Welcome to LWVAA's Weekly VOTER
The Weekly VOTER is here to make sure everyone stays in the know about opportunities to empower voters and defend democracy in our community. Like what you see? Please share with your friends!
| Midterm Fears and How to Fight Them: Cancelling Midterms, ICE at the Polls, and More
"Midterms should be an opportunity for the people to hold their local, state, and federal governments accountable for everything that’s happened over the past two years. Election interference would mean politicians don’t have to answer to the growing discontent among American voters — and would be an attack on democracy itself." - LWVUS, October 7
| Empowering Voters.
Defending Democracy. | 📢 The Voters Guide is out!
The League's nonpartisan Voters Guide shares the candidates' views on issues and explains positions in plain language. Read it before you cast your vote in the midterm election.
💻 Find the PDF on the LWVAA website
📰 Find the print edition in the October 8 edition of The Austin Chronicle and at locations across Travis County: community centers, churches, libraries, HEB stores, and other businesses.
PS - Say a big "thank you" to businesses that share the Voters Guide! | 🗳️ Three things to do for democracy this week
- Read the Voters Guide while sipping ☕ at your favorite coffee shop.
- Share the Voters Guide while having 🍕 with your friends. It's easy to review candidates and propositions.
- Volunteer to get out the vote! Sign up to share the Voters Guide at a Let's Vote table at ACC and other community events from now until Election Day. Grab some flyers from the League office to post at local coffee shops, breweries, and anywhere voters go. Check out our calendar or email us about where you'd like to help.
| 🗳️ Three things your church, organization, or business can do to help get out the vote
- Share voter education material from LWVAA. We have flyers, voter info bookmarks, VOTE411 how-tos, voting plan checklists -- we've got you covered! Check our calendar for drop-in hours, or email Joyce Jackson to arrange a pick-up time.
- Request an LWVAA Let's Vote table at an event or gathering or invite an LWVAA speaker to your organization's next meeting. We can provide a short version of "What's on the Ballot" in as little as 15 minutes.
- Share the link to our order form with businesses or organizations in Austin that don't have Voters Guides so they can reserve copies for pickup. The Voters Guide is available in English and Spanish until we run out.
|  | This week's events
Oct. 14
🍦 Scoops of Thanks - Info
The voter registration deadline is behind us and GOTV work has begun. Let's take a breather and celebrate what our volunteers have done together! Did you register a voter, make a presentation, staff a table, address a postcard, help someone check their voter registration, or work behind the scenes to make any of that happen? Then this celebration is for you!
This Wednesday, October 14, we'll gather in the Bluewillow Lounge in Wheatsville Co-op's South Lamar store. There'll be no agenda, program, or panel. Just ice cream, snacks, good company, and a round of applause for all you've done. Please join us, and encourage the volunteers you've worked with to come, too. No RSVP necessary. We can't wait to see you and say "thank you" in person!
Oct. 15
🎤 City Council District 1 Candidate Forum - RSVP
Oct. 19
🗳️ First day of early voting
Upcoming events
Oct. 21
🏫 Texas Tribune: Who Controls Our Schools? Inside Texas' State Takeovers - RSVP
📜 National Constitution Center: The Living Declaration - Rediscovering America’s Founding Text - RSVP |  | Watch City of Austin Candidate Statements and Candidate Forums | 🎤 October 15: Austin City Council District 1 Candidate Forum
Growth That Serves the Community
6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Asian American Resource Center, 8401 Cameron Road - RSVP
The decisions ahead for District 1 will shape its homes, businesses, and neighborhoods for years to come. Hear directly from the candidates at this nonpartisan City Council forum moderated by the League of Women Voters Austin Area. Planned topics include housing affordability, preventing displacement, dependable transportation, and supporting established businesses as new investment arrives. The conversation will also explore funding for community facilities and services, development’s demands on water and power, and transparency at City Hall. Come compare the candidates’ visions and prepare to choose who will represent your community.
If you’re unable to attend in person, the forum will air live on ATXN and KAZI 88.7 FM, with recordings posted afterward on ATXN’s YouTube channel.
| Give a big shout out to the many volunteers who help get the Voters Guide out to voters across Travis County.
| Sign up to volunteer at Let's Vote tables
Sign up for LWV Let's Vote tables at Alamo Draft House and other locations. Share the Voters Guide and VOTE411 along with other voting and election information and resources.
Oct. 16
Oct. 17
Volunteer at Let's Vote tables at ACC Riverbat Bash events
Volunteers will connect with students, sharing the Voters Guide and VOTE411 along with other voting and election information and resources.
Oct. 13:
Oct. 14:
Oct. 21:
Oct. 26:
Oct. 27:
| 🗳️ Train to volunteer for Election Protection
We need volunteers to empower voters during early voting and on Election Day. As Texans head to the polls this election season, voters may encounter confusing voting rules, misinformation, and other barriers to participation. Nonpartisan Election Protection volunteers are trained to help voters navigate issues at the polls and connect them with accurate information and support.
