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November Action News! Waiting for an accurate count is good for a healthy democracy.

LWV Texas | Published on 11/2/2020
Our democracy is worth waiting for

President's Message
Grace Chimene

Waiting for an accurate count is good for healthy democracy.

Hello Aileen,

The large numbers of votes by mail meanstallying the election results will obviously take longer than it has in the past. We want ALL votes to be counted fairly.Acomplete and accurate ballot count is more important than a fast ballot count.We rely on all the helpers in our democracy to ensure all votes are counted and that a fair process is used.Encourage everyone you know to be patient.

I spent 30 years as a pediatric nurse practitioner working with teams of health professionals dedicated to helping patients.Naturally,when our presidential election occurred during a massive pandemic, I relied on a team of democracy helpers like you.

Sometimes my patients were very sick.I reassured worried parents to give the medication time to work.Now, I want to reassure worried Texans that to ensure ahealthy democracy, we need to wait for a complete, and accurate count before announcing the resultsof the election.

While wewait patiently, for the results ofthe election, join me in celebrating the team of democracy helpers:
  • civiceducators who teach our students about democracy
  • volunteer deputy registrars
  • election workers
  • election protection volunteers
  • professional journalists and reporters who share reliable election news
  • candidates who step up to run for leadership positions in our government
  • campaign workers, an invaluable part of the process
  • our county and state election officials whohave workedso hard during this challenging election season.

With every election, we get the chance to shape our democracy with our vote. Even through the stresses that 2020 has brought, the League encourages you to take a moment to celebrate our democracy. What a beautiful thing it is!

Thank you for continuing to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy!
PS: Breaking News!

We are working with the Texas ACLU to join another lawsuit.The attempt to disenfranchise more than 120,000 voters who lawfully cast their ballots in Harris County during early voting is disgraceful and un-American!

Drive-thru voting was established as a safe early voting option for individuals, including many disabled voters who did not want to enter a polling site during this pandemic. It was tested with great success during the Texas run-off and special election in July. This last-minute attack on voters demonstrates a desire by some to silence Texas voters and we will not stand for it.
PPS: Wow!Young voters are turning out!"The numbers are especially dramatic in a state likeTexas, where more than 1 million young people have already cast ballots, nearly approaching the 1.2 million total votes cast by youth (both early and on Election Day) in 2016."
Election Day, November 3rd
Tips for Voting on Election Day

  1. To avoid the lines, vote during non-peak hours. If you are in line by 7:00 pm, you will be allowed to vote.
  2. Research the candidates with VOTE411.org. Bring a written or printed list of the candidates you wish to vote for to the polling place.
  3. Curbside voting is available on Election Day for voters who are physically unable to enter the polling place.
  4. Voters with a disability and their helper may request to move ahead of other voters in line.

You probably do not need this information. Please share with your family, friends and colleagues!
Who Are These People at the Polls?
Electioneering and Intimidation
What is electioneering?
  • Advocating for or against a candidate, measure, or political party.
What electioneering is allowed at polling places?
  • Outside the 100-foot zone, electioneering is allowed. Campaign workers may provide handouts, hold signs, give speeches.
What electioneering is not allowed at polling places?
  • Inside the 100-foot zone, electioneering is prohibited. No one is allowed to wear any item or share handouts, signs, etc which promote a candidate, measure or political party.
  • Inside a 1000-foot zone. megaphones or speakers are prohibited.
Texas voters have the right to vote free from intimidation!
Voter intimidation is illegal and can include:
  • Direct confrontation of voters
  • The use of insulting, offensive, or threatening language
  • The use of raised voices
  • Spreading false information about voter requirements
  • Blocking entry to a polling place
  • Attempting to act as a poll watcher without certification
  • The use or threat of physical force
  • The possession of guns and other weapons, apart from those belonging to peace officers, are prohibited in a polling place
Who can I call if I have any voting questions or concerns?
Call the Texas Secretary of State at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683) or emailelections@sos.texas.govor one of the Election Protection numbers below...

