Registration Deadlines Are near — and Organizing Will Decide 2026 Election Outcomes
As the beginning of early voting looms (February 17 – February 27, 2026) on the horizon, it is imperative and most important that we maintain our focus on the value of getting new voters registered and previous voters “engaged and fired up” to be active in the primaries and ultimately in the fall midterms. For those who are interested in voting early, that deadline for being registered isn’t too far away, given that eligible voters must be registered thirty days prior to an election.
Historically, massive registration efforts have produced large increases in new registrations, but those numbers don’t always translate into increases in voter turnout, whether it’s in-person, early voting, on Election Day, or voting by mail. This leads us to the question: why not? The answer escapes us and leaves room for quite a bit of speculation. Presently, our focus will be on ORGANIZING — whenever and wherever we can.
Lessons From Past Movements
Past examples can be reviewed to provide proof that this strategy has delivered for various communities on a variety of fronts: The Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955), Black Lives Matter (2020), No Kings (2025), among a few notable efforts. Within neighborhoods across the spectrum, we have been made aware of “rent parties” during the Great Migration of the 1950s, as well as neighborhood block parties and the National Night Out — all designed to help neighbors get to know each other. In essence, organized efforts have provided our communities with models of SOLIDARITY, and moving forward, we can see the results as a particular level of success.
Going forward, group registrations, often labeled as Voter Registration Drives, can be useful. Taking a page from that playbook, we suggest that groups that register together can make plans to show up and VOTE TOGETHER! If the communities can marshal forces in protest, I am certain that there would be community commitment and recognition of the importance in showing up and voting as a community.
Federal Scrutiny and the Voter Roll Review
In the past week, an announcement was provided by a spokesperson from the Texas Secretary of State’s office, advising that the State of Texas has “provided the Justice Department with the voter roll data,” in response to a request from the Justice Department. The roll includes over 18.4 million voters, as the DOJ is reportedly “eyeing the purging of ineligible voters,” with the requests having begun last fall and the Justice Department having requested this data from all 50 states. The massive lists contain significant identifying information on every voter in each state and other election-related data. The DOJ has said the effort is central to its mission of enforcing election laws requiring states “to regularly maintain voter lists, by searching for and removing ineligible voters.”
Protecting the Vote Through Participation
The foregoing now points to the need for more registrations and an increase in voting at all levels, in order that we can safeguard the privilege of voting and living free in a democratic society. Your commitment to participation will improve our chances of being successful, and we will remain diligent in this endeavor.
Visit the Bexar County Elections site to verify your voter registration and for important election dates and more.
