Editor’s Note: This column was submitted to the Texan by a member of the UT community.

After eight years’ worth of never-ending attacks on teachers, women, immigrants, transgender kids, voters and any other group that challenges Governor Greg Abbott’s failing agenda, it’s easy to understand why students’ outlook on voting is so bleak. 

Young people have consistently had the lowest percentage of voter participation, especially in midterm elections. I’m here to tell you that students have the genuine potential to shock the nation and turn Texas blue. While Beto’s 2018 loss to Ted Cruz was heart-crushing for millions of Texans, the two were separated by less than 215,000 votes, a mere 2.6% of total votes cast. Four years later, millions of young people across the state who were ineligible in 2018 have come of age and are an untapped reservoir of potential voters. 

As a member of University Democrats, I’ve seen several highly successful voter registration efforts here on campus, and nothing compares to the level of excitement we’ve had this semester. Just before closing out spring 2022, students were rocked by the leaked Roe v. Wade decision in May. With Texas’ trigger ban in effect, the streets became flooded with students, not just in Austin, but throughout the state. 

Not knowing the impact this would have on the fall semester, on the first day back to campus, we found ourselves overwhelmed by students asking about the election and wanting to register. In one hour, we broke our all-time registration record, and have continued to break this record every other day since. 

Hopefully, students have come to recognize our flashy Beto-donned tent and the sound of my voice shouting up and down Speedway about the importance of this election. The success of this can be seen in the fact that University Democrats registered over 1,000 students on Oct. 11 and thousands more this semester. UDems is not unilateral in these efforts. Coupled with incredible organizations such as Texas Rising, Texas Votes, Move Texas and several others, the UT campus has registered thousands of Longhorns. 

Stepping back even further, UT is just one of dozens of campuses working tirelessly to ensure student voices are heard. Due in large part to the mass registration of students throughout Texas, in just two weeks, the state garnered over 300,000 new registrations — more than enough to close the gap. 

While getting Beto in the governor’s mansion is at the forefront of our focus, it’s crucial to highlight the overwhelming influence students have over local elections, which arguably have the greatest impact on our day-to-day lives. 

Starting Oct. 24 at the Flawn Academic Center and LBJ School of Public Affairs, students will have the opportunity to vote for incredible candidates, such as Celia Israel for mayor and Arati Singh, Andrew Gonzales, and Kathryn Whitley Chu for AISD school board, as well as several great city bonds. 

One especially important race is the District 9 City Council seat, which encompasses the entirety of campus. Of the eight candidates on students’ ballots, only one has gone out of his way to not just hear from but to involve students every step of the way. Zohaib ‘Zo’ Qadri is without a doubt the best candidate to fight for the issues that matter to students and give us a voice at city hall. 

The moral of the story is that students have every reason to be hopeful. We alone have the numbers — not only to single-handedly decide the outcome of incredibly important local elections — but also to close the gap needed to push Beto O’Rourke over the edge and finally set Texas in the right direction. 

Peña is a government, Plan II, and business sophomore from the Rio Grande Valley. He is a member of the University Democrats leadership council and a Student Government representative for the School of Liberal Arts.