We Want HOU to Vote!

Hey, HOU: It’s almost time to vote. The beauty of democracy is that WE get to decide who gets the privilege of holding office and, by extension, shape the future of Houston. At least, that’s what COULD happen, because right now we’re not actually voting.

Dun dun dunnnnnnn! That’s right. Spoiler alert: Despite the ubiquitousness of your friends’ political posts and your cousin’s arguments with your dubiously informed uncle, not that many people are actually getting out to vote. Houston has had an abysmal voter turnout record. Terrible. Awful. Of a possible 2.2 million votes, only 175,101 were cast in the last Mayoral Election. That’s only 13 percent of voters. Thirteen percent of us shouldn’t be tasked with making the major decisions for our city; this is something we should all be a part of. 2.2 million people live, work and play in Houston. When only a few people vote, they are making decisions about infrastructure, school boards, criminal justice, equality, pension reform and a whole host of other important issues that affect every single person—and that’s just too much pressure for one small crowd.  

First-time voter, long-time listener? Check out our list of frequently used excuses asked questions and get thyself to the polls this election season.

“How do I register to vote?”

EASY. You can print and mail your voter registration form, fill one out in person at the county Voter Registrar offices, request one by mail from the Tax-Assessor Collector’s office or pick a form up at a library, government office or high school.

“How do I find out if I’m already registered to vote?”

If you have changed your name or moved since you last registered to vote, you will need to update that.

“I moved down the street and changed my last name on my driver’s license. Now what?”

For people who moved within the same county or had a name change, you can do both changes online. Easy. Peasy. Lemon-squeezy.

For people who moved within the same county, you can still vote without changing anything. The catch is that you have to go during early voting since that allows you to vote at any location in the county. On election day you have to vote in the precinct corresponding to your address, which means you might miss your chance to vote if your address isn’t updated. And no, you can’t use that as an excuse, now that you know how to change it.

“I moved from Galveston County to Harris County. What do I do?”

You will have to register to vote in the new county. See above!

“I’m not originally from Texas. Can I still register to vote? And do I need a Texas driver’s license to vote?”

Yes, you can vote, but you do need a photo ID. Here are the forms of photo ID you can bring when you go to vote:

• U.S. passport book or card
• Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS (FREE)
• Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
• Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS
• U. S. military identification card containing the person’s photograph
• U.S. Citizenship Certificate or Certificate of Naturalization with photo

“I’ll just register to vote when I go to vote on election day.”

WOAH WOAH WOAH. This isn’t Iowa. This is Texas and, unfortunately, you can’t just register to vote on the day of an election. You gotta do it by the deadline, which is October 5th. That’s next Monday. Put it on your calendar.

“I’m registered. Now what?”

Once you’re registered to vote, all you have to do is SHOW UP.

“What is the early voting business about? Why is that a thing?”

Early voting is from October 19th-30th. Go vote during this time! The lines are shorter (or nonexistent) and you can vote literally ANYWHERE within your county. On the actual election day, you can only vote at the location in your precinct, which is determined by your address. Lines get longer, you get stuck in traffic, the weather sucks and prevents you from getting to the polls, and then of course on election day the laziness monster comes out in all of us and we just stay hidden in bed. Don’t be that person. Vote before election day.

“I know how to vote, but I’m a little light on the details. How can I find out about the issues important to our city?”

The sample ballot for Harris County is also LIVE! Before the election, take a quiet morning to drink that coffee, lounge at the computer and google the shit out of all the items on the ballot.

It can seem overwhelming to vote—you have to get up, put on pants, drive somewhere and wait in a line. “Oh… well I have a lot to do today, so…” None of that, fellow Houstonian. Your voice is needed. For Houston to keep thriving, we need everyone’s input on the future. So, vote with the knowledge that what you say matters and the confidence you are casting your ballot for people and policies that you believe in.