Hey y’all! We hope that your semester is going well. Today we’re sharing important information about the upcoming election and a profile of TX Votes member, Angelina Reyes.
TX Votes in the News
TX Votes Chief Volunteer Deputy Registrar Vincent Tomasetti was highlighted in the Austin American Statesman for his years-long work in voter registration and elections. Go Vincent!
Member Spotlight: Angelina Reyes
Angelina is a fundraising co-chair this semester so help her out and take one minute to submit and verify your email as a potential TX Votes ambassador for our annual fundraiser!
Year: Sophomore
Major: Government & Social Work
Hometown: Freeport, TX
Why TX Votes: I choose to be in TX Votes because I have always been engaged in civics. When I was in high school, I had become a VDR, hoping to register as many high schoolers as possible. That didn’t happen back then. But coming to a city like Austin made it so much easier to register voters and make actual change. As a member of TX Votes, I can help college students register to vote, educate them on what’s on the ballot, and motivate them to the polls. To me, that’s all I ever wanted to do in the first place.
Fun Fact: I have a twin brother, Brandon, who goes to UT as well. He is a sophomore, majoring in music performance on trombone.
Semester update:
We hosted an event on Judicial Elections with Lee Parsley of Texans for Lawsuit Reform and Texas Civic Ambassador Raylee Darden with more than 30 students in attendance!
We hosted 4 days of tabling around campus for Voter Education Week resulting in sending customized plan-to-vote reminders to more than 200 students.
We hosted our first Early Voting Concert — with more than 100 students in attendance!
Election FAQs
What are primary elections? The primary elections determine which candidates will compete in the general elections during the fall. If only one party has a primary candidate then the election may be determined in the primary!
Do you have to register with a party? You do not have to be registered for a party. You just need to choose the primary you want to vote in!
What is on the ballot? There are legislative and judicial candidates for local state and national races. You will be able to vote for candidates for U.S. Senate positions and the U.S. House of Representatives, and judges on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. You can see how your ballot will look here.
When can I vote?? Early voting starts Monday, February 20th. You can vote on campus in the Flawn Academic Center (FAC) or the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
When is the last day I can vote? Election day is March 5.
Upcoming Internships and Positions:
Volunteer with Common Cause Texas, a voter and democracy protection group
The Texas Orator, a multi partisan, peer-reviewed political publication on campus, is seeking guest and staff writers to cover cultural, legal, domestic, and foreign issues for the spring semester and beyond.
To become a guest writer, send articles to thetexasorator@gmail.com.
To become a staff writer, apply here. This position requires 4-5 articles per semester.
Applications for paid summer internships with the Office of the City Auditor (Austin) are available here until the deadline of March 11th.
Important stories in the news:
The latest on the rapidly growing Smokehouse Creek Fire in Texas
Greg Abbott, Tim Dunn spend millions in Texas GOP primary fights over vouchers, impeachment
Travis County to launch $23 million project to keep mentally ill from jail
In leaked audio, Supreme Court Justice John Devine railed against “brainwashed” GOP colleagues
Great newsletter this week! Learned a lot ✅