Odessans for Education begins volunteer door-to-door door-to-door door-to-door canvassing
The organization hopes to notify voters of the Ector County ISD Bond Election taking place on May 7.
ODESSA, Texas — With the big mandatory school proposal slated for the Ector County ballot next month, a local group is showing its support by educating and reaching out to the community.
On Saturday morning, Odessans for Education kicked off its volunteer neighborhood door-to-door canvassing efforts for the May 7 Ector County ISD Bond election.
NewsWest 9 spoke with Lorraine Perryman, Co-Chair of Odessans for Education. She said they hoped to make a difference one person at a time.
“One on one is how we learn and motivate each other,” Perryman said. “It’s about supporting our children and giving them what they deserve by providing a strong economic and educational foundation for our community to move forward.”
There are two proposals. One focuses on maintaining and repairing existing buildings as well as upgrading technology in the school. The second proposal is dedicated to the construction of a third high school.
Perryman said a new building was needed as there hadn’t been one for a long time.
“Our schools are overcrowded,” Perryman said. “We haven’t built a new high school since 1959 in Odessa, Texas. Eisenhower was president in 1959 to put that into perspective.”
So how does the organization reach the right people in the community? Perryman said they used every available resource they had, including an app called E-canvas.
“It tracks where you are and tells you which houses are registered voters,” Perryman said. “These are the ones you stop at and share this information.”
Perryman hopes everyone will be informed and make the decision to go to the polls.
“There are no other big pieces in this election,” Perryman said. “There won’t be people coming out because they’re there to vote for another issue, so we need to instill in people the importance of making sure that vote happens.”
Early voting for the May 7 election will run from Monday April 25 to Tuesday May 3. It will be held only at the Ector County Courthouse Annex. It is important to note that these proposals do not have to pass together, each may pass separately or none may pass.