For months, the media has had its gaze fixed on the contentious race between Paxton and Talarico. While this race matters tremendously for the country, Texans will vote on several other offices that matter tremendously for Texas children. 

Here are a few fast facts about how three different statewide offices impact Texas children: 

Agriculture Commissioner

When you see the Agriculture Commissioner’s title on your ballot, you probably think of Texas beef—part of what makes Texas’ economy the 8th largest in the world. Did you also know that the office of the Agriculture Commissioner manages the school lunch program for Texas children? In fact, the commissioner’s budget is larger than 31 state governor’s budgets. Why so large? Because of the dollars spent on meals provided by Texas schools to Texas students. 

Candidate for Agriculture Commissioner, Nate Sheets, has talked extensively about how this office must prioritize feeding Texas children real, nutritious foods sourced from Texas farmers. How is Texas currently doing for nutritional value in schools? We rank 44th out of 50 states. In other words, we’ve got work to do to provide more nutritious meals that aid our children in being alert and ready to learn, rather than crashing out from ultra-processed imported meals. 

Attorney General

Vanessa has come to understand the office of the Attorney General (AG) well, thanks to her case against Texas Children’s Hospital. While stopping the illegal transitioning of minor children is one way the Texas AG has fought for Texas children, not all of us have had quite the breadth of experience with what this role actually does and how it impacts Texas children. Our Attorney General, Ken Paxton, and his office have scored tremendous wins for Texas children. In the last year, some of his wins include going after the birth tourism industry in Houston, where Texas-born children were part of citizenship schemes. Paxton also took on Meta (Facebook) to increase children’s safety online. Texas moms rejoiced when his office scored a MAHA win after investigating General Mills for using toxic ingredients and engaging in false marketing of foods that are being marketed to kids. The list goes on and on about how this crucial office is important for defending our children against malicious actors.

Comptroller

What does the Office of the Comptroller have to do with Texas kids? The comptroller is like the Chief Financial Officer of the state. This role is one that you might have only recently become familiar with if you participated in the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) program. The new TEFA program allows for certain taxpayer dollars to follow a parent’s choice for their child’s education. The application and disbursement process for TEFA is run through the comptroller’s office which also approves which Texas schools your child may use TEFA funds for.

Did you know that many voters don’t complete their ballot? Some voters only vote in the races where they recognize the name of the candidate. For some statewide races like the ones above, or smaller, less-understood races, voters fail to select a candidate, leaving the election to a smaller pool of voters than the larger Senate and Congressional races. Here’s your reminder to make a plan to vote and vote all the way down the ballot to protect Texas children.