TX Votes is a student organization that organizes voter registration and voter education activities to increase campus civic engagement and electoral awareness. Visit tx-votes.com for more information!
TX Votes is a student organization at the University of Texas at Austin that invites students campus wide to increase electoral participation and create more voters and better citizens. Each election cycle, TX Votes, in partnership with the Annette Strauss Institute, organizes and coordinates Get Out the Vote activities including registration booths, deputization sessions, and campus competitions. During off election cycles, TX Votes educates the UT community and engages in respectful and civil discourse on important issues. Despite campus engagement looking different this year, TX Votes hasn't ceased to organize campus digitally leading up to the 2020 General Election.
TX Votes meets every other Thursday at 7:00 p.m. New members can join at any point in the semester. For more information and to get access to upcoming, digital events - follow them on social media.
Click here if you’re interested in TX Votes!
Click here to check your voter registration or get registered to vote!
Visit the new TX Votes website for more voting information.
Special thanks to our 2020 fall semester students who went above and beyond, and led public-facing events or registered 10 or more classrooms. They will be honored with a prize of $125!
Emily Wang, Aaron Lurin, Lucas Barr, Breanna Lozano, Bella Costantini, Hannah Bradford, Nitya Kopparapu, Bhargav Nallanthighal, Sarah Batson, Zoe Nason, Janae Stegall, Mahi Perla, Huzain Dhoon, Riley McKinzie, and Anthony Zhan.
Members who registered between 5 and 10 classes will be honored with a $50 award!
Byron Zu and Asha Ayyar registered 5 or more classes but less than 10.
TX Votes offers opportunities to register University of Texas students to vote. If you are a student organization, professor, institute, etc. that would like to have us out to register your students to vote, please fill out this short form.
Please consider supporting TX Votes by making a donation today. All money will go toward supporting the work of our students as we register, educate, and get out the vote.
DONATE HERE
TX Votes Awards and Recognition
- 2019 Outstanding Student Organization Tower Award Recipient
- 2018 Voter Friendly Campus Designation
- 2017 Outstanding Student Organization Tower Award Recipient
- 2016 Voter Friendly Campus Designation
- 2016 ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Bronze Seal Award
- Overall Most Improved Undergraduate Voter Turnout
- Best-in-Class Large Campus Most Improved Voting Rate
Current Events
General Election
Election Day for the General Election is Tuesday, November 3 with early voting from Tuesday, October 13 to Friday, October 30. During early voting, polls are open in Travis County, where campus is located, from 7am to 7pm every day except for Sunday which opens from 12pm to 6pm.
Polling locations on campus at The University of Texas will be located at the Flawn Academic Center and Gregory Gym.
UT Austin Voting Data & Campus Plan
As part of the Voter Friendly Campus Program, TX Votes put together a campus plan to guide civic learning and democratic engagement each year.
- 2019 & 2020 UT Austin Campus Plan
- 2018 UT Austin Election Campus Plan
- 2014 & 2018 Election Data
- 2012 & 2016 Election Data
Upcoming Events
Civic Engagement Alliance Meeting
Meet to discuss plans leading up to and including the March Primaries and think ahead to the 2020 Presidential Election in November. VDR trainings will follow each meeting. Civic Engagement Alliance meetings have concluded for the Fall 2020 semester but please visit our website or email Krisa Gehlhausen for more information.
TX Votes Bi-weekly Meetings
Follow us on facebook to stay up to date with TX Votes' upcoming meetings and events. As we get closer to the election, in addition to bi-weekly meetings, TX votes will host events like Presidential debate watchparties, campus canvasses, and more - and all virtual.
To see upcoming meetings and opportunities for digital engagement, visit our facebook page.
Campus Canvassing
Students are more inclined to listen to other students provide them with information on how to vote, why elections are important, and why they should make a plan to vote. Students are even more likely to listen to their friends tell them this information. TX Votes has began organizing virtual campus canvasses where members will use their own networks to engage in relational organizing, messaging their friends across UT and making sure they're up to date on voting deadlines and the process of voting!
Please email Cole Wilson to get involved with the Campus Canvas program leading up to the November election.
