The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
College Access and K-12 Partnerships Division of Strategic Enrollment and Student Affairs
Kids Voting USA-Brownsville
Kids Voting USA-Brownsville is a non-partisan voter education program that offers a mock election to elementary, middle and high school students.
The program dates back to the early 2000s when the late Father Armand Mathew helped form a partnership between UTRGV’s legacy institution, UT Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and the Brownsville Independent School District to become a Kids Voting USA Affiliate and to provide the program to all BISD schools. In 2005, the Brownsville City Commission proclaimed the Thursday before the first Monday in November as Kids Voting USA/Brownsville Day and in the same year, Father Armand Mathew created The Kids Voting USA Brownsville Endowment that today continues to encourage the young people of Brownsville to learn about their civic responsibility and become active in their community.
All 55 BISD elementary, middle, and high school campuses currently participate in the program.
Key Program Components
- Access to Kids Voting USA K-12 interactive lessons at no cost to the schools
- Mock election processes for local, state, and national elections
- Campus voter registration assistance for eligible high school students
- Teacher Kick-off in September
- Coordination with BISD for student activities such as art contest, leadership event, etc.
Contact Information
Cindy Valdez, UTRGV
Cynthia.Valdez@UTRGV.edu
956-665-2522
Katheryn Allala King , BISD
katking@bisd.us
956-698-0739