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U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., toured Texas this weekend looking to energize progressive voters with days to go until the midterm election, including in a key congressional race in South Texas.
The two-time Democratic presidential candidate visited Central Texas on Saturday and then headed south Sunday to the Rio Grande Valley, where he held a rally with Michelle Vallejo, who is running for the 15th Congressional District. It is an open seat that Republicans are eager to flip — and one where national Democrats have declined to go all in, sparking frustration inside the party.
Voting FAQ: 2024 Elections
When is the next election? What dates do I need to know?
Election Day for the general election is November 5, and early voting will run from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. The deadline to register to vote and/or change your voter registration address is Oct. 7. Applications to vote by mail must be received by your county of residence – not postmarked – by Oct. 25.
What’s on the ballot for the general election?
In addition to the president, eligible Texans have the opportunity to cast their ballots for many Texas officials running for office at the federal, state and local levels.
This includes representatives in the U.S. and Texas houses and the following elected offices:
-1 U.S Senator (Ted Cruz)
– 1 of 3 Railroad Commissioners
– 15 State Senators
– 7 State Board of Education members
– 3 members of the Texas Supreme Court
– 3 members of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
– 5 Chief Justices and various justices for Texas Courts of Appeals
Lower-level judges and local county offices will also appear on the ballot:
– Various district judges, including on criminal and family courts
– County Courts at Law
– Justices of the Peace
– District Attorneys
– County Attorneys
– Sheriffs
– Constables
– Tax Assessor-Collectors
How do I make sure I’m registered to vote?
You can check to see if you’re registered and verify your information through the Texas Secretary of State’s website. You’ll need one of the following three combinations to log in: Your Texas driver’s license number and date of birth. Your first and last names, date of birth and county you reside in. Your date of birth and Voter Unique Identifier, which appears on your voter registration certificate.
What if I missed the voter registration deadline?
You must be registered to vote in a Texas county by Oct. 7 to vote in the Nov. 5 presidential election. You can still register for other elections.
If you’re registered but didn’t update your address by the deadline, you may still be able to vote at your previous voting location or on a limited ballot. (Voters are typically assigned precincts based on where they live. In most major counties, voters can vote anywhere on Election Day, but some counties require you vote within your precinct. If that is the case, you may have to return to your previous precinct. See which counties allow countywide Election Day voting here. You can usually find your precinct listed on your voter registration certificate or on when checking your registration online.)
If you moved from one county to another, you may be able to vote on a ballot limited to the elections you would qualify to vote in at both locations, such as statewide races. However, limited ballots are only available during early voting. Find your county election official here and contact them to ask about or request a limited ballot.
What can I do if I have questions about voting?
You can contact your county elections official or call the Texas Secretary of State’s helpline at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683). A coalition of voting rights groups is also helping voters navigate election concerns through the 866-OUR-VOTE (687-8683) voter-protection helpline. The coalition also has hotlines available for voters who speaker other languages or have accessibility needs.
For help in Spanish, call 888-VE-Y-VOTA or 888-839-8682.
For help in Asian languages, call 888-API-VOTE or 888-274-8683.
For help in Arabic, call 888-YALLA-US or 888-925-5287.
For help in American Sign Language through a video, call 301-818-VOTE or 301-818-8683.
For help from Disability Rights Texas, call 888-796-VOTE or 888-796-8683.
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“The vote right here in this district could determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives, and I think the choice is clear,” Sanders said at the McAllen rally with Vallejo. “The choice is whether we give more tax breaks to billionaires and cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education and other needed programs — or whether we stand up for the working class of this country. Michelle Vallejo is on the right side.”
Republicans are targeting the 15th District and two others in South Texas, hoping to capitalize on President Joe Biden’s underperformance there in 2020 and make new inroads with Hispanic voters. Vallejo narrowly defeated a more moderate Democrat in the primary runoff and now faces Republican Monica De La Cruz, who ran a surprisingly close race in the 15th District in 2020, prior to redistricting.
