STEP 1 - REGISTER TO VOTE video link
Before
you can have any input in the political process you must
become a registered voter. Registering is easy and it is
free. To qualify as a registered voter you must be18
years of age, a US citizen and a resident of the county
in which you register. The Texas Election Code, Section
13.001(a)(4), allows that a convicted felon may petition
for reinstatement of their voting rights 2 years after
having satisfied their judgment to the court. Contact
your voter registrar at your local courthouse or call
the Secretary of State office for details.
1-800-252-8683.
You
can pick up a voter registration card at any courthouse
or post office in the state. Fill out all necessary
information and drop into any mail box where mail is
retrieved.(no postage necessary) You must be duly
registered 30 days prior to an election to be eligible
to vote in that election.
Upon
receipt of your voter card you will need 4 pieces of
information. Your precinct number (which will be on the
card). Each county is divided into voting precincts. The
location for voting in each precinct will be published
in your local paper or can be found at the local
courthouse prior to each election. Except in special
cases the location will generally remain the same. It is
not necessary to re-register as long as you vote at
least once each two years or don't move. The other three
bits of information may or may not be on your voter
certificate. The State of Texas is divided into 150
State Representative Districts,31 State Senatorial
Districts and 30 US Congressional Districts. If this
information is not on your voter certificate, it can be
found at your courthouse. Each state is also represented
by 2 US Senators You must then learn the name, address
and phone number(both local and capitol offices) of each
of these people. They are the ones to contact when you
have any questions or requests concerning political
happenings. They are the ones you will vote for or
against each two or four years as the case may be. These
four elected officials are the ones who will vote on
issues for you personally. It is also a good idea to get
the same information for the County and Precinct Chair
of each Party.
You
are now a registered voter. You have all the necessary
names, addresses and phone numbers of those people you
must deal with in order to be politically effective.
Congratulations, You have completed step 1. It has cost
you very little time, no money and is probably one of
the biggest decisions you have made during this
lifetime. You are now in a position to truly have a say
in the political future of your city, county, state and
country. It is now imperative that you become familiar
with the voting record of those 5 people who supposedly
serve your needs at both the state and federal level.
Thus begins Step 2
Permission to reprint, alter or use any and all of this booklet is granted to all MRO's (August 1996)