AlyssaIn the midst of the current agonizing state of the world, it is also election season. Election season! The 2020 Runoff Elections for Texas will be taking place on July 14th and the last day to register to vote is Monday, June 15th. This election will finalize which Democratic and Republican primary candidates will be on the ballot for the general election in November.
Early voting will take place from June 29th through July 10th, which is double the normal length of time of voting due to COVID-19.
Mail-in ballots are available, but only to a very limited amount of people. This causes questions to arise – why does the government make it so hard for people to vote? Why is Texas so far behind other states? This became more clear to me when I was writing about Texas pushing to prohibit smokable hemp. While many states have expanded mail-in ballot eligibilities, Texas has not.
Currently, voters in Texas can apply for mail-in ballots if they are 65 years or older, have a disability or an illness, are confined in jail, or will not be in the county where they registered on the election day and during the entire early voting period. You can find the application for mail-in ballots here.
All right, let’s get back to the basics! First, are you registered to vote? You can find this out by clicking here. If you are, start educating yourself on the ballot. If you’re not, no worries! We can do this. First, print out your voter application, then mail to the voter registrar in your county. Don’t forget, the last day to do this is Monday, June 15th.
Please, use your voice, and let’s work to change the system. I am going to continue to educate myself on the election process and share what I find. Stay strong out there.