Hint: it has nothing to do with railroads!
Texas has 3 railroad commissioners – Wayne Christian, Christy Craddick, and hopefully we’ll elect Chrysta Castaneda this fall. The RRC’s main role is to regulate oil and gas activities, pipelines, and mining. The race is so important, yet so overlooked, that Indivisible Austin created a new website all about it.
Access to voting is a key function of our democracy. With risks of COVID-19, many who volunteer at the polls year after year won’t be able to do so this year. So step up! The more volunteers we have, the lower the risk of long lines at the polls.
Here are links to volunteer for some of the largest counties in Texas. If you don’t see yours, you can google search “[my county] election volunteer” to get more information.
Join our Time for Texas to Thrive event this Tuesday, September 15th at 6:00 – 7:30 CST. Indivisible TX Lege has put together an exciting event featuring six candidates for the Texas State House and Senate who support our new Thrive Resolution. This event will feature six TX Lege candidates and an opportunity to volunteer to contact voters in their districts.
Please register for this Zoom meeting.
Donate to Register2Vote’s voter registration efforts.
The number 1 priority right now is registering people to vote. Because Texas requires voters to register one month ahead of an election (many other states offer same-day registration…the TX Lege could fix that!), we only have until October 5 to get people registered to participate in the 2020 General Election. Anyone (in Texas or not!) can donate to help register voters in a few key, flippable districts, and donate anywhere else you’d like!
Register2Vote: Sponsor the Vote – Texas House Districts
We recommend: HDs 26, 28, 54, 64, 66, 67, 92, 93, 94, 96, 97, 108, 112, 121, 126, 134, 138
HD92 came within less than 2.5% of the vote to flip in 2018. And now the incumbent, Jonathan Stickland, is not running for reelection. Whitfield, an Air Force vet, has been endorsed by President Obama (as have several other Texas House candidates!). If we want to Flip the Texas House, we’ve got to put all our effort into it. Here’s an opportunity to do just that!
Sign up to make phone calls Monday, August 31 with Indivisible Grapevine!
When: Monday, August 31 6:30 – 8 ish
Register: Zoom Registration
While the USPS is a federal organization, its work impacts people in all corners of Texas. If any structural changes are to take place in the postal service, they need to happen in a planned and organized way, AVOIDING the run up to a major election. Several state’s Attorneys General are preparing to file suit against the Trump administration’s recent cost cutting changes to the USPS, citing concern of negatively impacting mail-in voting. Thousands of Texans from every walk of life and political party could be impacted if there is fear, uncertainty, or inconsistencies in mail-in voting delivery. Call our AG to push the Federal government to preserve USPS, and keep calling the Governor to continue to increase voting access across the state.
Call Attorney General Ken Paxton (512-463-2100) and Governor Greg Abbott (512-463-2000) and urge them to take legal action against the recent USPS. changes. Here’s what you can say:
“Hi, I’m a constituent of _____, and I’m calling today to ask what actions he’s taking to ensure there won’t be a US Postal Service slow down that impacts mail-in ballot delivery. [If you have a personal story of mail-in voting, tell it here!]
“Will the AG be taking legal action to help maintain confidence in our mail-in voting system? I know that many older voters in our state rely on mailing in their vote to give them any access at all. Please encourage the Governor to do more to expand access to voting in our state, so Texans can know that their vote counts. My zip code is _____.”
COVID cases are still going up in our state. After Attorney General Ken Paxton released an opinion saying that local authorities don’t have the power to preemptively close schools, the Texas Education Agency reversed previous guidance by saying that it won’t fund schools if they don’t open in-person, on time. These actions put our teachers, our students, and their families at risk for contracting COVID-19. If we want to flatten the curve, we need to have local authorities evaluating risk in their communities.
Texas schools are being compelled to reopen classrooms on the state’s timetable, like it or not
Jolt Town Hall: Reopening Schools in a Pandemic
Tuesday, August 4, 6:00-7:30 PM
Call Paxton’s office at 512-463-2100. You can say:
“Hi, I’m a constituent of Mr. Paxton’s, and I’m calling today in regard to his opinion regarding school reopenings. COVID cases and transmissions are still on the rise in many parts of the state, and some areas are seeing hospital systems that cannot keep up. While I believe that education is of critical importance, we should be protecting the health and safety of our students and teachers first. It’s hard to learn if you or your parents are dead or in the hospital. My zip code is _____.”
Last week the President made a statement that he wanted to exclude non-citizens from the census count. While he doesn’t have the legal authority to do so, we’ve seen time and time again that he and his words seem to be above the law. Let’s push Governor Abbott to publicly push back against the President, as Texas will have a lot to lose if non-citizens are excluded from the count.
Call Governor Greg Abbott at 512-463-2000.
“Hi, I’m a constituent of Governor Abbott’s and I’m calling to ask him to stand up for Texans and push back against President Trump’s recent call to only count citizens for the upcoming Census count. The Census has always included everyone who lives in the country, and Texas stands to lose a lot if non-citizens get left out. I trust that the Governor understands what is at stake, and understands that this issue should not be a partisan one. Please encourage him to do the right thing, and have every Texan be counted. My zip code is _____.”
Our governor has started to change his messaging on COVID-19, thankfully, but he still has room to grow and needs to take further action to slow the rampant spread of the virus in our state.
Texas Tribune: Greg Abbott Warns of Potential Lockdown
“Hi, I’m a constituent of Governor Abbott’s from {city/town} and my zip code is {_______}. I’m calling today to applaud his recent actions on requiring masks around the state, and respectfully encourage him to take more action to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our state.
“Many of our hospitals are at or beyond capacity already, and our economy will be devastated if we continue to see high infection rates. The current lack of state-wide responsibility is nullifying the shutdowns we had just a few months ago.
“Stop the virus now by issuing a mandatory stay at home order. That is the only way we’ll get past this spike in cases.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (who has been indicted on felony fraud charges) is leading a lawsuit to throw out the Affordable Care Act, including the provisions that protect people with preexisting conditions from losing their health insurance. Join #SickofItTexas in an ACA week of action by signing the petition. And make sure everyone you know in Texas knows what Paxton is trying to do. And that he’s up for reelection in 2022.
Sign: Drop the Suit
