Taking stock of where we are
Schools are starting back up, COVID-19 is on the rise again, and the Texas Legislature is in the middle of its second special session. While we hoped for a normal school year, we have quite the opposite. Communities at every level are divided about whether students should be wearing masks at school, what educators can and should teach, and whether Texas should make it easier or harder to vote. Tensions are high and divisions along political beliefs are growing. Schools have become battle grounds for many of these disagreements among adults, while kids need resources and adults focused on their needs more than ever. We are grateful to Texas educators for doing just that and for continuing to focus on serving the over 5.4 million kids in Texas public schools.
In a “normal” year, TEV would be fully focused on upcoming elections after the regular legislative session had wrapped up in May. But this is no normal year! The first special legislative session called by the governor was focused on election legislation. While proponents of the legislation argued that it would help to make elections in Texas more secure, numerous civil rights groups (including TEV member The League of Women Voters of Texas) and advocates for people with disabilities argued that it would in fact make voting harder for many Texans. According to a study conducted last year by the Election Law Journal, Texas already ranked as the state that makes it hardest to vote. With this context, Democratic House members chose to again employ the tactic of a quorum break and refused to show up for the first special session. Without a quorum, the election legislation was thwarted.
On the call for this second special session, the governor reintroduced topics that didn’t progress during the regular or first special session, including reviving so-called election integrity measures, further restricting the teaching of civics, and approving a 13th check for retired teachers. Additionally, the governor added several education items to the call, including banning locally elected officials from mandating masks, and banning students from competing in interscholastic athletic competitions based on their gender identification. The findings of a recent poll by the Texas Politics Project suggest that these are not the top concerns for most Texans. While the second special session has not yet come to a close, it is clear that politics—not the preferences of most everyday Texans—is driving the discussions.
The need to create a culture of voting in Texas public schools is as important as ever. Educators and all eligible voters should see the tug of war over voting rights as evidence of the great power of their vote. Even though elections are months away, The TEV system of “register, research, vote” continues to hold value. Paying attention and watching elected officials is a great way to “research” and learn what your elected officials think about important topics. As long as special legislative sessions continue to be called, there will be plenty of opportunities to pay attention – and the governor can continue calling them until the next regular session in 2023!
Over the coming months, we will be sending you information about the November Constitutional Amendment Election, the redistricting process based on the 2020 census, and reaching out to hear your ideas and share some of ours about how to make Texas Educators Vote more interactive and effective.
Many thanks for all you do for Texas kids and for being part of this important project to create a culture of voting in Texas public schools.
More soon!
Laura Yeager
Texas Educators Vote