Early voting is underway NOW for the November 6 elections, so we’re taking a look at some of the reasons why it’s so important that educators vote TODAY! In this post, we’re taking a closer look at voter intimidation efforts targeting educators.

You may not be shocked to find out that some public officials who support defunding and privatizing our public schools do not like the idea of hundreds of thousands of educators voting their profession.

What you may find shocking, however, is how some public officials are using the power of their elective office to deliberately intimidate teachers from voting!

It’s no secret that educators are mobilizing like never before, and many school districts are enthusiastically exercising their legal obligation to encourage voting and civic engagement among both staff and eligible students. As a member of the Texas Educators Vote coalition, ATPE has worked alongside other education and civic groups to increase voter turnout among educators and share nonpartisan election resources with school employees. These efforts came under attack earlier this year when state Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) engaged Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a naked attempt to chill these efforts.

Soon after, the state’s most notorious privately funded special interest group staged its own voter intimidation campaign directed at teachers. The campaign backfired spectacularly, with the internet uniting behind the social media hashtag #BlowingTheWhistle to highlight the impactful stories of dedicated educators making a difference. ATPE wrote about the Twitter backlash on our Teach the Vote blog.

The whole debacle didn't escape the notice of retiring House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio), who sided squarely with educators encouraging a culture of voting.

“Put me down as supporting a culture of voting, among teachers and all eligible Texans,” Straus said in a newsletter dated February 23.

In his letter, the Speaker explicitly called out voter intimidation efforts aimed at educators. Straus wrote:

“I’ve often said that we need more Texans voting in primaries so that candidates are responsive and accountable to a broader set of Texans and their concerns. Unfortunately, some elected leaders in Austin and their allies have been trying to discourage voting among one important group of Texans: School teachers.

Some members of our community have received a letter from an Austin special interest group criticizing local school leaders for promoting a 'culture of voting.' This group apparently feels threatened by the fact that education leaders are encouraging civic participation.

It’s easy to understand why educators and others who support public schools want to vote. Those of us who have prioritized public education have been met with resistance from other elected leaders. As a result, our school finance system still desperately needs reform, and the lack of state dollars going into public education is driving local property taxes higher and higher."

Speaker Straus is not running for reelection, which means those who vote in the elections underway now will determine what type of leader takes his place and will oversee the actions taken by the Texas House during the 2019 legislative session that begins less than three months from now.

At the same time, Paxton continues his efforts to intimidate educators and discourage them from going to the polls, perhaps fearful that educators will vote for his opponent in the contested AG's race happening now. Paxton's office has sent threatening letters full of dubious legal warnings to multiple school districts throughout the year. Yet ATPE has pointed out that educators, including administrators, not only have a right to encourage voting -- Texas law encourages doing so!

The law is simple: School district resources can't be used to support a specific candidate, party, or ballot initiative. That means don't use your school e-mail to share a candidate's campaign e-mail. Easy enough, right? Other than that, you are perfectly fine encouraging colleagues, students, and staff to do their own research to find out where candidates stand and to make sure they vote in this week's elections.

Go to the CANDIDATES section of our Teach the Vote website to find out where officeholders and candidates in your area stand on this and other public education issues.

Remind your colleagues also about the importance of voting and making informed choices at the polls. While it is illegal to use school district resources (like your work e-mail) to communicate information that supports or opposes specific candidates or ballot measures, there is NO prohibition on sharing nonpartisan resources and general “get out of the vote” reminders about the election.

Early voting in the 2018 general election runs Monday, October 22, through Friday, November 2. Election Day is November 6, but there’s no reason to wait. Get out there and use your educator voice by casting your vote TODAY!