Sanders’ visit to Texas came about halfway through the early-voting period — and it came eight days after former President Donald Trump made his own visit to South Texas, hoping to juice turnout for the congressional races. De La Cruz, who has Trump’s endorsement, did not attend the rally, instead addressing the crowd through a brief video message.
Some prominent in-state Democrats have been disappointed with national outside groups that have not done any serious TV spending in the 15th District, instead prioritizing the two other South Texas districts. That has left Vallejo to run as a decisive underdog in a district that Republicans already redrew to be more favorable to them.
What you can expect from our elections coverage
How we explain voting
We explain the voting process with election-specific voter guides to help Texans learn what is on the ballot and how to vote. We interview voters, election administrators and election law experts so that we can explain the process, barriers to participation and what happens after the vote is over and the counting begins. Read more here.
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Instead of letting only politicians set the agenda, we talk to voters and scrutinize polling data to understand ordinary Texans’ top concerns. Our readers’ questions and needs help inform our priorities. We want to hear from readers: What do you better want to understand about the election process in Texas? If local, state or congressional elected officials were to successfully address one issue right now, what would you want it to be? What’s at stake for you this election cycle? If we’re missing something, this is your chance to tell us.
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“No matter what people outside of South Texas want to think or claim that we don’t have this win,” Vallejo said at the rally, “I know that we are on our path to victory, and we’re gonna win this race on Nov. 8.”
In her speech, Vallejo continued to embrace Sanders’ signature proposal — the single-payer health care model known as Medicare for All — saying she is “running to fight for Medicare for All because our families should not be forced to go to Mexico to get the medical care they deserve.” And Vallejo knocked De La Cruz as an “extremist,” who, among other things, wants to ban abortion without exceptions for rape or incest. De La Cruz has said she supports abortion “only to save the life of the mother.”
Before the Sanders rally, De La Cruz had said she welcomed him campaigning with Vallejo “because it clarifies the choice in this election.”
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Donald Trump energizes South Texas voters ahead of early voting as Republicans predict red “tsunami”
Trump rally attendees said they were basing their midterm votes on issues such as the economy and the border and were hopeful Trump would run for president again.
“Growing up, my abuelita always told me: ‘Dime con quién andas, y te diré quién eres,’” De La Cruz said in a statement after the rally. “By campaigning with the most extreme member of the Senate, my socialist opponent has told South Texans exactly who she is and why she is unfit to represent us in Washington.”
Vallejo was joined at the McAllen rally by two other Sanders allies: Greg Casar, a former Austin City Council member who is likely headed to Congress in January from a Central Texas district, and Jessica Cisneros, the former two-time primary challenger to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.
On Saturday, Sanders campaigned in San Marcos and Austin with Casar, whose November race is not competitive. After he took the stage in San Marcos, Sanders predicted Casar is “going to be one of the outstanding political leaders in this country.”
Sanders is on an eight-state tour to turn out progressive voters, recently telling The New York Times that he is “a little bit concerned that the energy level for young people, working-class people” is flagging. He held the San Marcos stop at Texas State University.
First: Attendees listen to speakers at AFL-CIO’s labor celebration at the Texas AFL-CIO parking lot in downtown Austin on Saturday. Last: Greg Casar, the Democratic nominee for Texas Congressional District 35, speaks at the celebration before U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune
“The truth is that a midterm election is not as sexy as a presidential election,” Sanders said in San Marcos, telling attendees to tell their friends they are “dead wrong” if they do not think their vote matters right now.
In the evening, Sanders and Casar rallied with local labor leaders in the parking lot of the Texas AFL-CIO in Austin.
Sanders said the midterms were an election in which the country’s future was on the ballot, and he blamed right-wing extremists for the threats to democracy. He broadly endorsed Democratic leaders in Texas and encouraged people to vote, but he did not specifically endorse any statewide candidates.
Democrat Beto O’Rourke is challenging Gov. Greg Abbott in the marquee statewide contest. O’Rourke spent the weekend stumping in the Houston area.
William Melhado contributed reporting.
Disclosure: The New York Times has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
