Announcements
Voting – The Future In Our Hands
Much has been said about the importance of voting. This is especially true as our 2008 presidential candidates advance their plans on health care, the economy, foreign relations and other vital issues. Perhaps this quote, from John Carr, secretary of the department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, sums it up for Catholics:
“The question is not whether we’re better off than we were four or eight years ago. It is: Are the unborn protected? Are the poor lifted up? Is health care available to all? We’re facing issues of war and peace, of life and death, of who moves ahead and who gets left behind. There’s an increasing recognition that the most important choices we face as a people have moral and ethical dimensions.”
Indeed, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a call for action, urging all Catholics to participate in the political process. For a detailed view of the Bishops’ initiative, please visit http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org. As a help to newcomers, and a reminder to us all, let us review the basics of how to vote in Texas.
To vote in Texas, you must be at least 18 on election day. You must be at least 17 years and 10 months old when you register to vote. Forms must be completed and received by the Voter Registrar’s Office or postmarked at least 30 days prior to the election in which you want to vote. You will need a Texas driver’s license or personal ID number issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The last day to register to vote for the November election is Monday, October 6, 2008.
Registration is required, but easy to accomplish. You may obtain an application from the Tax Assessor-Collector or the County Clerk of Elections, depending on your county. Or, you may find them at the Secretary of State’s office, in libraries and some post offices or high schools. You may also register when you apply for or renew your driver’s license.
Once registered, you will receive a certificate of proof, which is automatically renewed every two years if you haven’t moved. You will need this, or other ID and your signature, to vote on election days. If you move within your county, you may change your address on line at the Secretary of State web site or by contacting your local Voter Registrar in writing. Moving to another county in Texas requires re-registration and a new certificate.
Usually local newspapers will list your local polling stations prior to an election. Or you can call your County Clerk or Elections Administrator. Texas allows “early voting” either in person or by mail. Your County Clerk or Elections Administrator will tell you where and how this can be accomplished. If you’ll be away, are age 65 or older, sick or disabled, or confined to jail, you can call those same offices and ask them to send you a ballot to vote by mail.
By necessity we’ve had to compress a lot of information here. For additional or more specific information call the Secretary of State’s Office toll-free at 1-800-252-8683. Or visit the Secretary of State’s web site and click on the Elections Division. That link is: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/pamphlets/largepamp.shtml.