1 MILLION Registered Voters Have Been Removed Since the Last Election
Source: The Texas Tribune
Early Voting Begins October 21, 2024
I’m Dreaming of a Blue Texas…
Want to be a part of the blue wave? Volunteer your time and talents!
Howdy, welcome to A Blue Texas!
Doesn’t that sound amazing?
Our dream is to turn Texas Blue.
We are a local, grassroots organization looking to find, inspire and most importantly, mobilize progressive Texans toward the goal of a better Texas: one we can feel safe and proud to raise our children in.
We want to provide resources and opportunities to make a real impact on mobilization. Georgia did not turn blue overnight – it took the hard work and dedication from motivated individuals just like you across the state. Stacey Abrams spearheaded the effort in Georgia and should be applauded for her vision and perseverance, but turning blue requires voter participation, and we need your help to make this dream a reality in Texas!
So what do you say? Are you in?
Why Vote Blue?
Reproductive Rights
Every woman should have the right to choose when and if they want to start a family, and how to privately handle high-risk pregnancies and complications in coordination with their doctors.
LGBTQIA+ Rights
No human being should be vilified for simply existing, and every consenting adult has the right to love any other consenting adult. “Mind your own damn business.”
Universal Healthcare
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should include the right to quality healthcare and prescriptions without sustaining crippling debt. No individual should have to decide between medical care and paying rent.
Middle-Class
Aristotle said it best: “The most perfect political community is one in which the middle class is in control, and outnumbers both of the other classes.” He further points out that when the middle class disappears, the poor become the majority.
Workers’ Rights
When workers have more rights and collective bargaining power for better wages and working conditions, society as a whole benefits.
Price-Gouging
Corporations are reporting record profit margins while Texans struggle to pay for every day necessities. There are currently federal lawsuits underway, with at least one executive having admitted to price-gouging.
Education
Over 91% of Texas public school students attend inadequately funded schools. Our children deserve better. Our collective future demands better.
Climate Action
Top climatologists predict Texas is likely to see more severe storms, floods, and droughts. Our grid has proven unreliable and stands to benefit from increased use of green energy.
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Fun Facts
Can Texas turn blue?
”It is absolutely crucial that we engage young voters to not only register, but to vote in every election including locals.
Polls show it is actually closer than you might think! In 2015, 40% of Texans identified as Democrat vs 39% Republican. 1 Two years later, in 2017, 38% of Texans identified as Democrat vs 41% Republican. 2 We lost a little ground, but there is still hope.
Projections indicate an expected drop in voter turnout amongst Republicans in the coming years due to aging. In the 18-29 age group, Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 16%. Therefore, it is absolutely crucial that we engage young voters to not only register, but to vote in every election including locals.
Presidential Elections
These are the big ones that everyone knows you’re supposed to vote in… but even in the general election, the highest voter turnout in U.S. history was 82.6%, in 1876. In recent history, the highest voter turnout was 72.92% in 1992 (Bill Clinton won over incumbent, George H.W. Bush).
In November of 2016 we had 15,101,087 registered voters in Texas out of a possible 19,307,355 voting age population. In 2016, 4.2 million potential voters were not even registered, and today that number is 4.9 million!
In 2016 Donald Trump received 4,685,047 votes while Hillary Clinton received 3,877,868 votes in Texas… a difference of 807,179 votes. An extra 21% of Democrats showing up at the polls would have made Texas blue. It’s a large number, but how many people do you know in Texas and beyond who lean Democrat and didn’t vote because they didn’t like Hillary, or because it wasn’t Bernie or some other candidate they prefer?
With only 12.92% of Democrats voting in the Primaries, it’s no wonder many voters don’t love the candidate we end up with. We have the power to choose, but we have to show up at every single election.
Presidential Turnout (%)
Source: TX Secretary of State (https://bit.ly/3Gr0p6Z)
Gubernatorial Elections
Gubernatorial Turnout (%)
Source: TX Secretary of State (https://bit.ly/3Gr0p6Z)
Local Elections
Turnout is historically quite low for local (Constitutional) elections, but they are important, too! What do you vote for in local elections, you might ask?
In odd years there will be different things on the ballot, based on positions opening due to retirement or removal, term limits, and other factors… Possible items on the ballot may include U.S. Senate, U.S. House, State Executives, State Senate, State House, Congress Special Elections, Special state legislative, school boards, municipal government, recalls, ballot measures, and local ballot measures.
In 1987 and 1991 we had 30% and 26% voter turnout, respectively, compared with an average of 12% in the last 20 local elections. We can and we must do better. Meaningful change starts with us, the people, and works its way up through local leadership and eventually the state and national level. We must be relentless in our pursuit of moving our state and our country forward, to stop living in the past.
Local Turnout (%)
Source: TX Secretary of State (https://bit.ly/3Gr0p6Z)