Most Texans Don’t Vote – You Can Change That

Everyone’s voting in this election, right?  All we see on Facebook and Twitter are comments about the presidential election and the candidates, so everyone must be voting, right?

Early Voting Ends Friday, November 4, at 4 p.m.  

Photo: Robert C Deming

This is the Gillespie County Courthouse, where early voting has been taking place.  If you are a registered voter and don’t know where to vote, check on VoteTexas.gov  The early voting polls are open from 8 to 4 through Friday, November 4th.  If you aren’t a registered voter, registration ended on October 11th.  Get yourself registered for the next election!  The Gillespie County early voting location has been very busy; the first week of voting it saw lines spilling out the door and onto the sidewalk.  There aren’t lines at this point and the whole process will only take a few minutes.  If you don’t vote early, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8th.  Check Vote Texas for your polling location or call the County Clerk where you reside.

Texans are almost at the bottom of the list on voter participation.

Photo: Screenshot/WalletHub 

What’s going on here?  Why is Texas so low in participation at the polls?  If you are staying away you are giving up a fundamental right of citizenship, one that goes back about 2,500 years to the ancient Greeks, and which many people fought and died for.  Many (most?) people in the world don’t have open and free elections and only dream of a participatory democracy.  Don’t let fear stop you – voter ID law in Texas had been strict but was “amended” by a Federal Court in August.  If you don’t have a Texas Drivers License, there are many other forms of ID that are acceptable, and you can find this list on VoteTexas.Gov .  This isn’t just about the election of a President; if you feel like sitting this one out, you are passing up your opportunity to vote on many other candidates.  Go vote anyway.  You do not have to cast a ballot for every office.  You can even write in a candidate, but the write-in candidate has to be registered, and Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck won’t be elected!

Just Do It!