TX Votes' Civic Notes: February 23
Texas Winter Storm Resources
Last week was a tough week for our UT community and Texas at large. Many UT students and millions of Texans are still weathering the aftermath of this crisis. We hope you are doing well and are safe. Here are some helpful resource lists!
Texas Cold Weather Resources (created by the New Politics Forum)
Opportunities and Upcoming Events
Internship Opportunities List (from the Texas Policy Project website)
2021 Civic Innovation Corps (a new civic tech summer internship program by Coding It Forward)
Civic Engagement for Everyone!
By: James Lambrecht
This article focuses on how to bring your less civically friends and peers into the political process. Everyone’s civic participation is crucial for a strong and healthy democracy.
Approaching less civically-engaged friends about political participation can be intimidating. Being aware of the do’s and don'ts increases the chances of having a more fruitful interaction and hopefully encouraging them to engage with the process.
For starters, keep the conversation as non-partisan as possible. During the 2016 election, of the 250 million people who were within the voting age population, only 55% of them made it to the polls; making it the lowest it had been since 1996. The main goal here is to increase voter turnout/engagement, and if we want the most comprehensive and representative voice of Americans to be heard during the election process, then we need to encourage participation from all. It’s also recommended that you refrain from any excessive use of vote-shaming. We’re currently in a time where public trust in government is at historic lows, and it doesn’t hurt to be sympathetic towards some of the very legitimate reasons one may have for not voting. Take voter suppression for example. Back in 2013, key aspects of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which required states to submit changes to voting laws for federal approval, were ruled as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. No longer needing supervision, various states were free to establish stricter voting laws; most of these laws centered around excessive voter identification requirements seemed to target lower-income minority groups. Additionally, this action led also to the closure of over 1,000 polling locations, and half of those were right here in Texas. Not wanting to vote is a completely understandable feeling, and should be treated as such.
Steering clear of partisan rhetoric and vote shaming, it might then be worth pointing out the power a single vote has; and not only during presidential cycles, but during any election cycle occurring in your community. When you go into the voting booth, you’re voting for local, state, and district attorneys who will be responsible for prosecuting felony criminal cases in your area. You’re voting for your mayor, and for a number of city council members who will be in charge of crafting ordinances, developing policies, and establishing the overall direction of your city. And when you’re not in the voting booth, it’s worth keeping a steady pulse on the various representatives in your area - perhaps even opting to follow a few that interest you on social media platforms just to help keep you up-to-date on other opportunities to participate in hearings, meetings, or other opportunities to vote on matters relevant to your community. Resources such as vote411.org can help inform you about all the details pertaining to what’s on the ballot and registration information relevant to your specific area. Ultimately, your vote matters and voting is crucial to civic engagement, but it’s not the only aspect. There are a myriad of ways to be civically engaged, and all of which can help ensure that your elected representatives are responsive towards the issues you care about.
Texas Legislature Resources
Austin Tech Alliance’s TX Lege Resources
Texas Tribune’s Texas Legislature News Coverage
New Politics Forum’s Stay in the Know (social media campaign)
Interesting Articles
Here are some interesting articles and news stories we found over the last three weeks! TX Votes is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to voting and civic engagement, and our only goal with this section of our newsletter is to share a few articles about Texas current events! We encourage you to read multiple sources to ensure you get accurate information.
As Austin water is restored, officials ponder how close they came to worse disaster
Texans running out of food during power outage, weather crisis disrupts supply chain
Latest census delay will push Texas' redrawing of political maps into the fall
Elon Musk predicts Austin, Texas, will be 'the biggest boomtown that America has seen in 50 years'
Texas offering tenants facing eviction rental assistance program
Highlights from Governor Abbott’s State of the State Address
Ways to Stay Up to Date
Texas Tribune’s The Brief (daily podcast)
Texas Tribune TribCast (weekly podcast)
The Texan's Podcast (weekly podcast)
If you would like to support TX Votes and the civic engagement work we do, you can donate here! Thank you!
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