Ep. #31: Down-ballot Frenzy!

Today we look at the importance of some of the elected offices that get less attention during election season, talk about why they're important in 2020, and what you can do to get involved.

To start, we review the importance of the Texas House and State Board of Education races in November, then turn our attention to the justice system. For more on the importance of electing progressive DAs, check out this NBC News piece. For some of the challenges facing progressive DAs who have been elected, read this.

For more on José Garza, running for District Attorney here in Travis County, visit his website. The Austin Chronicle story on Garza calling for jail changes during COVID is here; more on his primary run-off against Margaret Moore can be found in Community Impact.

You can get the basics when it comes to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals here. The 2010 Andrew Cohen that we reference about Sharon Keller is available on the Atlantic website.

Meanwhile, check out this Texas Tribune story for more on our embarrassing Ag Commissioner, Sid Miller. What is the Ag Commissioner actually responsible for? A lot, it turns out. Find out the details here.

What can we do today?

1. Research ALL the races in your district well before going to the polls. One good resource? Antoinette recommends the voting guide from your local League of Women Voters chapter. A sample can be found here.

2. Get involved in a down-ballot race today. Good resources for Texans include Flip The Texas House, Swing Left, and Indivisible Austin. Or volunteer directly for a campaign.

This episode was recorded on Wednesday, June 17, 2020.