With Election Day three months away, and multiple special elections in the works, remember that campaign season is a great time to advocate for state policies that support Texas children. Candidates for the state legislature and statewide offices tend to have more competitive elections in the March primaries than the November general election, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get candidates’ attention.

Here are five steps you can take between now and when the polls close the evening of November 4.

Politely ask a candidate about a children’s policy issue that matters to you. You can email your question, but asking at a campaign event, on a radio call-in show, or in a web chat is even better. You could ask state candidates about reducing CPS child abuse investigators’ caseloads, keeping 17-year-olds out of the adult criminal justice system, or expanding Pre-K to full day in all school districts. Just asking the question lets them know the issue is important to their voters. Here are a few tips on asking an effective question.
Follow up after your question. If you received a particularly good or bad answer, tell your friends, share it on social media, or write about it in a letter to the editor of the local paper. Contact the candidates or their staff to give them more information on the issue and politely let them know what you thought about their answer.
Build a relationship with legislators before the legislative session starts. When you call or visit a legislator during the session next year, she will be more responsive if she already knows you. Volunteering on a campaign or hosting a meet and greet for a candidate are two ways to start building that relationship now.
Make sure you are registered to vote. The deadline is October 6. And make sure your friends, family members, and neighbors are registered at their current addresses, too.
Vote for candidates who will vote to support children! Early voting runs October 20-31 and Election Day is on November 4.

Additional information about registration, election timelines, voting locations and more is available on votetexas.gov.