The Texas legislature is only in session for a few months every two years, but the impact of laws made during those sessions can be long-lasting. One of the best times to influence the legislative process is during non-session years when lawmakers and candidates are fundraising and running for office.

Want to stay involved when the legislature is no longer in session? Educators can take an active role in choosing legislators and shaping the direction of future education policy debates by volunteering their time during election season.

Here are six simple ways to help out in the election process:

• Register voters. Increasing voter turnout by making sure eligible voters are registered is one of the best ways you can help in your local community. Contact your county voter registrar to attend a simple training, and you’ll be registering voters in no time! Make sure your colleagues and friends who are concerned about public education are registered to vote and aware of the issues. If you work with older students, you can even register them to vote for the first time!
• Recruit volunteers for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts. Talk to your school leaders about ways to encourage voting by employees and even high school students at your campus. You can find resources through the Texas Educators Vote coalition of which ATPE is a member. 
• Become a precinct chair. You can have a big impact at the local level by becoming a precinct chair for your political party. A precinct chair is a local representative for a political party who is responsible for attending party meetings, recruiting volunteers, organizing volunteers and campaign activities, and serving as an election judge. Reach out to your local Democratic and Republican leaders to find out how you can get involved.
• Become a delegate. Each political party selects delegates to attend regional, state, and even national party conventions during election years. Delegates cast votes for candidates and decide party platforms, which include formal positions on education issues. Find links to the political party websites to learn more about the process for becoming a delegate here.
• Help shape ATPE’s advocacy efforts. Want to help ATPE determine what we should fight for during the next legislative session? You can always provide feedback on the ATPE Legislative Program. Review the Legislative Program and contact government@atpe.org with comments. You can also volunteer to serve on our Legislative Committee, which provides in-depth feedback on our agenda.
• Stay informed. Keep up to date on all the latest legislative and election news by following our blog at TeachTheVote.org.

ATPE is now open for membership! Join today.