Initial turnout figures for this month's constitutional amendment election show small but significant improvement in the number of folks who did their civic duty by voting. According to our colleagues at the Texas Educators Vote coalition, about 8.5 percent of eligible Texas voters typically cast votes in constitutional elections. Roughly 12 percent of registered voters participated in the recent constitutional election on Nov. 5, 2019. That's still an incredibly small number, but it represents progress. You can read more analysis of the election in this Texas Tribune article that was recently republished on Teach the Vote.

This past Saturday, Nov. 8, 2019, marked the first day that candidates can formally file paperwork to run for state offices in the 2020 election cycle. This includes seats in the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate. The filing period ends Dec. 9, after which time we will know who will be on the primary ballots in March. We expect to see a steady stream of filing announcements between now and then.

Election results are determined by who shows up to participate. The Texas primary election is March 3, 2020, and early voting begins in February. The Texas Educators Vote coalition has a list of activities that you can do as a teacher, administrator, parent, or school board member to help drive more participation in these critical elections. Visit TexasEducatorsVote.com to get involved and sign up for key voter updates.