Kevin Ho: How do people know if they’re eligible to vote?
Amy Peck, current co-chair for Marksmen voter registration: So first of all, you have to be 18 either before or on election day, in this case, Nov. 7. Then, one of the first things that we do for the St. Mark’s voter registration process is ask students to scan a QR code so we can tell whether or not they have already registered to vote because I’m pretty sure that when you apply for your driver’s license in Texas, you can check a box that registers you.
KH: Who are the prominent people running for this election?
AP: In the case of Nov. 7, there are no people on the ballot up for vote. I think some people, especially first-time voters, will associate elections with only candidates. So you’re going to show up to vote, and then you get there and see that there’s a ton of other people on the ballot besides the person you’re supporting. There are a lot of judges that come up for vote all the time. It can be a little overwhelming because you’re ready to vote and realize that you’re casting a vote for someone or something that you don’t know too much about. So we always encourage people to do their research ahead of time. You can get a sample ballot so that you can see what you’re voting on, and there are all kinds of great resources for doing a little bit of research so that you can go in as an educated voter.
KH: What’s on the ballot for Nov. 7?
AP: There are 14 constitutional amendments called propositions that will amend the Texas Constitution. Once you’re eligible to vote for the first time, you might feel like it’s not super exciting because there’s not a personality to support, but the propositions are actually really impactful. Once an amendment is ratified into the Texas Constitution, it’ll be put into action until something else comes along.
KH: Why should people take time out of their day to consider the items on the ballot?
AP: As voters who live in Texas, we should pay a lot of attention to what some of these amendments are proposing. And there are some really good things that can happen from the passage of constitutional amendments. That’s why I would encourage our entire Marksman community to get informed and show up to vote. If you read the Secretary of State language, you may say, “I don’t understand,” or “Why should I care?” But you can check out websites that have simpler explanations of what some propositions mean and how we might and might not want to vote for some of them, so just be informed. Definitely vote if you can vote — it’s a huge privilege.
