After nearly 20 years of one party dominance in Texas, some times it is hard to be optimistic, see the value of civic engagement or think your voice matters. Let me tell you, your calls, letters, letters to the editor, tweets, Facebook updates, and emails matter.

We win time and again because of your support, and your thousands of calls, emails, and petition signatures make a big difference. Just last week, a major deal was struck to bypass political gridlock and fill judicial vacancies and emergencies across the country. Of the 14 judges that will be named by the end of April, two will be in Texas. And while our U.S. Senators did push to fill the seats immediately like we asked, they did so because of pressure you put on them to make the deal in the first place.

A Senate Judiciary Staffer said this about your work:

"I wanted to thank you for the incredible effort put forth by you and the coalition.

We know these Republicans are willing to double down on obstruction—I think they were willing to go through and filibuster these 17—but I think the public pressure made them aware they would have been very bad votes, hard for the public at large and in their states to understand. That’s what drove this outcome. Otherwise they would have gone ahead and filibustered and been done with it.

I’ve been working on these issues in the Senate for 7 years—in my view, outside of the Supreme Court, the recent pressure brought about a higher level of public knowledge and understanding of the dire need for these judges and the cost of obstruction than I have seen."

A high ranking White House Official said bluntly:

"With out the work being done across the country, at the grassroots level, this deal never would have been possible. You are making a real difference."

We must now hold our elected officials accountable to this deal and continue our work to fill the rest of the judicial emergencies in Texas.

We promise to ask you to sign petitions, make calls, write letters and generally take action only when it is needed and makes a difference. Know that you are making a difference. You are making your voice heard and presence felt in Washington D.C., Austin, and in every community there is a member of Progress Texas.