The ghost of Ann Richards can ride again.

Tis the season for unsolicited text messages, but I have received two in the week that strike me as unusual - and a few of my neighbors have received them also.

The first, on Saturday evening: New school year? Here's your complete guide on bathrooms and beyond for trans kids at school: https://transtexas.org/back-to-school-toolkit/

The second, received today: "Questions about gender-affirming care in Texas? Start here. You can get the care you need: https://transtexas.org/resources

Both of the links (yes, I took the chance and followed them) go to legitimate Trans Support organizations in Texas.

What strikes me as odd is that I'm getting these at all, and in the middle of election season when the Republican party is making a focus of their campaigns the "loco Dems who support transitioning your children". It feels like a heavy-handed, conservative-led psyop to inflame their base and continue to make what should be a small issue seems bigger and more nefarious.

Thoughts? Anyone else receive these?

The Texas governor’s war on public schools is bankrolled by donors who want a Christian state

In-person absentee voting opens tomorrow (October 14th) for the Midterm election. Besides Congress and the State Legislature, numerous County Offices are on the ballot, from Supervisor to Sheriff and more.

Here are some useful official voting resources - please vote!

• Early Voting starts on Monday the 19th. You can find your place using this tool.
• Election day polling place can be found here.
• You can track your mail ballot using this tool.

We reached out to over 5,500 candidates statewide and asked them to do our survey. Many chose to share their views with you the voters! See who believes what you believe and vote by November 3rd! Cheat sheet for some of the candidates running to represent you can be seen above.

While in national elections or statewide elections may be decided by hundreds or tens of thousands of votes. Local races will be decided by only a handful of votes meaning that for each person seeing this, your vote WILL MATTER! We've got county races, school board, municipal government and special districts with the goal to make voting the full ballot easier!

Feedback welcome! Curious what you think about this as a resource for newer voters?

If you want to see your specific candidates you can see that here (mobile | web).

Despite record voter registration, Texas was still several points below the national turnout average for the previous two elections. Just a reminder that everyone needs to put all the “go vote!” energy into action starting next Monday 10/19

Source link: https://ballotpedia.org/Voter_turnout_in_Texas

When Texans think about public education, we often focus on local school boards or the Governor's office. But the Lieutenant Governor presides over the Texas Senate and directly controls legislative committee assignments and every bill that reaches the floor.

Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/28/texas-lieutenant-governor-dan-patrick-vikki-goodwin/

In the latest episode of The Ballot Beat, I break down what’s at stake in this race:

• State-Level Mandates vs. Funding: Rather than addressing funding shortfalls, incumbent Dan Patrick has threatened to downgrade school district accountability ratings over compliance with state library book guidelines.
• Classroom Investment & Local Control: Challenger Vikki Goodwin’s platform prioritizes halting voucher expansion, using state budget surpluses to plug local district deficits, and raising educator pay.
• The Core Question: Does your candidate trust locally elected boards, certified professionals, and parents—or do they favor top-down state intervention ?

As early voting approaches, take time to see where candidates stand on neighborhood schools. Vote early!