TX Votes in the News (2019-2020 Election Cycle)
- 8/5/20 - Engaging Students in 2020: Big XII Votes, Forbes
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2/27/20 - Will 2020 be the year young Texans show up to vote? Experts are 'cautiously optimistic', Austin American Statesman
- 1/14/20 - Here's how Five Texas Universities Get Out The Vote, Reform Austin
- 11/20/19 - Keep (UT) Austin Weird: The Story of How Longhorns Defeated the Odds and Improved Voter Engagement, Forbes.com
- 11/20/19 - TX Votes members recognized by ALL IN Democracy Challenge for increasing student voting participation, The Daily Texan
- 11/16/19 - UT students receive national award for increasing voter participation, kxan.com
- 11/13/19 - Effort to Increase Student Turnout Recognized with National Awards, UT News
- 11/13/19 - UT Austin Students Honored for Civic Engagement Efforts, Patch.com
- 11/5/19 - Early Austin voter approve most constitutional ammendments, reject local propositions, The Daily Texan
- 10/28/19 - Voter Turnout Doubles across nation, triples at UT, The Daily Texan
- 10/24/19 - The Student Vote is Surging. So are Efforts to Suppress It., The New York Times
- 10/7/19 - Travis County records highest number of registered voters, The Daily Texan
- 10/3/19 - Former TX Votes president awarded MTV grant for civic engagement efforts, The Daily Texan
- 9/25/19 - Meet the college student helping ensure her classmates go to the polls, MTV News
- 9/25/19 - Civic engagement groups promote voter turnout on National Voter Registration Day, The Daily Texan
- 9/15/19 - The Voting Wars Come to Campus, Washington Monthly
- 4/18/19 - Digital driver's license test program approved by Texas House, The Daily Texan
- 3/5/19 - STEM civic engagement is crucial, The Daily Texan
- 2/15/19 - Online voter registration could increase accessibility, cut cost, for Texas, Travis County, The Daily Texan
2019-2020 Past Events
TX Votes End-of-Semester Celebration
On Tuesday, December 10 TX Votes celebrated the end of semester by honoring our graduating seniors, host a white elephant exchange, and enjoy a Cabo Bob's taco bar. TX Votes alumni attended the celebration!
Recharge Your Civic Battery
The New Politics Forum, Texas Civic Ambassadors and TX Votes held an event for some quality recharge time. We invited students and professionals from across the political spectrum to come together over a meal to chat, network, and relax. Dinner, drinks, and a care package were provided.
Tie Dye, Tacos & TX Votes
TX Votes hosted students for its first meeting where we talked about voting on campus, enjoyed some delicious tacos, and tie dyed voting-related shirts to show how much we really love voting.
UT Austin Civics Formal
TX Votes hosted the UT Austin Civics Formal in the Legislative Conference Center at the State Capitol to recognize VDRs who registered over 50 people to vote and the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life “Leaders in Civic Pursuit” award winners, Student Engineering Council and Texas Hillel, for work by a student organization on the University of Texas at Austin campus in the name of civic engagement.
Women in Politics Panel with TX Votes
Texas Orange Jackets and TX Votes co-hosted a panel of Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, Council Member Kathie Tovo, Commissioner Brigid Shea, ACC Trustee Stephanie Gharakhanian, and State Representative Gina Hinojosa to discuss their roles in government to empower women and what it is like being a woman in government and politics.
2018 Election Cycle By the Numbers
6,812 = # of People Registered by TX Votes Members
(Many TX Votes members register students as part of numerous student organizations.)
