On October 15th St. Edward’s University hosted a non-partisan voter panel, Hilltoppers Vote, to help inform students about upcoming. local, state, and national elections. The panel was moderated by David Thomason, an Assistant Professor of Political Science and the members of the panel included, Dana Debeauvior, the Travis County Clerk, Ross Ramsey, the Executive Editor of the Texas Tribune, Moriah Powers, the President of the League of Women Voters in the Austin area and St. Edward’s alum, Eric Bustos, who now works as the Government Relations Manager for Capitol Metro. The panel was sponsored by BSS Symposium Committee and co-sponsored by the Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha.
The panel covered topics such as a surge in voter participation, Proposition A, which will be on ballots in Travis County, and their feelings about the state of democracy going forward.
The first question posed to the panelists required them to give advice to college students voting, given the context of a surge of registered voters, early voting, and absentee voting. The panelists recommended that students make a plan to vote and vote early. Ramsey urged students to not just participate in the federal election but to also study up on local candidates and issues.
“Look at the issues at the bottom of the ballot…that is where voters can really have an impact.” Ross encouraged.
Bustos went on to talk about Proposition A, which is one of the local issues that will be at the bottom of voter’s ballots in Travis County. Proposition A would expand the county’s transit system and would be funded by a dedicated property tax revenue, along with CapMetro revenue and Federal funding. Bustos promoted Proposition A and a focus on local issues by explaining Austin’s need for reliable public transportation that is equipped to handle a growing population.
“Austin doubles in population every generation, by 2040 the population will grow to 4 million. Transportation is a non-partisan issue. The things that happen at the local level have the most impact on people’s lives.”
The event ended with panelists expressing optimism for democracy and young voters. Powers spoke about her strong feelings about the system and why she works for an organization that is helping voters make informed decisions.
“I wouldn’t be so involved if I wasn’t so passionate about it, so I am an optimist.”