Texas Votes

Modeled after the UT Votes initiative, Texas Votes is a statewide coalition of on-campus, nonpartisan student organizations committed to increasing electoral and civic participation through voter education, registration booths, deputization sessions, campus competitions and other activities. Students and faculty partners form campus chapters, conduct a campus needs assessment and create a plan to engage students on their campuses. 

This past fall, Texas Votes had seven inaugural chapters: Austin Community College (ACC), Baylor University, Northwest Vista College, Schreiner University, Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). For these colleges and universities, Texas Votes was either a new organization or an initiative of a pre-existing nonpartisan student organization, such as Student Government. Each chapter deputized volunteer students and faculty members, registered voters and engaged students through a variety of methods, including: registration rallies and concerts, debate watch parties, the Trick or Vote initiative, and many others.

Below are some fall highlights from Texas Votes chapters:

Northwest Vista College

• Registered over 800 voters before the October registration deadline
• Had over 250 students attend multiple debate watch parties

Schreiner University

• Had over 200 students attend an election night watch party

The University of Texas at Austin

• Registered over 9,000 voters before the October registration deadline

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

• Had over 100 volunteer deputy registrars among faculty, staff and students
• Registered 2,794 voters from August to the October registration deadline

Looking forward, Texas Votes will continue to expand to new colleges and universities across the state while broadening its mission to ensure civic participation is not simply an election season hobby for students, but rather an everyday, lifelong activity.