I have some exciting and empowering news for you. While the legislature can (and does) gerrymander districts for the Texas legislature, SBOE, US Congress, etc. they can’t gerrymander statewide offices! Every single Texas voter has a say in who is gets elected to statewide positions – Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Land Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner, Railroad Commissioners.
Almost all these statewide offices have some impact over what happens in public schools. Here are a few interesting examples:
- The Governor appoints the Commissioner of Education who makes many important decisions about public education.
- The Lieutenant Governor is the head of the Texas Senate and chooses committee chairs and determines which legislation will come up for a vote.
- The Attorney General issues non-binding opinions including those that affect what happen in schools.
This Texas Tribune article helps explain what these statewide offices do. You may be surprised to find that sometimes their titles don’t even align with their jobs.
For example, the Land Commissioner doesn’t just manage state land, he or she also oversees investment in the Permanent School Fund that is used to fund public education. And the Railroad Commission oversees oil, gas, coal, and pipelines, not railroads!
Your vote on candidates and issues at every level is important. You can consult our “who does what” tool to read about which public education issues are decided at which level.
Please make sure you are registered to vote today! The deadline to register to vote is next week, October 11, 2022. The TEV website can lead you to resources that make it easy to register, research, and vote!
Every vote counts equally in the statewide races. Make sure you are registered and get ready to vote!