Issue Position: Defend Everyone's Right To Vote

Issue Position

My parents, especially my father taught me to participate in our democracy through the simple act of voting.

He became a US citizen after immigrating from Mexico and he held a strong belief in exercising his right to vote. I have fond memories going with my father to vote when I was a child. It was only after I became an adult that I understood why my dad would show a piece of paper that looked like a receipt when he voted. This was called a Poll Tax, and Texas did not repeal it until 1966. All eligible minority voters were required to pay about $1.75 in order to vote. The poll tax law kept the poor and minority population from voting.

I will continue to focus on changing the laws to make it easier to vote. We must stop every attempt to lead us back to the days of paying a poll tax.

Source