Upcoming Events
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Past Events
Recap: #TXTownCall a Success!
On October 10, 2018, Children’s Defense Fund Texas hosted its first ever virtual youth candidate forum the “Texas Youth Town Call.” The town call was a non-partisan opportunity for young people from across our great state to engage in the political process and hear directly from their candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and U.S. Senate offices.
Broadcast on Webex and Facebook Live in both English and Spanish, young people and families tuned in to watch and participate in our youth candidate forum led by four youth moderators together representing both high school and college students from across the state. Young people submitted and voted on the questions that were asked of the candidates (included below), and also submitted questions on Twitter using the #TXTownCall. The virtual forum included voter education on the roles and responsibilities of each office with information on early voting and participating in our democracy. Between our English and Spanish livestreams, we reached more than 1,600 people.
The questions we asked were:
- Gun Violence in Schools
- Over this past year in Texas we’ve seen some pretty awful shootings, in schools and in our places of worship, as well as under reported shootings in low income neighborhoods. If elected what are you going to change to make Texans feel safer? And, what is your position on universal background checks and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines?
- Education
- Most people in Texas believe that education is the route to life. How will you ensure that Texas public schools receive the funding and support they need for students to thrive?
- Immigration
- How will you help alleviate the fear that many immigrant families living in our communities feel? And, what policies do you support to secure the future of DACA recipients?
- Health Care
- What strategies do you support to reduce barriers to health insurance for Texas children and families of color?
Get Involved
There’s a lot going on to engage the next generation of Texas voters. You’ll be able to find event postings here, but if you want to learn more, reach out! Youth Civic Education & Engagement Coordinator Maggie Stern will help you get connected and empowered.
