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The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston wanted to help you encourage people to vote this November. This effort will remain completely nonpartisan. Our goal is to help you engage, inspire, and mobilize voters to participate in the upcoming elections. Jewish values have always emphasized the importance of engaging in our broader community and choosing our leaders. The very idea of democracy is mentioned throughout the Torah and our learned texts. In a world where so many issues can be polarizing, one common thing binds us all together – our Judaism.  Our voice and our vote are powerful tools for change. Every election shapes the future of our community, and with your help, we can ensure that every Jewish voice is heard.

Before you go to the polls… Are you registered? How to check:

• Check Voter Registration | VOTE411 (Need to know--This covers all states-This resource contains extensive voting information
• Harris County Tax Office (Need to know--Enter your name first name last name, no commas or punctuation)
• Fort Bend County - Voter Registration & View My Voter Registration

Find out who is on your ballot and how to prepare...

• Vote411 (Need to know: This covers all counties)
• Harris County Clerk’s Office: What's on my Ballot? (Need to know–You cannot bring in a list on a phone – must print. Harris County has one of the longest ballots in the country, and we no longer have a straight ticket voting option. It is important to research your ballot prior to election day and bring your printed list with you to make casting your ballot as easy as possible.)

Time to Vote…

In person: You can now vote at any Vote Center during early voting or on election day. To find the Vote Center nearest you, click here.  Accessibility: every polling location has a curbside option. Press a buzzer when you arrive and a mobile voting unit will be brought to your car.

Mail-in -- Eligibility: You are 65 years of age or older on Election Day, or You are sick or disabled (as defined in Texas Election Code 82.002(a)) or You expect to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day. You are out of your county on Election Day and during early voting hours or You are confined in jail or Involuntary Civil Commitment, but eligible to vote.

How to apply: You must download an application and mail the application back to the County Clerk. You can email or fax a copy, but you must also mail your SIGNED original application.

How to ensure your ballot is counted:

• Use BLACK or BLUE ink to mark your choices on the ballot.
• Place the voted ballot in the Ballot Envelope and seal it.
• Place Ballot Envelope in the enclosed pre-addressed carrier envelope.
• Provide your identification number underneath the flap. 
• Seal carrier envelope and sign where indicated exactly as you signed your mail ballot application.  Place appropriate postage and return it.
• Need to know: Deadlines
  • To apply for Mail-In vote: Friday, October 25, 2024
  • Ballots are due by 7PM Election Day, November 5, 2024

Important Dates:

• October 7 – Last day to register to vote
• October 21 – first day of early voting
• October 25 – last day to apply for ballot by mail
• November 1 – last day of early voting
• November 5 – election day and last day to return mail ballot in person

Since October 7 it is even more critical that we use our voice. As antisemitism has significantly increased at alarming rates over recent years, we must make our voices heard to protect our future generations. The Sage Hillel taught “Al tifros min hatzibur, Do not separate yourself from the community” (Pirke Avot 2:5). Moreover, it is our responsibility to play an active role in our community and choosing its leaders.

Rabbi Yitzhak taught that “A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted” (Babylonian Talmud Berachot 55a). Rabbi Yitzhak further explained that in the Torah, Bezalel could be chosen to build the Tabernacle only with the community’s approval. This deeply embedded ethic of political participation has guided Jews to enthusiastically participate in the American electoral process. 

We are reminded of this teaching from Deuteronomy 16:19, “You shall not judge unfairly: you shall know no partiality; you shall not take gifts, for gifts blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just.” We are commanded to stand up for the widow, the poor, the orphan and the stranger. In a system that allows for disproportionate power of money, it is these groups who are ignored and who suffer the most.

We are commanded to pursue justice. Tzedek tzedek tirdof, or justice, justice shall you pursue. We can impact the way the United States lives out Jewish principles by voting. Based on Jewish experiences of the Diaspora (starting in the 6th century BCE with the Babylonian exile), Jewish leaders have taught that our well-being is tied up with the well-being of the places in which we find ourselves. Through voting, we invest in the welfare of America and its democratic ideals. It’s on us.

A midrash teaches, “If a person sits in their home and says to themselves, ‘What have the affairs of society to do with me?… Why should I trouble myself with the people’s
voices of protest? Let my soul dwell in peace!’—if one does this, they overthrow the world.” It means that staying on the sidelines is in itself an act of destruction. We each must do our part to repair the world.

Many rabbis have extended the idea of hakarat hatov — recognizing and appreciating the opportunities we have — to voting. Throughout history, there have been few times when Jews were able to have a say in the composition of their government. Our history compels us to exercise our rights that we have now and drives our work to strengthen and expand those rights for not only all Jews, but all people in the United States.