The nonprofit MOVE Texas is focusing on increasing youth participation in elections and is collaborating with Texas A&M University-San Antonio.

Groups focusing on registering voters ahead of the Jan. 31 deadline for the March Primary have said their efforts have taken on a greater significance.

Many voters are looking to find the locations with the shortest wait times to cast their ballot. There's an app for that.

Next spring will see a change in leadership at MOVE Texas when its executive director, H. Drew Galloway, steps down after five years with the nonpartisan nonprofit grassroots organization. Galloway said MOVE Texas student organizers and their volunteers have registered 120,000 new young voters during the time he’s been with the organization. “This organization is building a pipeline and building power all across the state,” Galloway said. Galloway said he’ll be staying on as executive director through the search and hiring process. “I can’t wait to see what’s next for the Texas movement and for young people and for organizers all across the state,” he said.

Starting Saturday, Texas voters who become too sick to go to the polls must seek emergency absentee ballots to vote in the election. Texas voters who get sick shortly before Election Day and can't go to the polls will still need a doctor’s note before they can get an emergency absentee ballot, a state appeals court ruled Friday. The Texas 3rd Court of Appeals' ruling, overriding a state district court order, said implementing the lower court's ruling "would change the longstanding requirements governing late mail-in ballots and risk voter confusion." The Texas secretary of state quickly appealed, halting the order as the appeals court reviewed it. If a voter tries to get an absentee ballot after the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot, 11 days before Election Day, they also need documentation from a doctor.

Forty-one states have passed legislation to allow residents to register to vote online. Texas is not one of them, and the state’s Republican leadership has long fought efforts to allow for an online voter registration process. “We’re not seeing an increase in voter registration activity that compensates for the decrease that we’ve seen in previous months,” he said. Democrats and Republicans told The Texas Tribune that they’re struggling with voter registration in the era of COVID-19. While Texas has turned to online services during the pandemic, the state doesn’t allow residents to register when they renew their driver’s licenses online.

SAN ANTONIO – The Spurs are helping people get registered to vote for the upcoming elections from their cars. Spurs Sports and Entertainment and MOVE Texas are hosting a drive-through voter registration event Tuesday evening at the AT&T Center. The drive-through event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in Lot 3 at the arena. The event will feature an appearance by The Coyote and a limited-edition Spurs “VOTE” t-shirt will also be available for purchase with proceeds going to MOVE Texas. (Spurs Vote Shirt)RELATED STORIES

San Antonio – The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all areas of life, including the upcoming November election. In Bexar County, commissioners are planning to discuss early voting locations next week that will be safe for residents and allow for social distancing. William “Frankie” Trynoski graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio and has voted there before. This year, mega sites like the AT&T center or senior centers are also being considered. It’s set for Sept. 15th at the AT&T Center.