Last week, the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) sent this Inside Line article sharing important voting dates and resources with our members about the upcoming Primary Election.
We know our members are making their plans to vote early! Early voting begins on Monday, February 14 and continues through Friday, February 25. Last week, we encouraged our members to consider voting on Educator Voting Day, which is on Thursday, February 17. As a reminder, the last day to apply for a ballot by mail is Friday, February 18 (received, not postmarked)! Learn more by clicking here.
Far fewer voters make it to the polls during a Primary Election than during the November General Election. Numbers really matter in a Primary Election and can make all the difference when choosing candidates who support issues that have an impact on Texas public education retirees and pre-retirees. The road to influencing future policy outcomes starts NOW, well ahead of the 2023 Legislative Session!
Where To Vote
If you are wondering where to go to cast your vote next week, click this link.
Registered and eligible voters may vote at ANY early voting location located in their county of residence. Early voting locations will be populated in our search site “My Voter Portal” two days prior to the first day of early voting. Here, you can enter your Name, County, Date of Birth and ZIP code to look up your registration information and find your nearest polling location.
You may want to contact the Early Voting Clerk for State and County Elections in your county for early voting locations. Many newspapers will also publish early voting polling locations. Polling place hours may vary at each early voting location, so be sure to doublecheck the times listed before heading out the door.
Be sure to bring with you one of the seven accepted forms of identification for voting. You can learn about identifications by clicking this link or viewing this PDF file online provided by the Texas Secretary of State.
Not Sure Who to Vote For?
TRTA and our friends in the education field have some great resources available to you to review where candidates stand on issues affecting public education and retirement for education employees.
- Help promote a culture of voting in all Texas schools and get valuable non-partisan voter information about education issues from Texas Educators Vote at www.texaseducatorsvote.com.
- Compare information about candidates running for office and where they stand on public education issues from Teach the Vote at www.teachthevote.org.
Find Out Where Candidates Stand on Retiree Issues
TRTA does not endorse candidates for political office; however, we encourage our members to review our list of legislative priorities and talk to candidates about where they stand on matters such as providing a cost-of-living adjustment to Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) retirees and ensuring that the TRS defined benefit plan is maintained for all current and future education employees in Texas.
You can also show candidates the TRS Great Value for All Texans booklet to give candidates information about the economic impact TRS and its annuitants have on the Texas economy.
Not sure what to ask a candidate? Here are questions that may help guide conversations with candidates for elected office:
- If elected, will you support maintaining the defined benefit plan for all current and future school retirees?
- If elected, what will you do to ensure the fund becomes actuarially sound so that a permanent COLA can be provided for TRS retirees?
- If elected, would you be willing not only to support but also introduce legislation to improve benefits for retired educators?
- If elected, what will you do to fix the funding mechanism for TRS-Care?
- If elected, will you work to increase the program’s permanent base funding? If so, how much additional base funding would you suggest for stabilizing the TRS-Care plan?
- If elected, will you work to permanently increase funding TRS-Care so that retired school employees have access to affordable, quality healthcare?
Thank You!
Stay tuned to the Inside Line as we continue with a series of articles to help members prepare for Primary Election 2022.
TRTA is the only group that focuses solely on your TRS retirement security! Please join us today!
Thank you for being a member of TRTA and supporting issues that affect retired Texas public school personnel. Be sure to download the TRTA app to receive all of the latest updates and communicate with your fellow retirees.
