Election Day is Tuesday, November 3 (SBISD does not have school that day).
Find your sample ballot at www.harrisvotes.com. The ballot is 5 pages long.
What do different Texas government leadership roles have to do with education? (Not an exhaustive list, but examples):
1. The State Board of Education decides curricula which impacts everything that children study, read and learn in public school. And what they do not. There are only 15 districts in the State, so they arguably have more constituents than Texas State Senators.
2. The Lieutenant Governor sets the agenda for what the Texas Legislature covers in their legislative session. They decide which committees get hearings (cannot get a bill passed without this). The Lt. Gov. oversees the Senate and is the tie-breaking vote when needed. They appoint all Senate committee chairs, vice-chairs and members. Is also joint chair of the Legislative Budget Board and has lots of influence over drafting the budget priorities. Whether or not public education is a priority is driven by who sets the agenda and what their focus is.
3. The Governor mandates when there are Special Sessions. They also make appointments to statewide boards, public university boards, veto or sign legislative bills, and put forward budget recommendations. Last legislative session, educational savings accounts (often referred to as “vouchers”) were voted on in a special session called by the Governor.
4. The Texas Comptroller oversees the taxation, treasury and does forecasting to project what funds will be available to the legislature. This directly impacts what the legislature can plan to spend, which impacts potential public education spending.
5. Judges impact families’ day-to-day lives and their well-being. For example, family court judges decide custody arrangements. A Justice of the Peace makes decisions about evictions. Criminal courts decide about the severity of crime sentences for abuse and other crimes.
While these examples do not encompass the whole scope of their roles, remember that each candidate that we vote for has an impact on families' lives, and this is why it is important we do our best to work with good information to make decisions.
Included below, are some suggestions for how you can go about preparing your ballot, if you have not already done so.
With so many positions, how can you educate yourself about the races and candidates? Some suggestions:
Review lawmakers’ prior votes. Consider how they line up with your values and what matters to you and your community. Below is a selection of education bills and how SBISD’s representatives voted in the past. You can look up bills at https://capitol.texas.gov/.
The League of Women Voters creates a Houston Voters Guide. LWV is a nonpartisan organization that formed in 1919 and invites all candidates to submit answers to a questionnaire. The guide is also available on Libby through Harris County Public Library.
The Houston Bar Association, a nonpartisan legal association for attorneys, conducts a Judicial Poll before elections.
Editorial teams from major cities’ newspapers make endorsements and give explanations of their reasoning. As there are many statewide races, you can look at multiple cities to find information and cross-reference it.
Visit candidates’ campaign sites and review their platforms. You can also review who endorses them and see if any align with your positions.
Ask trusted friends, family, and/or neighbors if they would be willing to discuss their views with you.
If you do not feel comfortable with the knowledge you have or do not support a candidate, you do not have to vote for them. You can leave it blank.
