It’s summertime so that means it’s time to get deputized!
Yes, that’s right. You, too, can register voters in Hays County, and we’ll need as many Volunteer Deputy Registrars as we can find to build a voter base that will keep Hays County blue in 2020.
Becoming a Volunteer Deputy Registrar is easier than you might think. There is no need to wait for a special training class. Essentially, the process is as easy as passing an open-book multiple-choice test, which can be completed in about 10 minutes at the Hays County Government Center.
The test is available online in PDF format for practice purposes. It is only 20 questions long, and it can be printed out and used along with a study guide to prepare before you go to the Elections Office to take the exam.
After about 10 minutes taking the test, you can walk out with your Volunteer Deputy Registrar card. The elections office is very accommodating and makes this process easy.
Volunteer Deputy Registrar certifications are good for two years ALL expiring on December 31 of even-numbered years.
For more information, you can visit the Texas Secretary of State's website.
Read through the material and when you feel adequately educated, come by the county office to take the “open book” exam, and receive your certificate of appointment and supply packet.
The office is located at 712 S Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos, TX. It’s located in the Hays County Government Center, which is open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday.
You can call the Elections Office if you have any questions at (512) 393-7310. Or you can visit the Hays County Elections Office website for more information.
Current VDRs can print and make copies of the Voter Registration Application with receipt attached in this linked PDF.
Republicans step up voter registration efforts in Texas
As detailed in the Washington Examiner and the Texas Tribune, Republicans are planning to spend millions on voter registration efforts in Texas ahead of the 2020 elections.
From the Washington Examiner:
Richard Weekley, a Houston real estate developer and veteran Republican campaign contributor, is spearheading the new group, dubbed Engage Texas. According to GOP sources, the organization was set up as a 501(c)4, political nonprofit organization and plans to raise and spend $25 million by Election Day next year.
Engage Texas has garnered the support of top Republicans in the state and appears to have the support of party insiders in Washington. They believe the group could be critical to compensating for demographic trends that favor the Democrats — and to holding Texas for Trump and GOP Sen. John Cornyn.
“In 2018, we got hammered not only in the urban areas but in the suburbs, too,” Cornyn, 67, told the Washington Examiner. The third-term senator, who has sounded the alarm about the dangers of taking Texas for granted, described with a sense of relief the “substantial focus and investment, now, that will be made on voter registration.”
But the midterm elections saw a significant shift. The Democrats captured two traditionally Republican, suburban seats in the House of Representatives, and Democrat Beto O’Rourke, now a presidential candidate, came within 2.6 points of ousting Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Recent polling suggests Trump could be vulnerable in the state in 2020, a product of continued resistance in the suburbs of Austin, Dallas, and Houston.
Republicans are determined to keep Texas in the Republican column in 2020. We will have to outwork them by registering every Democratic voter in Hays County so they can cast a ballot to bring competent and compassionate government back to Austin and Washington, D.C.
Volunteer Deputy Registrar Exam
Click here to download a copy of the state's Volunteer Deputy Registrar Exam Print out the exam and study the questions before going into the Elections Office to take the test to become a Volunteer Deputy Registrar.
Volunteer Deputy Registrar Study Guide
Click here to download a copy of the state's Volunteer Deputy exam study guide Use this study to help find the answers to the questions on the VDR exam before going into the Elections Office to take the test.
Where do I take the test?
Visit the Hays County Elections Office to take the VDR test. The office is located at 712 S Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos, TX. It’s located in the Hays County Government Center, which is open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday.
You can call the Elections Office if you have any questions at (512) 393-7310. Or you can visit the Hays County Elections Office website for more information.