Thank you to all the educators who voted in the May 7th Local and Constitutional Amendment Elections. Hopefully you were pleased with the outcome of your local elections, but even if not, you made your voice heard and are building a culture of voting by being engaged. That should feel good! We all know that habits are formed through practice. Luckily, you will have another opportunity to practice flexing your civic engagement muscles this month.
The Texas Primary Runoff Elections will take place on May 24th. Early voting starts next Monday, May 16 and continues through Friday, May 20. There are extremely powerful positions with runoffs in both the Republican and Democratic Primaries – including Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Board of Education seats, some legislative seats and more. This Texas Tribune article gives you a good overview. Because voter turnout is often low in primaries, and even lower in primary runoffs, EVERY SINGLE VOTE IS SO IMPORTANT.
Lest you need a reminder, the people you pick make important decisions about public education. For a refresher on “who does what” in public education, check out our handy dandy tool and then click through to Teach The Vote to see what candidates say about important public education questions, and build your personal ballot at Vote411.
Some important additional information about the runoffs – If you voted in either the Republican or Democratic Primary Election on March 1, then you can only vote in that same party’s runoff. If you didn’t vote in either of the party’s primaries, then you can vote in either party’s runoff election.
To Do:
1. Click around this page on the TEV website to learn who makes important education decisions – by elected position and/or by issue.
2. Find out what your candidates think about those important issues at Teach the Vote.
3. Build your personal ballot with the League of Women Voters’ Vote411.
4. Mark your calendar to early vote May 16-20 or to vote on Tuesday, May 24th.
Social media posts to share:
1. “The runoffs are coming! Pick the candidates who will be on the November ballot to lead the great state of Texas!” #Txed #Txlege #vote
2. “Learn who makes education decisions, research candidates, and plan your vote! It’s all made easy on the TEV website!” #TxEd #TxLege #Vote
3. “Early voting runs May 16-20 and Election Day is May 24. Plan your vote! #Txed #TxLege #Vote #TxEdVote
The May 24th Primary Runoff Election is extremely important for the future of Texas and our public schools. Please be an informed and engaged voter and get ready to exert your power at the polls!