Get out the vote in Texas
V
oter turnouts for local elections historically have a lower turnout than federal elections.
Texas Secretary of State Nandita Berry reports on her website that 8.55 percent of registered voters voted in their local elections in 2013. In contrast, more than 58 percent of registered voters — almost eight million people — cast their ballots in the 2012 presidential election for federal and state offices.
“The driver is usually the presidential election,” said Debbie Roan, member of the Bay Area Republican Women. “We do have a governor’s race, which should drive voters to the polls. My job is to show the importance of these local elections.”
Austin Plier, a democracy fellow at Fairvote.org and director of the “Promote Our Vote” project, believes local elections are essential as they have the greatest impact on a citizen’s daily life.
“Basic things like service delivery, education and economic growth are influenced greatly by decisions made at the local level,” Plier said. “It is also where voters can have the greatest influence, as voter turnout has reached historic lows in recent years.”
Plier points out that the intense media coverage given to national politics can lead to the less dramatic races of local politics to be overlooked.
“There is a pervasive sense of apathy on the part of voters in which people feel they cannot impact outcomes with their vote,” Plier said. “Voters often overlook the importance of decisions made at the local level, when in fact those local legislators may have the greatest impact on their daily life.”
In an effort to reach as many potential voters as possible, Roan and her fellow members will be emailing and making “get-out-the-vote” phone calls daily from when early voting begins through to Election Day.
“The incentive is if you want to stop getting phone calls, go vote,” Roan said. “As soon as we have seen that you have voted, you’re off the list, and for a lot of people, that makes a difference.”
The Democratic Party is also trying to increase the voter turnout by focusing on early voting and engaging with people in person.
“We’re telling people to vote early because it’s convenient, typically doesn’t take as long and you can get it out of the way,” said Jim Brown, communication director for Neighborhood Democrats of Galveston County. “We will also be phone-banking and block-walking to connect with voters. Our motto is get the vote out and we win.”
Roan asserts that voting is a civic duty and declares that she has never missed a vote in her life.
“I think if you’re uninformed it’s OK to stay at home,” Roan said. “My rule of thumb is if you don’t vote, I don’t want to hear you complain.”
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