Deep in the heart of Republican Texas, the race for the senate seat is coming. The elections will be held Nov. 6, 2018. The Republican incumbent, Ted Cruz, will run against Democrat Rep. Beto O’Rourke for the senate seat. According to a poll done by Quinnipiac University the race is very close, with Cruz leading O’Rourke 49 to 43. The upcoming election should be a competitive one to watch especially considering the fact that Texas is usually very Republican. People interested in voting can be 17 when they register as long as they will turn 18 by the date of the election, Nov. 6, 2018.

Out of the five students interviewed here at Clements all of them said that they are going to register to vote but they had varying reasons for voting. Some wanted to do it for the new experience, some wanted to do it just for fun, while Senior Joshua Vergara believes it is his duty to vote.

“Because as an American I feel that it’s every citizen’s job and duty to vote for who they believe in that will execute their political ideas,” said Vergara.

When asked about what age group matters the most they said that the younger people matter the most. They also said that they believe that even though they have not finished finished high school they should still be voting.

“As teenagers grow up to take on responsibilities of adults, giving them the ability to vote is a good way to help introduce them to the adult world and help them get more involved into politics and the government that take care of them,” said Vergara.

The staff was unable to get in touch with Beto O’Rourke’s campaign so the democratic headquarters in Austin, TX were contacted. Deputy VAN (voter activation network) Houston Putney represented the headquarters.

Mr. Putney said even if students can’t vote, they can support their candidate of choice by getting bumper stickers or buttons and having political conversations with their peers. They could even get in touch with the campaigns to volunteer for events.

He also says that it’s important for young people to vote because Democracy only works with people. He said voting has lasting effect and something that might not affect them now could come back to them in the future and it’s important to have a consensus so that a minority does not control everything.

The staff also reached out to the Cruz campaign but have yet to receive a response.

People wanting to register must be at least 17 years and 10 months old when they register. You may register to vote by going to the voter registrar’s office located on 301 Jackson St., Richmond 77469-3108 to fill out an application or you can find an application online and send it to the state.