Don’t go into the booth blind. Here’s why you should check out The Texas 2020 Voter Guide before filling out your ballot.

By Aisling Ayers, Feature image from Element5 Digital, Photo from Texas2020.org

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Gina Fant-Simon and Paula Barkan are the women behind The Texas 2020 Voter Guide. Many know Faint-Simon as the “accidental activist.” Meanwhile, Barkan takes the title of “mom on a mission.”

Together, they created an extensive nonpartisan guide to the policies behind the representatives that are on your ballot on Nov. 3. 

Fant-Simon says the most important thing we can do is pay attention to our state politics. 

“The issues that are hurting us in our states is our voter registration…and gerrymandering, which dilutes our votes,” Fant-Simon says. “Most people are paying attention to the presidential election. [They] don’t realize that everything that’s happening right now is the result of the people we elected in our state.” 

Here’s why you should check out their voting guide, Texas2020.org, before you head to the polls tomorrow. 

The interactive website is full of engaging red, white and blue graphics and is available in both English and Spanish. Fant-Simon says the core of the resource is “integrity has no party.” 

“We [are]asking people to think differently about selecting their candidates,” Barkan reflects. “It is not easy to be nonpartisan when you have strong beliefs. Unless we come together and find some common ground on issues, we’re not going to get anything done.” 

The women chose ten nonpartisan solutions to issues they believe are directly hindering the state of democracy in the U.S. These solutions, titled “10 Ways to Fix Our Democracy,” include online voter registration, removal of gerrymandering and how to solve party polarization. Users can choose if they agree or disagree with each solution. 

“These issues that we cover are the common ground,” Barkan says. “When voters understand…there are just simple things we can change in our electorate system in order to get more power. Which is the way it’s supposed to be. Those issues are nonpartisan.”

One’s level of political savviness doesn’t matter.

Fant-Simon assures users the website offers everyone the information they need to vote. There is a form to enter your personal address. This will locate the nearest voting locations and the district representatives that will be on your ballot. 

Each candidate listed from the Senate, the House of Representatives, Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate based on your district appears on the website. Next to each name, the guide displays the candidate’s stance on each of the ten nonpartisan solutions based on a survey. 

“We do not show what party the candidates are,” Fant-Simon says. “We want people to see these issues and what [the candidates]stand for as opposed to ‘Oh, that’s the Democrat or that’s the Republican.’” 

Instead of only voting for the candidates who represent your political party, Fant-Simon and Barkan urge you to vote for the representative who will best maintain democracy in the United States. Take the time to join the 20,000 people who visit Texas2020.org everyday before you head to the polls.

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