The Beto-Cruz campaigns are moving towards the last five weeks

And O & # 39; Rourke, who about a year ago was a little more than another Democrat, Don Quixote, who seemed to waste a seat in Congress, hopes to inspire discouraged and disengaged Texans for that They register and vote perhaps for the first time.

As the campaign wraps up in the last five weeks, the mantra for Cruz and O 'Rourke, and just about all candidates running for statewide, will "motivate voters and get them to vote." The shorthand of the political class is GOTV, to get the vote.

Here are some ways to measure the efforts made by these candidates and others by the GOTV during the November vote:

Watch your mailbox

If you vote regularly in the primaries, it's a safe bet that you will find it filled with colorful flyers from candidates in your party – whether you've heard of it or not.

Candidates for positions such as district clerk, justice of the peace, various levels of magistrates, etc., do not usually receive much media coverage or campaign donations, so a good, traditional mail is their friend.

In mailings, candidates control the message they want to send and they are designed to make you remember the names of candidates on a crowded ballot. But mail shippers cost money, so candidates do not send them off voluntarily.

Democratic candidates tend to send them to Democratic voters and Republicans to Republican voters whom they identify with the help of public records of voters' histories. They are truly a GOTV maneuver by the low-ball candidates who hope to ride on the Ours Rourke and Cruzes of the world.

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Watch your TV

Chances are you saw the 30-second ads by the two Senate candidates. You will see many more and many more candidates.

Depending on where you live, you might see ads for candidates for positions such as senator and state representative. Some of them could be paid for by the campaigns of the candidates, some being paid by others.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who believes Democratic candidate Lupe Valdez is at the top of the rankings, is eliminating ads for some of the GOP's troubled candidates so that voters do not just make the most of the rest.

A voting board is located in front of the Grace Presbyterian Church polling station on polling day, Tuesday, November 3, 2015. (Photo: Courtney Sacco / Caller-Times File)

Listen to the bell

Commonly called a block walk, a more personal way for candidates and their supporters to deliver mail is to pass without warning to the home of voters. This can be effective, but in general, it is effective because it can show the walking candidate that the walker is interested in hearing ordinary people.

Again, this is a focused effort. Campaigns target voters who may be receptive to their message. The last thing they want is for a hostile voter to take them out of the porch.

Listen to the tone

If the message in the mailings and television commercials presents the candidate as sunny and happy, the candidate is generally confident and hopes to win the score with a high turnout on polling day.

A disturbing and disturbing warning about the opposing candidate is in fact an anti-GOTV tactic. The message is aimed more at the voters who turn to the opponent than at the candidate who paid for the announcement. The subtext is: "Better not to vote at all than to vote for a certain type".

Finally, pay attention to the calendar

Here's how you will achieve your own private GOTV effort:

If you are not registered to vote, check the box. The deadline for joining the lists of electors for the 2018 general election is October 9th. Visit VoteTexas.gov for everything you need to know to register.

More: How to register to vote in Texas

In-person advance voting in Texas begins Oct. 22 and ends Nov. 2. The last day to request a postal vote is October 26th. Election day is November 6th and polling stations are open from 7am to 7pm.

For a more detailed explanation, check out the "Important Dates" page on the Texas Secretary of State's website. If browsing on government websites is not your asset, Google's "Important Dates of the 2018 Texas Elections".