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Texas, it’s voting season! Do you often wonder who is on your ballot and why they want your vote? This Election Voting Guide will offer some clarity as we prepare to chime in on who we believe should fill the our elected official seats at the State levels.
There are important decisions to make this election cycle at the local level as well, but the emphasis here is on those positions that we will all see on our ballot this cycle.
Here’s an election voting guide that breaks down of the important State Races and offers a general idea of what each role is responsible for.
Governor
This is the President of Texas in essence and governs for total of four years. This person will outline our State budget, lead our military during emergencies, sign bills into law, and fill vacancies if an an elected official or judge cannot finish their term.
Our current Governor is Greg Abbot who has been the Governor of Texas since 2008 and he is facing off against Democratic contender, Beto O’Rourke.
Lieutenant Governor
This is the VP of Texas and President of the Texas Senate in essence similar to the Federal side of things where Kamala Harris is the VP of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate. This person is in charge of setting the gameplan for Texas a.k.a our Texas Senate Agenda while overseeing the individual Senate committees. If there’s every a tie when laws are being voted on, this person also has the tie breaking vote.
This person is also a member of the Redistricting Board. The board draw the maps that determine who we have the ability to vote for or how much power our vote can hold based on where we reside and the Budget Board, self explanatory.
Comptroller
CFO Chief Financial Officer. This person collects the money on behalf of Texas. This comes mostly in the form of sales taxes from local governments because we don’t have state income tax.
This role is important because they manage our state contracts with other agencies and this person also keeps us aware of our revenue and economy.
Your property taxes, if you have them, are collected by your local government!
Attorney General
The State’s TOP attorney that is responsible for representing the state in legal matters and defending the State against suits, enforcing child support orders, and investigating fraud.
Land Commissioner
There’s 13 million acres of state land in Texas. This person manages all of it and is also responsible for rendering aid after a natural disaster like hurricanes. The also oversee investments to fund public education.
This office can also offer land and home loans and other services to veterans through he Veterans Land Board.
Agriculture Commissioner
This person supports our farmers and keeps the agricultural industry running smoothly. They are also in charge of administering school lunch programs and other assistance programs to help address hunger and promote nutrition.
Railroad Commissioner
This role has NOTHING to do with the Railroads. This is a three seat team that keeps our oil, gas, coal, and pipeline industry moving. They oversee gas utility rates and how much coal and uranium drilling mining happens in our state.
Supreme Court of Texas
Top Court in the State for anything that is not a criminal matter. This is a NINE person team of Justices, currently all Republican, who serve staggered terms of 6 years. We are only voting for 3 this election cycle.
They also oversee the State Bar of Texas which is the board that provides licenses to practice to all Texas attorney’s.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Top court in the state for Criminal matters. This is a NINE person team of Justices, currently all Republican, and are directly responsible for reviewing death row cases and all criminal cases successfully appealed.