If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.

It’s just that simple.

November 6 is less than a month away, and a crucial deadline is upon us. Tuesday, Oct. 9, is the last day for those who have not yet registered to vote to do so in order to cast your ballot.

This is also an important date for those who are registered to vote, but may have recently relocated. For example, you may have registered to vote in Harris County, but recently moved to Travis County. In that case, you have until tomorrow to register in Travis County; otherwise, you’d have to drive back to Harris County to cast your ballot Nov. 6.

So how do I register?

The Texas Secretary of State’s VoteTexas.org website tells you just about everything you need to know. First off, it allows you check if you’re already registered. If you’re not, there are two basic ways you can register.

The first method is to simply find your county’s voter registrar and fill out an application in person. The voter registrar is usually tax assessor-collector or county clerk, and their office is easy to find by doing a web search. The application is generally a single page and should take you less than five minutes. Your other option is to fill out the state’s online application and mail it to your county’s voter registrar by tomorrow. You can read more information about how to find an application by clicking here.

How do I know if I’m eligible to register to vote?

You are eligible to register to vote if:

• You are a United States citizen;
• You are a resident of the county where you submit the application;
• You are at least 17 years and 10 months old, and you are 18 years of age on Election Day.
• You are not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole); and
• You have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

The Texas Tribune also put together some voter registration resources here. Once you’ve registered to vote, make sure and go to TeachTheVote.org and click on the CANDIDATES tab to see who’s running in your area. You can view each’s candidate’s answers to our public education policy survey, as well as how incumbent legislators voted on important education issues last session.

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a hundred times: Legislative battles are won in November. If we fail to elect strong pro-public education candidates, we can’t expect to prevail when important education questions are debated in the Texas Legislature. This election is CRITICAL to making sure we move the ball forward, not backward.

Even if you’re already registered, you can do your part by informing friends and family that Tuesday is the last chance to register if they haven’t already – and make sure they follow through! Early voting begins Oct. 22 and runs through Nov. 2, and Election Day is Nov. 6.