HOUSTON – There are only five days left to register to vote for the 2020 Presidential Election. Texans have until Oct. 5 to get their registration applications mailed.
“Now, I certainly would like everybody to vote but at least get registered. It doesn’t mean you have to vote but at least if you decide you want to vote you’ll have the opportunity,” said Nancy Kral, a volunteer with the League of Women Voters and retired political science professor.
These days, Kral spends her time providing voter resources to Texans, such as how to register to vote.
“Texas doesn’t make it real easy to get registered,” she said. “You have to register, you can’t register online. Most states allow you to register online.”
There are 2,434,341 registered voters in Harris County this year. In 2016, 2,250,716 people were registered to vote in the county.
In Fort Bend County, about 478,000 people are currently registered to vote, compared to the 408,000 in 2016.
Holly Charles, marketing and community engagement director with KTSU 90.9 FM The Vibe, has been helping to get people registered too, specifically students on the campus of Texas Southern University.
“We want to make sure that, particularly in young, and minority and in poor communities that we understand the importance of our vote and that it matters,” Charles said.
The TSU-based radio station organized a voter registration drive Labor Day weekend. Organizers are planning to get students registered once more on Saturday from 12 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Not voting, an empty ballot is actually heavier than one that has a selection on it,” Charles said. “You wanna make sure that we choose ourselves and we are not chosen for.”
The Houston Area Urban League also hosted a voter registration at Space Village restaurant, which is owned by rapper and Houston native Travis Scott. The restaurant gave out free smoothies and raffle prizes to people who registered to vote.