The League of Women Voters is a proud member of the Election Protection coalition and encourages members to sign up for poll monitor training led by Common Cause. All poll monitor volunteers must attend one training session.
Online training is offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays through the end of October. Register for online training here.
|  | Final push: Help get out the vote for the midterms!
We have 600 cards left. Help us break the 8,500 mark!
Address postcards to help turn out the vote for the November 3 general election. LWVAA will provide pre-printed cards, pens, address lists, and postage. Drop by the League office -- and bring a friend! If your handwriting isn't the best, or you just want a break, you can apply stamps. And now's the time to drop off any completed cards so we can get them in the mail.
Prefer to work at home? Swing by and pick up supplies!
Oct. 13:
Help Get Out the Vote! Postcard Drop-In, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Info
Oct. 14:
Help Get Out the Vote! Postcard Drop-In at Wheatsville South Lamar, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. - Info (and stick around for ice cream!)
Oct. 16:
Help Get Out the Vote! Postcard Drop-In, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - Info
Oct. 17:
Help Get Out the Vote! Postcard Drop-In, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Info
Want to help or have postcards to return but can't make it to a drop-in? Email Joyce Jackson to schedule a time to meet. |
LWVAA maintains an online event calendar for meetings, trainings, voter outreach, and registration opportunities.
| Volunteer at our final City of Austin candidate forum
LWVAA has completed four of five scheduled candidate forums. We need our members to help our last forum run smoothly. Log in to our website, then click the link below to sign up for a shift:
New to volunteering or to candidate forums? Don't worry -- Pam Bixby, our Candidate Forum Chair, will guide you every step of the way! Email Pam if you have any questions about candidate forums. Email Joyce Jackson if you need help signing up for a shift. | Midterm Election
🗳️ Read Travis County clears backlog of delayed voter registrations ahead of early voting - Gabriel Velasquez Neira, KUT News
📬 Read ‘Mail early’: Election officials urge people to get ballots in pronto amid Postal Service slowdowns - Dion Nissenbaum, Votebeat
Local Government
💰 Read Austin’s own DOGE? Debate over how to audit City Hall heats up as election nears - Sam Stark, Austin Current
Public Education
🎒 Read Austin taxpayers will pay the price if Texas education department takes over school district - Andrea Ball, Austin Current
📚 Read Texas will review Austin ISD’s spending in the state’s latest scrutiny of the capitol district - Acacia Coronado, Austin Current | Be your own advocate!
🗳️ Voters have the power of advocacy in their hands! Advocate for the issues that will affect your neighborhood and daily life. Every line on your ballot is an opportunity to stand up for the things you care about. Your vote lets your voice be heard and can drive meaningful change.
Find the League's nonpartisan Voters Guide and get a personalized ballot at VOTE411.org. Find a PDF on the LWVAA website. Or find a print copy at a local coffee shop, at your library, or anywhere The Austin Chronicle can be found!
Jazmin C. Cuellar, Advocacy Director
Read Austin voters to decide on Proposition I, which would require regular city efficiency audits - Adam Bennett, KVUE News
"Austin voters will soon decide whether the city should be required to regularly review how taxpayer dollars are spent.
"Proposition I would amend the Austin City Charter to require an independent affordability and efficiency initiative every five years and before any tax rate increase election.
"The citizen-led ballot measure comes after Austin voters rejected a proposed property tax increase known as Proposition Q in 2025."
Read Check out Austin City Council candidate finances as Election Day nears - Elle Bent, Community Impact
"Candidates for Austin City Council races in this year's November election raised more than $159,000 and had over $817,000 available as of September.
"Five council seats will be on the ballot this fall: East Austin's District 1 and District 3, District 5 in South Austin, Southwest Austin's District 8, and District 9 in Central Austin."
Read Power Play: Texas counties seek oversight of data centers’ water, power demand - Shelby Ligon, Austin Free Press
"Data centers’ rapid rise across Central Texas poses a problem for county officials: The facilities can significantly impact water, energy, infrastructure and surrounding communities, but counties have limited authority over where and how they are built.
"Unlike cities, Texas counties generally lack broad zoning authority over development in unincorporated areas. Counties can exercise only powers granted by the Texas Constitution or state statute, and that leaves county officials with limited tools to address the data centers converging on rural areas.
"The challenge is becoming more pronounced as the industry targets new areas. A February analysis by the Pew Research Center found that 67% of planned U.S. data centers are in rural areas, compared with 13% of existing facilities. Nearly 4 in 10 planned data centers are in counties currently without one." | Action
Oppose Unconstitutional Census Rule Change
On September 10, the Census Bureau announced sweeping changes to how we count people on the census. The proposed rule would severely distort population counts, create inaccurate representations of communities during apportionment and redistricting, and disrupt how state and local governments plan essential public services.
Tell Secretary Lutnick to Roll Back New Census Rule and Count Everyone!
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|  | Watch - Laura Ts'ao, Social Media Director - "The Voters Guide that Changed Everything"
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| The League shall not support or oppose any political party or candidates. It may take action on governmental measures and policies in the public interest after significant study and consensus is reached. | |