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Article V Convention of States

Article V of our Constitution says there are two ways to amend it. The first is by a two-thirds vote of both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. The second is by a new constitutional convention, which Congress is required to hold if two-thirds of state legislatures (34 states) call for one. 

Lately, wealthy donors, corporations, and radical far-right actors have been pushing calls for an Article V Convention across the country. They want to reshape our Constitution for their own benefit. The Constitution does not contain rules for an Article V Convention. Extremists and wealthy special interests see it as their best chance to write their far-right agenda into the Constitution.

An Article V Convention could repeal any of our cherished amendments, including the First Amendment right to free speech and freedom of the press, the 19th Amendment for women’s right to vote, the Sixth Amendment right to a speedy and public trial by jury, the 24th Amendment abolition of poll taxes, or the 22nd Amendment limitation that a president can only serve two terms. It could also add amendments to take away reproductive rights, undo marriage equality, or allow deportation without due process.

Our Constitution isn’t perfect, but we won’t fix it by Article V Convention. It’s a Pandora’s Box that should stay closed.

Countywide Polling

Thanks to the Countywide Polling Place Program established in Texas Election Code 43.007, many Texans get to cast their ballots at any polling place in their county on Election Day. During early voting, all Texas voters can vote countywide (known in many states as “vote centers” or “super-precincts”). On Election Day, voting reverts to precinct-only polling places unless counties opt in to Countywide Polling. As of Fall 2025, 100 of our state’s 254 counties have implemented countywide polling, allowing 85% of registered Texas voters to vote at their polling place of choice on Election Day.  

This program prevents thousands of ballots from being thrown out just because they were cast in the wrong neighborhood. Countywide voters can cast a ballot near their home, workplace, child’s school, or doctor’s office. Voters facing long lines are free to go to a polling place with a shorter one. Countywide polling is popular with voters across the political spectrum. Convenience isn’t a partisan issue! We will fight any attempt to do away with the Countywide Polling Place Program in Texas.

Elections Generally

Texas elections happen more than you think! Each election consists of an Early Voting period and Election Day. Check Vote411 to find out the dates of the next election in your area and plan out your ballot!

High School Voter Registration

Texas Election Code 13.046 requires Texas high schools to offer voter registration to eligible high school seniors twice a year. Schools that follow this law create a lifelong pattern of voting in young people. Unfortunately, underfunded and overworked teachers and administrators can’t always prioritize high school voter registration. Common Cause Texas works with our partners to help encourage and support compliance.

Immigration and Voting Safe from ICE

Only citizens are able to register and cast a ballot in Texas. No one has ever been able to show that noncitizen voting changed an election result in the United States. But the myth of noncitizen voting is a two-for-one deal; it lets Texas leaders steal power from voters and immigrants at the same time. Many currently eligible voting citizens came to the US as immigrants, and they are more likely to be purged from the voter rolls because of outdated information. In the last few years, our state has used countless tactics to hurt voters, immigrants, and immigrant voters. Common Cause opposes all such suppression.

The Constitution guarantees some fundamental rights to every person in this country regardless of their immigration status, including rights to due process, freedom of speech, the right to remain silent in the presence of law enforcement, and protection against unlawful search and seizure. We will fight for the rights of our friends and neighbors, regardless of their immigration status.

Legislature

The Texas Legislature is composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. Its regular session happens once every two years, starting on the second Tuesday in January of odd-numbered years. Each session lasts 140 days. Those short 140 days control the lives of every person in our state, and Common Cause Texas is always there to fight for our interests. Join us!

Money in Politics

Federal candidates – and most local candidates in Texas – have to abide by some level of limits to the amount of money they can accept from donors. For state candidates, there is no limit whatsoever.

Limiting the amount and source of campaign contributions is one of the most common tactics for regulating money in politics. Texas is one of just four states that place no limits on contributions. Limits vary widely from state to state and from office to office within a state. 

The vast majority of us know money has too much influence in politics. That’s why we’re committed to passing common sense contribution limits. We want to ensure that the voices of everyday Texans aren’t drowned out by unlimited money in our elections.

Online Voter Registration

Forty-three states offer online registration. Of the remaining seven states, three have same-day voter registration. Texas is one of just four states that require you to register weeks in advance, either in person or by mail. You can bank online, update your driver’s license online, store and access your medical records online. We’re pushing Texas to catch up with the times and allow quick, secure online voter registration.

