Important Voting Dates for Texans

• October 7 Last day to Register to Vote

• October 21 First day of Early Voting

• November 1 Last day of Early Voting

• November 5 Election Day

Get Involved Now

Now is the time to get involved in Horizon Get out The Vote (GOTV).  Early voting begins October 21 for the November 5th election for federal and state offices.

We are not in a normal democratic cycle.  Attacks on democracy are coming from many different sources including: the Supreme Court, Christian Nationalist groups, and even one of the political parties.  We must make certain that candidates who are elected to the Presidency, Senate and House of Representatives support secular democracy and the will of the majority in their legislation and court appointments. 

In this last term the US Supreme Court has repeatedly demonstrated that their loyalties lie with big corporations and special interests and they are willing to show political favoritism, instead of favoring the Constitution or the American people with rulings that:

• empowered the court to make policy decisions instead of agency experts,

• made it harder for the Department of Justice to prosecute January 6th insurrectionists, and

• ruled that a president has immunity for their crimes related to their presidential duties. 

2024 Actions and Offices Up for Election

Horizon GOTV 2024 expects to continue the work started in 2022.  This will include:

• Voter Registration

• GOTV Contacts to Potential voters via: postcards, letters, phone banking, text banking

• Providing information on voting options and issues

2024 will be a vey important election year with the following key elections for Texas and the United States:

• President of the United States

• United States Senator

• U.S. House of Representatives

• Other state executive offices

• State Senate

• State House of Representatives

• State Supreme Court

• Intermediate appellate courts

• School boards

• Municipal government

• Railroad Commissioner

• State Board of Education

In 2022 more than 50 members of Horizon participated in GOTV as we:

• Registered over 70 voters

• Sent about 2,900 postcards and letters

• Sent more than 6,000 texts and phone calls

We can make an impact by working with other UU organizations and coordinating our efforts with TXUUJM, UUSJ, and UU the Vote.  Thanks for supporting Horizon GOTV!

WE MUST ENGAGE IN VOTING ACTIVITIES LIKE NEVER BEFORE IF WE WANT OUR DEMOCRACY TO REMAIN INTACT!

Register to Vote

Email socialresponsibility@horizonuu.org if you have registration questions or would like a volunteer deputy registrar to contact you. https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/reqvr.shtml is a link that lets you fill-in and print a “Mail-in” registration form. You must print it and mail it or take it personally to your county voter registrar.

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

Texas municipal (city, school) non-partisan elections take place on the first Saturday in May. The people who serve as your Mayor, City Council, and School Board trustees have a huge impact on your daily life and your quality of life. These are the people who provide oversight over police officers, who pass ordinances that affect you, and oversee the education of the children in your area. Voter turnout is normally very low for these elections, this means that your vote has impact!

REMEMBER TO ReSEARCH JUDGES, TOO

For November elections in even-numbered years, when you look at your sample ballot many of the races are judicial. These are extremely important positions. Read more about Judges On The Ballot.

Mail-in Ballots

Click HERE for detailed info about voting by mail. You must send in a new application every calendar year or each time that you will be out of town.

Texans, if you receive an official absentee (mail-in) ballot in the mail (whether you applied for one or not), DO NOT destroy it or throw it away. (If you shredded your mail-in ballot - they must still let you vote a provisional ballot.) If you qualify to vote by mail your choices are:

1. Use it to vote and put it in the mail allowing plenty of time for it to get to your county election office by Election Day.

2. Use it to vote and take it to your County Elections office during posted early voting hours or on election day. Be sure to bring your photo ID.

3. Turn it in unused at your polling place or elections office and ask to vote in person.

If you do not qualify to vote by mail (65+, disability, out of town) then you must turn in the unused mail-in ballot and vote in person.

MAKE A VOTING PLAN WHICH INCLUDES:

• When you will vote

• Where you will vote

• How you will get there and return home, even if there is a wait to vote

• The offices, ballot initiatives, and other items on your ballot

• The candidates and initiatives that you want to vote for or against

NONPARTISAN VOTING INFORMATION SOURCES

• Vote 411: https://www.vote411.org/

• Texas League of Woman Voters

• Vote Smart: https://justfacts.votesmart.org/

Election day

Election Day Hours are 7am to 7pm. If you are in line to vote by 7pm, you have the right to cast a ballot. Election Day Polling Locations: If your county participates in the Countywide Polling Place Program (CWPP), you can vote at any location in your county of registration. Dallas, Collin, and Tarrant Counties are included in this program. Denton County voters must vote at the polling place designated for their precinct on election day. Be sure to check for your voting location when you make your voting plans! Precinct voting locations can be changed or consolidated, so don't assume it will be the same place as the last election.