Today, Texas Democrats announced an unprecedented voter outreach effort with a weeklong campaign to reach out to 1 million unregistered Texans. The voter registration week is a joint effort with the Texas Democratic Party and the MJ for Senate campaign.
Previously, the Texas Democratic Party announced they contacted 3.5 million Texans in two weekends earlier this month. It’s expected that nearly 75 percent of the unregistered voters targeted in this weeklong push are young people, and from communities of color.
Luke Warford, the Director of Voter Expansion for the Texas Democratic Party, spoke to the Signal about this record registration week, and reaching out to voters that are traditionally under-represented in voting, but are cornerstones for the Democratic Party. “Texas Republicans know if more people register to vote, they would lose elections.”
Texas does not make it easy to register to vote. It’s one of just eleven states that does not have online voter registration. Warford points out that’s fully intentional from Republican lawmakers in the state. In West Virginia and Louisiana, two states predominantly controlled by the GOP, online voter registration has bipartisan support.
RegisterTexas.com is an important tool for this registration drive. A potential voter can input their information into the website, and later they receive their pre-addressed application with postage. Warford points out this is just one way for the Texas Democratic Party to make it easier for unregistered voters who might not have access to a printer, envelope, or stamps.
The voter registration week also includes phone-banking and texting shifts, and even a toolkit for high school students to learn more about in-school registration. Later in the week, there will be a virtual panel about voter disenfranchisement in the Black community.
Warford also stressed the importance of this being a joint effort with MJ Hegar’s senatorial campaign. Noting that Hegar generated a lot of excitement in her 2018 congressional bid and is now polling in the single digits, it’s another sign for Warford and the Texas Democratic Party that Texas is the biggest battleground state.Last week, a poll from Public Policy Polling showed Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in Texas 48 percent to 47 percent. The Biden presidential campaign announced key hires around the state earlier this month.
Photo: BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images
A longtime writer and journalist, Jessica was thrilled to join the Texas Signal where she could utilize her unique perspective on politics and culture. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. She is also the host of the podcast the Tex Mix, as well as the co-host for the weekly SignalCast. Jessica attended Harvard College, is a onetime fitness blogger, and has now transitioned to recreational runner (for which her joints are thankful).
