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