Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action

Primary Election

Early voting: February 20 – March 2

Election day: March 6

Primary Election Runoff

(NOTE: When you vote in the runoff you must vote in the same party election as you did in the primary. You cannot switch to vote in the other party’s election.)

Last day to register to vote: April 23

Early voting: May 11 – May 18

Election day: May 22

Get ready to vote!

• Check your voter registration and find your polling locations here.
• Find out what forms of ID are accepted, and what to bring if you don’t have one of the types of photo ID.
• Review and take notes on candidate endorsements (you may not bring your phone into the voting booth, so take good notes!)

​Texas Impact’s Endorsements Guide charts endorsements from many orgs across the political spectrum in statewide and ALL #txlege races

• Use your research to print and fill out a copy of your sample ballot from the League of Women Voters (the ballot is long and this will save time in at the voting booth)
• Gather your friends, family, and some brand-new voters, like high school students and new Texans for a carpool to GO VOTE! When you’re done, tag @TXImpact with a photo of your I VOTED sticker on Twitter and the hashtag #BeATexasVoter
• Click here to watch Texas Impact General Counsel Joshua Houston explain why voting in the primary matters

*************************************

(Photo “VOTE” by Theresa Thompson used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.)

League of Women Voters:  STOP VOTER SUPPRESSION

Across the country, there has been a concerted effort in many states to stop some voters from voting, or to make it much harder for them to participate – and there promises to be more to come in 2017. Legislators and election officials have purged existing voters from the rolls, made cuts to early voting, reduced polling places, put in place strict voter photo ID laws and levied onerous voter registration restrictions.

All of these actions have been made easier by the Supreme Court’s decision to gut key provisions of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. The 2016 election was the first presidential election in 50 years without full protection of the right to vote.

The League remains committed to fighting suppression tactics that threaten our democracy and the right to vote. In addition, throughout 2016, the League worked to make sure voters impacted by new laws were aware of these restrictions. In Ohio, the League made thousands of phone calls to inform voters about that state’s purge. In Virginia, the League conducted outreach so voters knew how the state’s new voter photo ID law might affect them. In Kansas, the League fought tirelessly to protect the rights of voters caught in the crosshairs of the state’s illegal and discriminatory attempts to restrict voter registration Across the country, thousands of League volunteers served as non-partisan poll observers, staffed voter protection hotlines, and made sure get-out-the-vote phone banks reached as many voters as possible.

The League is gearing up to take a stand in Congress, statehouses and courtrooms nationwide to ensure no voters are left behind. Stand with the League in our fight to ensure our elections are always free, fair, and accessible.

League of Women Voters:  STOP VOTER SUPPRESSION

Across the country, there has been a concerted effort in many states to stop some voters from voting, or to make it much harder for them to participate – and  there promises to be more to come in 2017. Legislators and election officials have purged existing voters from the rolls, made cuts to early voting, reduced polling places, put in place strict voter photo ID laws and levied onerous voter registration restrictions.

All of these actions have been made easier by the Supreme Court’s decision to gut key provisions of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. The 2016 election was the first presidential election in 50 years without full protection of the right to vote.

The League remains committed to fighting suppression tactics that threaten our democracy and the right to vote. In addition, throughout 2016, the League worked to make sure voters impacted by new laws were aware of these restrictions. In Ohio, the League made thousands of phone calls to inform voters about that state’s purge. In Virginia, the League conducted outreach so voters knew how the state’s new voter photo ID law might affect them. In Kansas, the League fought tirelessly to protect the rights of voters caught in the crosshairs of the state’s illegal and discriminatory attempts to restrict voter registration Across the country, thousands of League volunteers served as non-partisan poll observers, staffed voter protection hotlines, and made sure get-out-the-vote phone banks reached as many voters as possible.

The League is gearing up to take a stand in Congress, statehouses and courtrooms nationwide to ensure no voters are left behind. Stand with the League in our fight to ensure our elections are always free, fair, and accessible.

After the 2016 Presidential election, Anne Mund, President of Rio Texas MFSA, compiled a document with ideas for turning our passion for social justice into action. Sources include Nicholas Kristof, Jim Wallis, MFSA, Slate magazine and others. Please find the document here: 2016-presidential-election-response

Here are some links to more voter information:

• http://traviscountyclerk.org/eclerk/Content.do?code=Elections
• http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/index.shtml
• http://lwvaustin.org/