Texas Educators Vote recently posted a message about the health benefits of civic engagement. It included this recent TIME magazine article about a study that linked registering to vote, voting, and civic engagement to healthier lifestyles for young adults.
This is yet another great reason to help high school students get registered to vote! Voting may also add a couple of years to your life, as does volunteering by encouraging young voters to get to the polls.
TRTA Local Units are Getting with the Program
Last week, the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) asked readers to send some examples of the work our local units and districts are doing to encourage voter registration among TRTA members. Here are just two of the many projects we know are happening statewide to encourage educators to get involved in this election.
District 4 used the information from the Línea interior and customized it for their members, telling them where they can request registration cards and mail-in ballots. District 4 cited voter registration statistics for their region and set a challenge of 100 percent registration of TRTA members by October 9. Check out District 4’s email by clicking here!
The Eastern Cass County unit put together a brochure with voter statistics, resources and information about why the retired educator vote is critical in this election. They included the strength of the education vote and election dates. View the brochure by clicking here.
Many great activities are happening across the state and we know many TRTA members are working hard to get out the voting message to educators everywhere in Texas. Feel free to share your efforts with us and keep up the good work.
National Voter Registration Day
National Voter Registration Day is next Tuesday, September 25! The Texas League of Women Voters is leading the way. The League does not mess around when they say they are “Making Democracy Work in Texas!”
Here is a quote from the League’s website that explains what this day is all about:
- “On Tuesday, September 25, 2018, volunteers and organizations from all over the country will ‘hit the streets’ in a single day of coordinated field, technology and media efforts. National Voter Registration Day seeks to create broad awareness of voter registration opportunities to reach tens of thousands of voters who may not register otherwise.”
You can sign up here to volunteer and find out more about what they are doing.
Here are some additional links from the site that facilitate voter education and registration:
- Vote411.org
- votetexas.gov
- register2vote.org
- Election Protection is here if you run into a problem
At non-profit, non-partisan websites like www.Register2vote.org, it takes just two minutes to request that a registration card be sent to your mailbox. You don’t even need a printer! If you provide your information, a card that is pre-filled with your name and address and a stamped envelope is mailed to you. Just sign it and drop it in the mail!
Thanks to the many TRTA members for all the work you are doing across the state. We hope you find these resources helpful and we appreciate any examples from TRTA local units that are shared with us.
We are 22 days away from the voter registration deadline! Keep up the good work, and let’s not let District 4 get all the glory. Let’s see if we can get 100 percent of all TRTA members in every district registered to vote for the November 6 General Election.
Next week, TRTA will discuss resources that allow you to research.
