DALLAS, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 09: U.S. President Donald Trump walks on stage to speak on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center on September 09, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. U.S. President Donald Trump will headline the Republican National Committee’s first-ever midterm convention as he aims to highlight his administration’s achievements and rally support for GOP candidates just two months before the upcoming elections being held on November 3. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Donald Trump had a blunt message for Republicans who might be thinking about sitting out the November midterms: Don’t.
“You know what happens if you don’t vote? You go to hell,” Trump told the crowd Thursday night at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas.
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Trump had just led supporters through an unusual pledge to vote in November, telling them to “get my friends, my family” and vote for Republicans.
He then appeared to acknowledge that some voters may have trouble getting to the polls—or even getting registered.
READ MORE: Could $5K actually change Texans minds at the ballot box?
“I don’t care if I’m registered or not. I’m going to try. And cheat like hell like they do,” Trump told the crowd.
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So what, exactly, would keep Houston-area voters from the polls?
Chron asked r/Houston Reddit users what might stop them from voting. The answers ranged from travel plans and political apathy to voter-registration problems—including one Katy resident who said their registration was suspended for 21 days after moving from Harris County to Fort Bend County.
“I’ll be out of the country on Election Day. I am early voting,” one Heights resident wrote.
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Another Houston-area voter said they planned to head to the polls early because, “You never know what happens on voting day.”
For one Katy resident, the problem wasn’t a lack of motivation to vote.
The Reddit user said they bought a home Aug. 20, moved from Harris County to Fort Bend County and updated their voter registration the same day. Their registration was then suspended for 21 days, they said, as they went back and forth between Fort Bend County and the state, with each pointing the finger at the other.
“Please please pleaseee be proactive about your status. Check it now!” the user wrote.
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Another commenter said voters who run into registration problems should ask about casting a provisional ballot.
“Be sure to do a provisional vote if this happens to you,” the user wrote.
The thread also included people who said they weren’t sure they would vote at all.
“I don’t know who to vote for. I hate both parties and likely won’t vote,” one user wrote.
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Another simply answered “Nothing,” when asked what might keep them from voting.
DALLAS, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 09: U.S. President Donald Trump greets attendees as he walks on stage to speak on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center on September 09, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. U.S. President Donald Trump will headline the Republican National Committee’s first-ever midterm convention as he aims to highlight his administration’s achievements and rally support for GOP candidates just two months before the upcoming elections being held on November 3. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Trump’s $5,000 pitch
Trump has given Republicans another reason to show up: his proposal for a $5,000 payment to Americans if the GOP keeps control of Congress.
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The idea has already become part of the online political debate.
One Houston Reddit user called the proposed payment “a HUGE motivator for me,” saying it would motivate them to vote Democratic.
Another commenter said “Trumpflation” was their motivation to vote.
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Trump, meanwhile, framed the stakes in much starker terms Thursday.
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“So I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” Trump told Republicans in Dallas. “I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot.”
“If we lose,” he continued, “you’re going to lose your border, you’re going to lose your tax cuts, you’re going to lose your safety and security, you’re going to lose your wealth.”