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Life > Experiences

Getting Involved: A Beginners Guide To “Dropping A Card”

Mayahuel Crane
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Texas chapter.

If you’ve been keeping up with anything happening in Austin, you’ll know that some of the newest proposed legislation is…interesting. 

There are multiple ways to let your representatives know where you stand on an issue, protests, marches, calling your representatives, signing petitions, and one avenue that doesn’t seem as well known: dropping cards.

Here is your beginner guide to card dropping:

What is card dropping?

Dropping a card means officially registering your stance on a specific piece of legislation without testifying. You have the ability to tell the people who represent you if you support or oppose whatever legislation is being heard. Keep in mind, dropping a card can only happen when a committee is actively hearing a bill. Dropping a card logs your stance on a bill and is submitted to the official bill record. Yours, and all other stances on the bill record, move with the bill as it moves through the Legislature for representatives to review and take into consideration when they place a vote on a bill. When a representative sees that the majority of the people they represent feel a certain way about a piece of legislation, the hope is that they will vote in accordance with what they want.

How do I drop a card?

Get to the Capital

1201 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701

Log on to Capital wifi

In Texas, Dropping a Card must be done on Capitol grounds through a laptop or tablet while being connected to the free Public Capitol WiFi. The wifi extends outside so you do not have to actually enter the Capital. You are not able to drop a card using your cell phone.

Go to House or Senate Witness Registration Page

Legislation can be heard in either the Senate or the House, if there is a specific piece of legislation you want to declare your stance for, figure out where it’s being heard.

Click “begin” on the bottom right corner
Search for the Bill

You’ll see a page full of committee hearings happening on this day, be sure to click “Select” on the item you’re looking for.

  1. If you don’t know what committee your bill is being heard in you can select “Find a Bill”
  2. Select “Page Down” if you do not see the bill you’re looking to register a position for.
Agenda Item Selection

Once you find the committee or bill, click the “Register” button next to that item.

A pop-up window will appear.

Make a selection based on:

Select “Against” if it’s a bill you’re opposing; select “For” if it’s a bill you’re supporting

Be sure you select “Testify” if you plan to speak about the bill or select “Not Testify” if you just want to submit your position and don’t want to speak (aka “Drop a Card”).

Confirm your selections
  1. You should see your stance in the blue button for the particular bill
  2. Select “Next”
Add Contact Info
  1. Enter all of your contact information
  2. Select “Next”
State your Representation (If you have any)
  1. Unless you have explicit permission to represent an organization, pick “No.” 
  2. It will ask for your occupation, so put whatever you identify with best
    (e.g. Student, parent, teacher, counselor, etc.)
Acknowledgment

Click on the box to acknowledge

That’s it! Happy card dropping!

All information was compiled from bit.ly/DropACard

Mayahuel Crane is a writer and the Marketing and Public Relations Director at the Her Campus at Texas chapter. She is responsible for all new member recruitment, organizing open socials, fundraising, designing/ordering chapter merchandise, heading a committee, securing sponsorships, communicating with companies, the creation/growth of the Her Campus at Texas mentorship program, and general marketing of the chapter. She also created “Pinch of Politics,” a Her Campus news segment dedicated to making knowledge about current events accessible. Outside of Her Campus, Maya is an active member of her community and currently works for Justice for Children and EcoRise, two non-profit organizations dedicated to correcting the systems that harm the most vulnerable. She teaches elementary school students about mental health through Project Yellow and is a member of two pre-law organizations: Phi Delta Phi and Minority Women Pursuing Law. Maya has won “Best Feature for Current Events and News” twice for her “Pinch of Politics” articles and has successfully sustained her segment for over a year. She is a second-year Government and Mexican American Latino Studies double major at the University of Texas at Austin. Mayahuel is a huge political buff and loves to research and write in her free time. She also loves concerts, being with friends, and anything pink.