National Voter Registration Day is celebrated on the 4th Tuesday of September, which falls on September 24 this year! In addition to National Voter Registration Day, the week of September 23-27 is High School Voter Registration Week. Texas YG teaches students about civic engagement, which includes voting. Therefore, we want to remind our high school students that if they are currently 17 years and 10 months old and will be 18 by Election Day, then they can register to vote today!
You may think that it isn’t that important to vote this year. The next presidential election isn’t until 2020 and there are no legislative races. However, it is important to vote every year, especially in elections focused on state or local issues. The decisions that your city council or the state government make will have more of a direct impact on you than policies passed at the federal level. This year’s ballot will include 10 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. The League of Women Voters in Texas list out and explain the proposed amendments and list out pros and cons on each issue.
The League of Women Voters in Texas also offers great information about elections in general and will help you create a personalized voting guide and find your polling place! You can find that resource here. In addition, be sure to visit the National Voter Registration Day website when you are ready to register. The website will help start the process.
And just a reminder, we are still in the middle of our Constitution Day Fundraise and have actually extended the fundraiser to October 4th. The U.S. Constitution protects our right to vote and allows us to participate in our country’s democratic system. In addition to registering to vote, be sure to celebrate National Voter Registration Day by donating to our fundraiser!