Priority issues are governmental or public policy issues that the League's membership has determined merit focused attention in a given year for education and advocacy efforts in the community.
In 2019 LWVSA co-sponsored three candidate forums with Raise Your Hand Texas for primary election contests in Texas House Districts 119 and 121, as well as Texas Senate District 19. These forums posed questions on a variety of issues, but focused primarily on topics related to public education.
In 2019 LWVSA co-sponsored a forum with the League of Women Voters of Texas and FairMaps Texas that educated the public about the redistricting process for the 2021 legislative session and trained concerned citizens to skillfully address the Texas Legislature's House Redistricting Committee at the September 12, 2019 public hearing in San Antonio (video).
With the Covid-19 pandemic interfering with the completion of the 2020 Census count, it is possible there will be redistricting both in 2021 and in 2023, due to a predicted delay in Census data release to the Texas Legislature. FairMaps Texas will coordinating efforts to pass resolutions in city councils and county commissioners courts to support the creation of independent redistricting commissions. Contact us if you are interested in joining LWVSA's participation in this effort.
LWVSA is part of the Steering Committee of Count Me In: Census 2020, San Antonio and Bexar County's organized effort to get a complete, accurate count and provide education about why the Census matters so residents will be motivated to respond. The League developed an informational brochure on the importance of the Census—U.S. Census 2020: Be Counted (pdf) | Censo De EE.UU. 2020: Ser Contado (pdf)—that has been distributed in San Antonio. In addition, the League developed a Census Quiz to teach the role of the Census in governmental decision-making and important points about what kinds of information the Census does and does not ask respondents to provide. See our page on the US Census for information on how and why to get counted.
Use the button below to let us know of your interest in getting involved with education or advocacy efforts connected to any of these priority issues.