Open Primaries

You probably know that a primary election is a partisan election in which voters select the candidates who will be on the ballot in the general election. In Texas, we have open primaries, so all eligible voters can choose to vote on either a Republican or Democratic slate of candidates. Texans of all parties overwhelmingly support our open primary system, despite recent efforts to close it. We need to preserve open primaries to make sure that every Texan—Republican, Democrat, Independent, and undecided—gets to participate in our political process.

Proof of Citizenship

In the last few years, democracy deniers have been spreading the racist conspiracy theory that ineligible voting is moving the needle in our elections. There is no proof that noncitizen voting has ever once affected an election outcome in the United States. Regardless of reality, state and federal officials who fear their own voters are using this myth to advance legislation requiring voters to prove citizenship to register to vote. 

Proving citizenship to vote would inconvenience all Texans, but some communities would be hit harder than others. Approximately 1.3 million voting-age Texas citizens (7% of eligible voters) would have difficulty providing proof of citizenship via a birth certificate, passport, or certificate of naturalization. Young voters (18-29) in Texas are three times more likely to have trouble accessing proof of citizenship compared to older voters. About 8% of Latine Texans and 5% of Black Texans report that they cannot easily access proof of citizenship.

Unpopular measures like the federal SAVE Act and the failed SB 16 would limit access to the ballot and disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters. Texas already has extensive checks in place to keep noncitizens off the voter rolls. We don’t buy the racist lies about noncitizen voting, and we don’t need the false solution of proof of citizenship.

Protesting

The First Amendment protects your right to assemble peacefully and share your views by protesting. But this right comes with some limitations, including where and when you can protest. Before you march, take some time to familiarize yourself with the best way to stay safe while you shout your views.

Redistricting

The population of the United States changes constantly, but federal legislation keeps the House of Representatives capped at 435 members. States redraw their electoral districts to redistribute those 435 members across the states according to population. This process, known as redistricting, is supposed to happen every 10 years. Redistricting should be used as a tool to make sure that everyone has a voice in our government, but in some states (and off-year cycles), redistricting has become a weapon to silence the voices of Black, Latine, and Asian-American voters.

Drawing unfair maps — a process known as gerrymandering — denies communities the representation and resources they deserve. Our work to end gerrymandering includes efforts in the courts, on the ballot, and in state and federal legislatures to ensure a just and independent process.

State Takeover of Elections

In Texas, we have a decentralized election system. Our Secretary of State oversees all elections, and the state legislature sets laws and standards that all counties must follow. Other than that, local election officials are supposed to have discretion to run elections that make sense for their citizens. Harris County (home to 2,702,952 registered voters) should run elections differently from Loving County (home to 149 registered voters). Occasionally, our state leaders threaten to usurp the power of local election officials in order to influence who is able to cast a ballot in those counties. Common Cause Texas opposes all attempts to thwart the will of the voters, including through a state takeover.

Voter ID

When the Supreme Court overturned huge portions of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, the first thing Texas did was pass a strict law requiring voters to show one of seven limited forms of ID. That law made 608,470 registered Texans ineligible to vote overnight. Many Texans do not have an acceptable form of voter ID, including 18% of all citizens over the age of 65, 16% of Latino voters, 25% of Black voters, and 15% of low-income Americans. Handgun licenses are acceptable to vote in Texas, but student IDs are not. Through our Election Protection and public education work, we are fighting for a future where no Texas voter gets turned away for lack of ID.

Voter Intimidation

You have the right to vote without fear. Voter intimidation is illegal under federal law and Texas state law. The resources listed below will help you to know your rights and resist attempts to scare you out of your right to vote. If you experience or witness voter intimidation, call the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE or email us at texas@commoncause.org.

Voter Registration

It is hard to register to vote in Texas. We don’t have online voter registration, unless you are also doing an online drivers license transaction. Texans who want to register their friends and neighbors must take a class to get certified, and they must also get certified by test or reciprocity in every county where they want to register voters. This process is hard on purpose, to keep people from easily participating in their democracy.

It can also be hard to stay registered to vote in Texas. Our state officials have targeted immigrant communities with voter purges and shared our private voter data with the Trump administration. The best thing you can do is check your voter registration regularly at the links below. The other best thing you can do is visit your county’s elections website and become a Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar (“VDR”) to help get your community registered to vote!

Voting Rights Act

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of legislation that fiercely defended the ability to vote, particularly in states and counties with a history of keeping people of color away from the ballot box. Since 2013, the Supreme Court has been slashing VRA protections left and right. We fight for the old Voting Rights Act and demand a new one to fill in the gaps, at both the state and federal level.