TCAN

We may have lost the battle in the House on HB 218 (voter ID), but we seem to be winning on the media front — which means we have a better chance of defeating HB 626 (proof of citizenship to register to vote) and of defeating any such measure in the Senate. Here are links to a few of the excellent newspaper editorials that have appeared in recent days on this important issue:

Houston Chronicle

Wise County Messenger

Austin American-Statesman

Now, here’s how you can keep the momentum going: Write your own letter to the editor to your hometown newspaper, or to several major papers. Letters to the editor, or LTEs, are an effective way to make your voice heard by a large number of people. Editorial boards, news assignment desks, and policymakers pay attention to them.

Keep your letter brief, respectful, and to the point. It often helps to reference an article or a previous letter or editorial in that newspaper, but it’s not necessary if you’re making people aware of an issue that hasn’t been covered adequately. If you need some talking points for your LTE on the voter roadblock bills, you can download ours.

Here’s a link to email addresses for sending letters to the editor to the major daily newspapers in Texas.

If you write a letter to the editor (or several!) on the Voter Roadblock bills, or any of TCAN’s issues, please let us know! And if it gets published, be sure to forward us a link so we can feature it here on our blog. Good luck!