866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) English
888-Ve-Y-Vota (839-8682) Spanish
888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, and Tagalog
844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287) Arabic
Share VOTE411.org!

For the folks who are voting tomorrow, share VOTE.411.org. Statewide race information in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Houston and Austin also have candidate information in Chinese and Vietnamese.Share the updatedLWVTX YouTube videosexplaining the statewide offices.
Your Texas League in Action!
Legal Updates

LWV Texas fights for voting rights in the following lawsuits:
  • New:Drive-Through Voting in Harris County - LWVTX is requesting to join a lawsuit filed in federalcourt challenging the Harris County Clerk's authority to set up drive-through polling locations.
  • Texas Governor's proclamation limited drop-offs for mail ballots to one location per county.
  • Richardson v. HughsMail-in ballot signature verification
  • Harris County Clerk’s authority to send applications for mail-in ballots to all registered voters
Match Campaign - A Resounding Success!

Thank you! With your generous support, we raised over $5,500 from last month’s Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy fundraising match campaign earning the full $5,000 match from our Board of Directors!These funds will support your commitment to educating and activating voters, ensuring information about accessible and safe voting continues during the pandemic and maintaining a strong election protection stand in Texas.

We’re so grateful to our faithful contributors who sustain us through good times and hard times.To the many new contributors, we are proud of the confidence you have in the League during this critical election cycle.And, special thanks to your Texas League's Board for leveraging the generosity of new and longstanding contributors.Because of all of you, we have the resources to do this valuable work.

With the holidays fast approaching, please consider adding LWV-Texas to yourAmazonSmileaccount.AmazonSmilewill donate .5% of your purchases to the League!
Donate Now to Support the League in Action!
Texas Local Leagues In Action!
From East to West and South to North, Leagues around Texas have been busy this last month! Everyone was finding creative ways to safely register voters, distribute Voters Guides, host candidate forums and educate and engage voters (and future voters) in Texas during this pandemic. Leagues were also working with their local election officials and all kinds of community partners to accomplish our mission.

LWV Amarillomailed out thousands of postcards to low propensity voters and put VOTE411 stickers on hundreds of boxes distributed by the local food pantry.LWV Lubbockpartnered with the NAACP to distribute Voters Guides door to door. TheComal Area Leagueprinted two different Voter Guides for two of their communities and hosted a webinarFact or Fake: Media Misuse Todayon recognizing and combatting misinformation.LWV Corpus Christihosted five candidate forums that were shared online.LWV Collin CountyandLWV Irving, like many of the Leagues, found new and larger audiences by hosting their candidate forums online.LWV Dallasstaffed phone banks hosted by local media to answer voters' questions.LWV Midlandhosted a Facebook Live meeting with a health care educator and their local elections official about safe voting.LWV CyFair not only worked with the local school district to distribute information about VOTE411 to educators and students' families, but also partnered with apartment complexes to post VOTE411 yard signs.LWV San Antoniowas highlighted onFacebook live event from Lark Community Center. All the Leagues are fielding questions from the press about the exceptional voter turnout in their communities.

LWV Houston AreaPresident MaryJane Mudd has been in the center of storm with all of the voting issues in Harris County, and still had time to empower the next generation of young women leaders by giving a workshop on "Democracy and the 19th Amendment" to Girl Scout Troop23072.

Whew! And that's not even the half of all that Texas Leagues have done this month! A huge shout out andthank you to all of the Texas League leaders and volunteerswho are empowering voters and defending democracy all over Texas!
Calendar
November 3:Election Day!

Be inspired by voting and civil rights heroines and heroes! Add theLWVTX Voting and Civil Rightscalendar to yourGoogle CalendaroriCal. Never forget an election, addtheTexas Electionscalendar to yourGoogle CalendaroriCal.


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