.
- We distribute the URL to take the voting oath https://texaseducatorsvote.com/the-oath/, then teachers and staff members post their oath on their doors with their ‘I Voted’ stickers attached.
- Employees are encouraged to vote in groups. They share selfies with their coworkers and voting stickers.
- Since educators on the front line place a high value on comfort, we offer an incentive of ‘jeans days’ until the end of the semester if 100% of their building votes early.
I believe that now is the time that we engage educators across Texas to come together and lets make a difference in the upcoming elections! We started a movement during the last election, however, we must keep the momentum going. In my opinion, it is up to district and campus leadership to motivate our staff to vote. I challenge each and everyone of you to encourage and achieve 100% percent voting!
Watch this 2 minute video to be inspired!
Thank you,
Kevin Noack
Superintendent, Palmer ISD