The Vote Like A Texan media initiative officially launched this week as hundreds of Texas candidates enter races across the state. Hosted by Justin McKenzie of The Building Texas Show, the platform allows candidates to schedule virtual interviews that will be distributed nationally and optimized for voter search and discovery. The initiative aims to provide voters with direct access to candidates' messages in a format easily found through search tools.
"As Texas communities grow, school boards set priorities, and city councils vote on ordinances that impact daily life, it's more important than ever for voters to hear directly from the individuals seeking to lead," said McKenzie. "I saw the opportunity to create a platform where every candidate — from local offices to statewide positions — can share their message in a searchable format that voters can easily find whether they're using ChatGPT, AI tools, or Google."
Vote Like A Texan provides candidates with a dedicated virtual podcast episode and a supporting press release, helping them articulate their vision in their own words. Each episode is structured to be discoverable, ensuring that when Texans search for information about local races or candidates, they'll find clear, thoughtful interviews designed to inform and inspire participation. The platform represents a response to what McKenzie identified as a clear and growing need during his years traveling Texas and interviewing leaders on The Building Texas Show— a program known for its wide-ranging conversations with elected officials, business leaders, and remarkable Texans shaping the state's future.
The mission of Vote Like A Texan is straightforward: to educate, inform, and encourage Texans to vote — in the primaries, in the run-offs, and in November. By creating searchable content that voters can access through various digital platforms, the initiative addresses the challenge of information accessibility in local elections. As political campaigns increasingly rely on digital communication, this platform offers a structured approach to candidate messaging that prioritizes voter education over traditional campaign tactics.
The timing coincides with election cycles when voters typically seek information about candidates but may struggle to find comprehensive, unbiased sources that cover local races alongside statewide contests. This initiative could significantly impact voter participation by making candidate information more accessible through the digital tools Texans already use daily. For businesses and organizations across Texas, more informed voters could lead to more predictable policy environments and better alignment between community needs and elected leadership. The platform's focus on search optimization means that as Texas continues to experience rapid growth and economic development, voters will have improved access to the information needed to make decisions that shape the state's future direction.
