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Email: info@lwvhaysco.com
Phone: 512-710-5793
LWV Hays County, Texas
P.O. Box 414
Wimberley, TX 78676

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Vote411 Join Us Donate
Use VOTE411.org to discover all candidates and issues on your ballot

HomeResearch Your Vote

Research Your Vote

Use VOTE411 to find about issues and candidates on your ballot.

•  VOTE411.org - the LWV's online Voters Guide
•  How to Use Vote411
•  How can I make an informed choice?
•  Encourage Candidates to Participate in LWV Events





Researching Your Vote

In the November General Election of 2024, races at the federal, state, jurisdiction, county, and local levels are all on the ballot. All three branches of government are included: executive, legislative, and judicial.

Three branches of government-legislative executive judicial

At the federal level are president and vice-president of the United States, one-third of all U.S. Senators (including one from Texas), and every member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

At the state level, some of the members of the Texas Senate and all members of the Texas House of Representatives, some of the justices on the Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Jurisdictional races include seats on each of the Courts of Appeal. State appeals courts are organized by multi-county regional jurisdictions. District courts' boundaries typically cross county boundaries.

County races on the ballot for Hays County voters include the Sheriff's Office, the Tax Assessor-Collector, two of the four County Commissioners, some of the Justices of the Peace for particular county precincts, and judges for some of the County Courts-at-Law.

Local races (non-county) include school district boards of trustees and city councils (if they did not choose a May local election date).


Every election matters. The character of the candidates matter.  Their plans and platform matter. When elected, their work affects the lives and future of those they serve.

Researching the candidates can help you evaluate them on whether he or she will be likely to advance policies and practices that will best serve their constituency in ways that most align with your beliefs and values. The League of Women Voters Voters Guides or the online version of the Voters Guide, Vote411 is a good place to start.

Other aids to research include videos of interviews and candidate forums or debates, and Ballotpedia.org, which often has links which allow you to read articles in local publications about a candidate.

Vote411.org is now live for the November 5, 2024 General Election. By entering your address and choosing to see the races and candidates on your ballot, you can make a selection online for a particular race, then go to the next race and continue the process. At the end you can print out or email your list to yourself (or copy it down) to take with you to aid your memory while you vote. (You may not use your phone while voting.)

Important Note: Your address is NEVER SAVED in Vote411 to keep your personal data secure.

Have you ever voted and found a lot of candidate names and races on the ballot? What's up with THAT?!

Ballots can be long and often the candidates for what are known as "down-ballot" races do not receive enough donations to advertise, so voter may not have heard about them. But Vote411 can help you be prepared.

Or feel free to skip races where you do not know any candidate. When in doubt, skip that race.

Tools for Researching Your Vote


In the month before any election a variety of tools are available to make it possible for you to research each candidate running for election. The League of Women Voters created Vote411.org as an online tool that performs many of the same functions as the LWV Voters Guides.

Each candidate (Republican or Democrat) is provided a short nonpartisan questionnaire to respond to, created by local League members familiar with issues likely to face office holders in a given particular race. The questions allow voters to find out from the candidates themselves through their written responses about their qualifications for the office, their priorities for the office if elected (or re-elected.)

That is the basis for the printed Voters Guides too. Offices for which there is only one candidate are not included in the printed or online guide since it is designed to help voters determine their choice.


Caveat: Candidates who do not respond to the questionnaire by League deadlines do not have their information included. You can help that process by encouraging all candidates to have a public email address for their candidacy [ex. CandidateName4Race@gmail.com] listed on file with the Elections Office and on their social media. It can be tremendously difficult for League volunteers to find contact information for candidates since contact information is by law kept private in candidate filing paperwork.

VOTE411.org – the LWV's online Voters Guide


Vote411.org is the online version of the LWV Voters Guide; the content about candidates is the same. By moving the Voters Guide online, voters to can enter their street address and look up just the candidates who will be on their ballot. During a primary election they can choose which primary candidates to see. Vote411 users also can choose among candidates to create a personalized ballot, then can have it sent to their email address. Then they can print it and take it with them to the polls or copy info down if no printer is available. Printed Voters Guides appear in local Hays County newspapers shortly before Early Voting begins and can be found in area libraries.


