I've divided my career between private business and public service, working to empower voters and make government more responsive to citizens. After I graduated from Brown, I worked on Ann Richards' successful campaign for governor. Then I was fortunate to work at the Capitol with State Senator Rodney Ellis, who's been a great friend and mentor. In 1995, I became director of programs at Rock the Vote, where I got to hang out with rock stars and get young people involved in politics. (Yes, the infamous long hair picture is from this period.) While I was there, we registered more than a million new voters. Then I got to thinking - the internet has changed the way we shop, even the way we date, but it hasn't yet changed our civic life. Technology can be a great tool to simplify our lives and increase access to information - why not apply that to democracy? The next year I founded the first company to register voters online. It was acquired by Election.com, and helped nearly three-quarters of a million people register in the 2000 election cycle.
I am proud to represent House District 50 - that's north Austin and Pflugerville - in the Texas Legislature. I was elected in 2004 and am currently running for re-election. Key issues for me include health care, transportation, and economic development, but my passion and top priority is education. I think we took some important steps in the recent special session on school finance, but there's much more work to be done. Every Texas child deserves the best education we can provide. We can do better, and we should.
I love Austin music and culture. When I have time, you can often find me catching some live music or watching UT football. I'm lucky to have lots of family here in Austin, and I love hanging out with them. I live in north Austin with my amazing wife, and we're expecting our first child. I'm way more nervous than she is.
If you want to know more or get involved in my campaign, please check out our website at www.markstrama.com
Thanks for stopping by!
