It's that time again folks! On this Tuesday November 6, 2007, we are ammending the Texas Constitution. Sixteen times!
How does it feel to know that only 5% of registered voters make all the decisions for the rest of the state? It should make you angry. It should make you want to take action. It should make you become more educated on the facts.
Each year in Texas we vote on something. Though it gets old voting on propositions, we also vote for the Governor, Senate, House, and other Local officials. Most Texans never hear about these elections. They might see a poster in someones yard or a billboard along the highway, but by the time they get home they've forgotten. So why only 5% of registered voters, I asked myself. I've come to the conclusion that the state of Texas doesn't want lower-class 20 to 30 year old college students voting on important issues. Our great state would rather have 60 year old upper-class business owners do the decision making around here.
I wonder if anyone remembers that in 2005 we also ammended the constitution. It's likely that only the few that voted remember. That year about two months before we ammended the constitution, my girlfriend and I set up a booth at ACC Northridge to encourage voting. We were only asking people to register to vote, and here are some responses we got: No thank you, I don't care about politics, and my favorite, my vote doesn't count anyways. Oh the nerve! Most people thought they were already registered to vote when they turned 18, others thought they could register when they got to the voting booth. Both were wrong. In the state of Texas the only way you can become registered to vote is to do it yourself 30 days before an election. The registration application must also be signed by a person who is deputized by the state to make it official. Because the registration proccess is so difficult in Texas most people miss out on a vital constitutional right, the right to vote.
Still curious if you can vote? Then you probably can't, but you can still register to vote any time of year. The easiest way to do it is online at: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/reqvr.shtml. Time is precious and so are the people and issues we vote on in Texas. Please TAKE ACTION today and carry out your constitutional right, the right to VOTE!!
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2 comments:
I completely agree with you that the younger generation should be more politically active. I also commend your efforts encouraging people to vote. However, I do not believe it's because "most Texans never hear about these elections." More so, that people do not place an importance on voting when they have other important things going on in their lives. I'm not saying that's right, but during election season there's no amount to the media avenues (tv news, talk radio, local newspapers) that cover the elections. If they don't hear about it, it's because they are trying not to listen. I also don't believe that politicians don't want "20 to 30 year old college students voting." As a matter of fact, it's completely the opposite. Politicans try to influence that audience particularly while they are garnering their political ideals. If they can convince the younger generation to take an active interest in their political campaign, then they have just gained a supporter for at least another 20 years. (Al Gore teaming up with MTV would be a good example.) The fact that the "60 year old upper-class business owners" are doing all the decision making is because their's is a generation who believed it was a privilege to vote. They have a vested interest that the younger generation has yet to develop. As far as the "registration process [being] so difficult," it really isn't. Texas, as well as most other states, have tried to make it EASIER for EVERYONE to register. Going online to register, being able to register while you get/renew your drivers license, voters registration forms at post offices, this is all to get everyone involved. So, where does the true problem lie? Is it that all the avenues have been provided to us to register to vote and the "privilege" to vote needs to be reenforced among our generation, or is it that upper-class businessmen and difficult registration techniques have made it so difficult that only 5% of registered voters vote?
Your blog, Texans We Are, caught my eye the most out of the class. Your article on the day prior to November 6, titled Take Action, is important for everyone to read. I don't think anyone would disagree that the percent of people that vote in Texas is considerably low. So why do people continue to turn there heads away from our gorvernment? I personally also try to get people involved in voting. In fact, I am registered to vote in a precinct in Plano Texas, near Dallas. On November 6, in order to be a part of the 5% statistics, I drove home to my precint striclty to vote and make my voice count and came right back. I believe that the more people who communicate with others on the importance of voting will slowly encourage younger and less educated people to step up and voice their opinions to their state.
http://ajiginthesaw.blogspot.com/
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