TEV partner, Children’s Defense Fund – Texas is our guest blogger this week. Read on to learn why your vote is so important.
Early voting for the November 5th election began this week and will continue through Friday November 1st. All Texans will have the chance to vote on ten proposed constitutional amendments, and some voters will also have local elections and initiatives on their ballots. These off-cycle elections can create more permanent change in the state by changing our constitution, but the Texas Politics Project finds that on average only 8.5% of eligible Texas voters show up for constitutional elections. With over 15.8 million people currently registered to vote in Texas, that kind of turnout rate would mean that just 1.3 million Texans are making decisions that can permanently change the state constitution – and if historical turnout patterns hold, those voters will be disproportionately older, richer, and whiter than the state as a whole. That means each vote is even more important – and you can make the difference!
To do:
- Educate yourself on the issues on your ballot
Check out the League of Women Voters’ Vote411 guide to learn what’s on your ballot. You can even print out a sample ballot and take it with you to the polls - Find your polling place
Remember that during early voting you can vote at any early voting location in your county. Find polling places with hours of operation at Vote411 - VOTE VOTE VOTE!
Your vote matters in every election, and when fewer people vote, your vote matters even more! Whether you vote during early voting or come out on November 5th, go to your polling place before the end of Election Day to make sure your voice is counted.
Social media posts to share:
-Learn what’s on your ballot at https://www.vote411.org/ and then turn out to vote by Nov 5 #txed #txlege #earlyvoting #TxEdVote
-Make your voice count by voting today #txed #txlege #earlyvoting #TxEdVote