TX Votes
TX Votes is a student organization that organizes voter registration and voter education activities to increase campus civic engagement and electoral awareness.
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.
TX Votes meets every other Thursday at 7:00 p.m. New members can join at any point in the semester.
Click here to join TX Votes today
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.
TX Votes hosting annual fundraiser with goal of $5,000
Why Should You Support This Project?
Civic engagement in the state of Texas is abysmal, but UT Austin students consistently vote at higher rates than the rest of the state. Texas constantly ranks as one of the lowest states for voter turnout. Research shows that individuals need to start voting at a young age if they are to create a habit of voting. Students at the University of Texas represent communities across the state that will benefit from increased voter turnout in the future. In addition, many voters lack the information they need to vote and do not know who or what to turn to in order to get that information. We want to be considered a trusted source that will provide nonpartisan information that especially relates to UT students. Lastly, the students who participate in TX Votes walk away with skills, experiences, and connections that will help them in their future. We want to be able to provide this opportunity to all students who are interested in joining TX Votes.
What Will You Be Funding as a Donor?
The money raised during the annual TX Votes Hornraiser accounts for 75% of our budget, excluding pay for staff support, which is provided by the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life. Our regular expenses include: materials needed for voter registration (clipboards, pens, sticky notes, etc), cost for the approximately eight on-campus events we host every year, food for TX Votes and CEA meetings, t-shirts, and recruitment materials. We also plan to invite more speaks to campus. This project will allow us to bring in different members of government - both elected and appointed - to speak with members of the UT community. We hope this, in addition to more civic discourse and government training for TX Votes members, will allow UT students to be more engaged both on campus and in their communities.
TX Votes in the News
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3/5/19 - STEM civic engagement is crucial, The Daily Texan
TX Votes Events
Women in Politics Panel with TX Votes
Texas Orange Jackets and TX Votes invite you to a panel of Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, Council Member Kathie Tovo, Commissioner Brigid Shea, ACC Trustee Stephanie Gharakhanian, and State Representative Gina Hinojosa. They will be discussing how they use their roles in government to empower women and what it is like being a woman in government and politics. Light refreshments will be provided.
RSVP Here: https://www.facebook.com/events/328181147835798/.
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.
TX Votes Awards and Recognition
- 2018 Voter Friendly Campus
- 2017 Outstanding Student Organization Tower Award Recipient
- 2016 ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Bronze Seal Award
- Overall Most Improved Undergraduate Voter Turnout
- Best-in-Class Large Campus Most Improved Voting Rate
UT Austin Voting Data & Campus Plan
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