An Open Letter to Young Texans from the NextGen America Texas Leaders Committee
To the Young People of Texas:
Young Texans drive our state forward — and we all know that where Texas leads, the rest of the nation follows. Texas is the third-youngest state in the nation, where one in every three eligible voters is under the age of 30 and 411,000 people turn 18 each year. Young Texans are the life, the vitality and the future of our state, and it’s past time for your power and influence over our politics to match the power you bring to our economy and the influence you exert over our culture.
Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way — least of all a certain class of Texas politicians whose power in Austin and Washington D.C. far exceeds their actual support in our communities. These politicians have a long history of making it harder to vote and gaming the system to ensure their success rather than yours. And now, as they see your strength increasing, rather than meeting you where you are and hearing your concerns, they’re just doubling down on disenfranchisement.
Young Texans have the potential to change our state for the better, and with it our entire country. We just have to pull together, get organized, and help each other over the barriers erected to hold us back. That’s what we, the undersigned, are committing to today. We’re proud to sign on as NextGen America’s first-ever Texas Leaders Committee, and commit our support to registering, educating and mobilizing the largest and most diverse generation in Texas and American history.
NextGen has a long track record of welcoming young people into the democratic process and delivering real results at the ballot box. Now, they’re embarking on a multi-year effort to build the largest youth-voter mobilization campaign Texas has ever seen. Over the next two election cycles, NextGen will register half a million young Texans and turn out millions more with on-the-ground organizing and community-level partnerships. We’re working with them, because they’re working for you — and we can’t wait to see what we all build together.
Sincerely,
The NextGen Texas Leaders Committee
Beto O’Rourke
Former Congressman, TX-16
Julián Castro
Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Joaquin Castro
Congressman, TX-20
Sheila Jackson Lee
Congresswoman, TX-18
Sylvia Garcia
Congresswoman, TX-29
Al Green
Congressman, TX-09
Lina Hidalgo
Judge, Harris County
Sylvester Turner
Mayor, Houston
Clay Lewis Jenkins
Judge, Dallas County
Steve Adler
Mayor, Austin
Ron Nirenberg
Mayor, San Antonio
Ron Kirk
Former U.S. Trade Representative and Mayor of Dallas
Kirk Watson
Former Texas senator and Mayor of Austin
Rodney Ellis
Harris County Commissioner
Adrian Garcia
Harris County Commissioner
Tommy Calvert
Bexar County Commissioner
Justin Rodriguez
Bexar County Commissioner
Royce West
State Senator, Dallas
Rafael Anchía
State Representative, Dallas
Diego Bernal
State Representative, San Antonio
Jasmine Crockett
State Representative, Dallas
Ray Lopez
State Representative, San Antonio
Armando Martinez
State Representative, Weslaco
Trey Martinez Fischer
State Representative, San Antonio
Eddie Morales
State Representative, Eagle Pass
Rosie Castro
Civil Rights Activist
David Lee
President, Texas Signal
Zeph Capo
President, Texas AFT
Willy Gonzalez
Secretary-Treasurer, UNITE HERE Local 23
Rebecca Acuna
Former Texas State Director, Biden for President
Derrick Osobase
Organizing and Political Director, CWA District 6
Drew Galloway
Founder & Executive Director, BRIDGE Movements Fund
Jim Hightower
Author, commentator and activist
Eugene Sepulveda
CEO, Entrepreneurs Foundation
Hector Ruiz
Former CEO & chairman, AMD
Perry Lorenz
Real Estate Consultant