264 = # of Classrooms Registered to Vote by TX Votes Members
2 = # of Polling Locations on Campus
500+ = # of Students at UT Austin Trained to Register Travis County Voters
13,820 = # of People Registered to Vote by All UT Austin Trained VDRs
26,943 = # of People who Voted at On-Campus Polling Locations
2018 Election Cycle - TX Votes in the News
- 11/6/18 - University of Texas students carry early voting momentum to the polls on Election Day, Community Impact Newspaper
- 11/6/18 - It’s finally Election Day. Here's What to expect when casting a ballot, The Daily Texan
- 11/6/18 - Get to know the propositions on the ballot before heading to the polls today, The Daily Texan
- 11/5/18 - How Long Will it Take to Vote? Not Sure What ID You Need? Use This New App, UT News
- 10/30/18 - Nearly 95 percent of Travis County is registered to vote, setting ‘modern-day record’, The Daily Texan
- 10/30/18 - Here’s Why Texas Voter Turnout Was So Low, and Why It’s Surging Now, Pewtrusts.org
- 10/28/18 - Travis County sees record number of early voters for midterm election, The Daily Texan
- 10/28/18 - Midterm elections give first-time voters opportunity to make their voices heard, The Daily Texan
- 10/26/18 - “Unprecedented” surge in voter registration makes 18-to-25-year-olds largest voting block in Travis County, Community Impact Newspaper
- 10/23/18 - PCL polling location experiences long early voting lines, The Daily Texan
- 10/15/18 - Hey, Curious Campus: Why is voter turnout among young people so low in midterm elections?, The Daily Texan
- 10/3/18 - Still not registered to vote? Here’s what you need to do by Tuesday, The Austin American Statesman
- 9/27/18 - Get to know bond proposals that will be on the ballot this November, The Daily Texan
- 9/18/18 - UT-Austin organizations coordinate to register students to vote, The Daily Texan
- 9/18/18 - FAC lines too long? Head to the PCL during early voting, The Daily Texan
- 9/12/18 - Planning on voting in November? Make sure to register by Oct. 9, The Daily Texan
- 9/6/18 - Travis County to debut new voting system in 2019, The Daily Texan
- 8/14/18 - Optimism for Student Voter Turnout, Inside Higher Ed
- 8/10/18 - New polling place to open on campus, The Daily Texan
- 4/23/18 - Travis County breaks voter registration record, Texas may soon have online voting, The Daily Texan
- 4/3/18 - Q&A: Three experts discuss civic engagement in Texas, The Texas Tribune
- 3/8/18 - Travis County voter turnout doubles in 2018 Democratic primary, The Daily Texan
- 11/17/17 - It is time to revamp Texas’ voter registration policies, The Daily Texan
- 11/9/17 - Travis County voter turnout drops to 13 percent from 65 percent in 2016, The Daily Texan
- 10/24/17 - Undergrads improve UT voting rate by 14 percent, The Daily Texan
- 10/10/17 - Students must remember to vote this November, The Daily Texan
2018 Election Cycle Events
Election Night Watch Party for All
Texas Rising and TX Votes co-hosted the nonpartisan Election Night Watch Party for All, with election bingo, a screening of election results, food, and more!
Jason Taper wins TX Votes' Pick Your Politician Contest
Jason Taper beat out over 100 other UT students in our version of Fantasy Football for Political Nerds. By selecting the candidates or results correctly that he expected to win the 2018 midterm election.
VoteFest Provided a Fun Space for All to Vote
A coalition of UT Austin organizations joined together for an all-day celebration of civic engagement at Vote Fest 2018 on November 1. There were free concerts from local Austin bands, The Alex Freeman Trio, Corey Baum, and Warren Hood. There was a photo booth, breakfast tacos, and the chance to sign-up to vote with members of the UT and Austin community.
TX Votes hosts the Texas Voting Summit
A two-day Texas Voting Summit was hosted on August 20th and 21st by TX Votes, in partnership with the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, Campus Vote Project, The Democracy Commitment, and Campus Compact. Students and faculty members from 35 Texas higher education institutions gathered at the Texas Capitol and the University of Texas at Austin in order to discuss and plan to improve voter registration and education on Texas school campuses.
TX Votes raises $4,590.01, surpassing $2,000 spring Hornraiser goal
TX Votes wants to thank everyone who donated to our spring Hornraiser. We raised $4,590.01due to your generosity. With the support of 56 different donors, TX Votes will be able to create a more civically engaged UT.
Students Celebrate Voting with Parade to the Polls for Primary Election
Led by Student Government, Graduate Student Assembly, Senate of College Councils, and TX Votes leaders, the Parade to the Polls was an opportunity for students to show off their love for voting and democracy with a parade and t-shirts provided by the Graduate Student Assembly.
