12 Comments
User's avatar
SpringTexan's avatar

The school voucher stuff shows that too many Republicans don't actually care about constituents.

Expand full comment
Tanya Robertson's avatar

Many Texans tried to warn these lawmakers. Acting like your campaign slogan & listening to the voters who actually helped you get where you are isn't rocket science.

The November 2026 election will be the true test. Will voters have short memories? Usually.

Expand full comment
Betty Ann Reynolds's avatar

Seventeen percent of voters vote in city and school board elections. It’s easy for Democrats to spot low-hanging fruit.

Expand full comment
Becca Williams's avatar

If you’re going to make local election losses about the school choice bill you may as well make every article henceforth about some egregiously loose connection to school choice.

Your article fails to mention the victories in Irving in New Braunfels, where Republicans turned out and flipped city councils to red

Other explanations? The Republican Party has traded reliable, high, propensity voters, for unreliable, low propensity voters over the last 10 years.

Do better!

Expand full comment
Tommy Oliver's avatar

Why would anyone stay invested in something that delivers 0.4%? It’s like this with everything. Always a scam which they then campaign on. People figure it out and stop caring.

Expand full comment
Becca Williams's avatar

Yes, just sit it out. Democrats are sure happy with that. You will get the government you deserve.

Expand full comment
Tommy Oliver's avatar

I don’t believe in sitting out. I believe in not beating down the voters with 0.41% scams. Or else you might lose elections like Saturday.

Expand full comment
Matt Benacci's avatar

The truth is, there probably is no single snappy explanation for statewide malaise, other than the sour taste many grassroots types have had left in their mouths as this session grinds toward a whimperingly weak close. Once again it almost seems like Republican veterans in Austin detest their constituents and have done more to prioritize bills being sponsored by Democrats.

Expand full comment
Becca Williams's avatar

The truth is, this is a lazy excuse. What do city council and school board elections have to do with what’s going on in Austin?

The “sour taste” keeps them from participating in 8% voter turnout elections?

Expand full comment
Matt Benacci's avatar

Oh get off it. If what you are proposing was ironclad, there would be no indication that a presidential election made any difference in voter turnout. Obviously it does. Are there sometimes intense local races that spike the numbers in off years? Sure. Clearly weren't too many of those statewide this time.

Expand full comment
Jennifer Knight's avatar

1. Too many republicans put their belief in Donald Trump could fix everything. They forget all local elections matter. Mostly this is because Republicans don’t want to be involved in politics all the time. For progressive Democrats politics is their religion, they are committed to it all the time.

2. Voting for these off season type elections are at schools, Democrats set them up at their home base. They made it easy for their most fervent voters to vote, they don’t even have to leave work to vote.

Expand full comment
Shellie B's avatar

Why are these elections separate from national election times? I think that has more to do with low turnout than anything. Besides a few yard signs most people probably didn't realize there was an election - and none of those signs said "vote on ____ date".

I also think most people not deep into politics don't know who the heck they should vote for in the local elections. (myself included!) Besides a google search of candidates how do you know? I do not go to school board or city council meetings, but would like to make sure I vote properly, so that's what I need help with...

Expand full comment