During this first week of early voting, here's your roundup of education news from ATPE Governmental Relations:

• ELECTION UPDATE: Early voting is happening now
• Statewide races highlight role educators play in steering the focus of campaigns
• 12 Days of Voting are underway. What's at stake?
• New Texas poll shows enthusiasm for voting and statewide incumbents holding leads

Early voting for the 2018 general election began on Monday with Educator Voting Day. Educators were encouraged to the head to the polls and cast their ballots alongside friends, family, and colleagues. Many educators took to social media to share their "I voted" selfies. While there is no tally of how many educators have turned out at the polls thus far, counties across the state are seeing record numbers of voter turnout for early voting in a midterm election.

Educators especially must remember what's at stake during this election with regard to school funding, teacher pay, retirement benefits, and a myriad of other issues. It is important to go into this election as informed as possible. For more information on candidates, where to find polling places in your county, and what's needed in order to vote, check out this blog post by ATPE Lobbyist Mark Wiggins.

With such a robust start to the early voting period, it's only fitting that this week end with today's Student Voting Day. As decreed by Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos last October:

The first Friday of the early voting period [is] Student Voting Day in Texas. This is a day when our entire community is called upon to urge and encourage all eligible students in Texas to make their voices heard by casting their ballots at ANY polling location in the county of their registration.

Early voting will continue through Nov. 2. For many voters, this weekend offers the only opportunity to early vote on the weekend. The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Whether you vote early or on election day, take time to learn about the candidates and build and print out your sample ballot before heading to the polls.

Much attention has been paid nationally to the competitive race for U.S. Senate between incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz and his challenger Congressman Beto O'Rourke, but Texans know that isn't the only race at issue in this election. Contests for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and many other down ballot races will be decided in this election, and the outcomes of those contests on Nov. 6 could set the course for education policy in Texas for generations to come. As recent media reports show, educators and public education issues are taking center stage in a number of high-profile races, including statewide contests.

Monty Exter

“The expectation is that teachers just don’t vote,” Exter said. “But I feel like what we’ve been seeing over the last couple of elections is that the enthusiasm and participation of educators is on the rise.” - as reported by the Texas Tribune.

In an article published this week by the Texas Tribune and reposted here on Teach The Vote, ATPE Lobbyist Monty Exter explained that for quite some time the education community has been expected to lay down and take whatever the legislature gives them. But that tide may be starting to change. Educators have been becoming increasingly vocal and active in recent elections. A popular target of educators' dissatisfaction with the status quo has been Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), and the Texas Tribune's article highlights the role educators have played in the bid by Democratic challenger Mike Collier to unseat him.

Another statewide race where public education has emerged as an issue, somewhat surprisingly, is the election for Texas Attorney General. There, Justin Nelson (D) is challenging the current AG Ken Paxton (R) and calling out the incumbent for eyebrow-raising stances he has taken on questions of political involvement by educators. Earlier this year when educators started activating behind another challenger vying to unseat Lt. Gov. Patrick in the Republican primary election, Paxton issued a non-binding legal opinion questioning the propriety of certain actions being taken by school officials and pro-public education groups like ATPE to increase voter turnout among educators and even students who are eligible to vote. Paxton has used the AG's office to continue to intimidate school district leaders out of promoting voting, and Nelson has responded by appealing directly to educators in the late stages of his campaign.

Read more about how educator involvement in this election has become a central focus in the AG's race and how the education community is responding to the attempts to tamp down educators' enthusiasm in this post by ATPE's Exter. For public school employees who still have questions about what is and is not permissible political speech under state law, the Texas Educators Vote (TEV) coalition of which ATPE is a member also created this guide on Election Do's and Dont's for educators.

If you want to beat the crowds on Election Day, you'll want to turn out at the polls during the "12 Days of Voting" happening now. But ATPE can point to numerous other reasons for educators to get out and vote regardless of the crowds or lines.

As has been stated many times before, the results of this election happening now are crucial to every Texan but to educators especially. During this early voting period, we've begun highlighting some of the reasons why educators should take this election to heart. It doesn't take much to see that with state leaders campaigning on boasts about non-existent pay raises for teachers, with continuous increases in the cost of healthcare, and with local taxpayers bearing more and more of the burden for school funding, it doesn't take much to see that it's time for a change. Check out the latest installments of our 12 Days of Voting series at the links below, and keep watching for new posts in our blog series throughout the early voting period:

• Teacher Pay
• Healthcare
• Legislative Math
• Retirement
• School Finance

A brand new poll released by the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune today shows that high numbers of Texas voters are enthusiastic about the general election happening now. As reported by the Texas Tribune today, 76 percent of the voters polled said they were “absolutely certain" they would be voting in the midterms. Both Republican and Democratic voters displayed such enthusiasm according to the new polls results. In most recent midterm elections, the actual percentage of registered voters who turned out at the polls in Texas has been only about 38 percent.

The poll also showed statewide officeholders holding considerable leads over their challengers among likely voters. Here are more excerpts from the Texas Tribune's reporting: