State Employees Have Power to Sway Elections

Imagine if all 266,000 active and retired ERS State of Texas employees voted.

We would make over 10 percent of the turnout we saw in the Constitutional amendment elections last November. We would have a huge impact, electing candidates who support public employees, advocating for causes that matter to us, and making sure our voices are represented day in and out in Austin.

In a state with nearly 30 million residents and 21 million registered voters, it can sometimes be hard to see how one vote or one voice makes a difference, especially in “off-year” elections that don’t get the same attention as presidential races. But when so many Texans don’t even bother to vote, state workers need to be among those who do.

If we bring our voices together at the voting booth, we can have real sway over the issues we care about. One of the 14 propositions on Tuesday’s ballots was decided by less than 150 votes, and in the 2022 primaries, some races on both sides of the aisle were decided by less than 100 votes.

As we approach the statewide primaries in March and the general election this year, be sure you join with other state employees and retirees at the ballot box and track candidate endorsements from groups like EMPACT, TPEA’s political action committee. There are too many issues —  from pay raises to pension increases – for us to sit on the sidelines and hope for the best.

Let's show up at the polls this year, starting with the Primary Elections on March 5th.