Vote411.org was the 2020 People's Voice Winner Webby Award, which honors excellence on the Internet. In the spirit of the open Web, The Webby People's Voice is awarded by the voting public. Each year, The Webby People's Voice Awards garners millions of votes from all over the world.

New Main Polling Location


The Hays County Elections Office has moved! They are now located 120 Stagecoach Trail (at the corner of Stagecoach Trail and Hunter Road). The new location of the Elections Office is the Main Polling Location for both Early Voting and Election Day voting this fall. 

Please Note: The mailing address for the Hays County Elections Office is still at the Government Center, 712 South Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos, TX 78666.

Nueva ubicación principal de votación

 

La Oficina de Elecciones del Condado de Hays se ha mudado! Ahora están ubicados en 120 Stagecoach Trail (en la esquina de Stagecoach Trail y Hunter Road). La nueva ubicación de la Oficina de Elecciones es el lugar principal de votación tanto para la votación anticipada como para la votación el día de las elecciones este otoño.

Tenga en cuenta: La dirección postal de la Oficina de Elecciones del Condado de Hays todavía se encuentra en el Centro de Gobierno, 712 South Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos, TX 78666.
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How to Use Vote411


Use Vote411.org to:
•   Research your voter registration status
•   Begin the process of registering to vote (final steps require an original signature, but it may be started online)
•   Find out the candidates and issues on your ballot
•   Educate yourself on the candidates, comparing positions
•   Learn about the propositions (changes to the Texas Constitution or city/school board funding proposals)
•   Select the candidates and the position on various propositions you favor
•   Print out or email your choices to yourself
•   If you emailed your choices, copy them to paper

Note: You are allowed to carry paper voters guides into the polling booth but may not use an electronic device.

Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
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I don't know the candidates. How can I make an informed choice?

The deeper you dig, the more confident you'll be about the candidate you choose.

Besides reading the questions and answers of various candidates in Vote 411, you may  want or need to dig deeper in some cases. Perhaps several people are running and half of those express opinions you agree with. What then?


Sometimes it takes further research to find out which candidates are viable, able to run the race with sufficient resources to win against the general election candidate of the other party. Comparing current fundraising totals can be helpful.

Videos and newspaper articles can also be helpful. Besides VOTE411, another nonpartisan, nonprofit tool for voters wishing to research the candidates on their ballot is Ballotpedia. They often provide links to newspaper or other articles on the candidate(s) running in any particular race.  Putting in your address will help you find the candidates running in your area. They do not have the most local races (county, city, or school board), but usually do cover those races involving a state level seat.

Videos can be found by using Google or your preferred search engine and searching for videos by primary race (Democratic or Republican Party and the office being sought by the candidate). Local, county, and state party clubs regularly hold events and film their candidates.  Other organizations (including news media) may also have video recordings available.

Note that smaller parties generally elect their candidates through a nominating convention process and are not included in VOTE411.
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Tips for Researching Candidates
Tips for Researching Candidates

Find out about Candidates' Campaign Finances.

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Check candidate debates and forums
Check candidate debates and forums

Candidate Forums and Debates provide invaluable information about the candidates and their ability to answer questions. Live or video recordings.

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Check newspaper articles
Check newspaper articles

Newspaper Articles and Print about candidates, if available, can provide in-depth local information and insights. But not all sources are equal.

Encourage Candidates to Participate in LWV Efforts to Promote Informed, Empowered Voters


For candidates who HAVE completed answers for VOTE411 and the Voters Guide, thank them for their participation in it in order that voters can be informed before casting their vote. Conversely, for candidates who HAVE NOT done so, ask them to do so can help get them to answer League questions. Like other voters, League members want to hear where our candidates stand on the issues. League members can also encourage their social media followers to join in the effort to encourage candidates to participate in VOTE411. Consider thanking candidates for participating, plus encourage them to share their answers with their friends and followers.
Direct link to this page: https://lwvhaysco.com/researchyourvote

#researchcandidates        #nonpartisan          #votinginfo           #Texas        #HaysCounty       

Ask about getting a  ballot by mail by emailing  ballotbymail@co.hays.tx.us.
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