AARP volunteer Oscar Luna, 62, of Houston, is distributing voters’ guides to help educate voters. — Todd Spoth

Oscar Luna says it's important that Texans are aware of where their congressional candidates stand on the financial future of Social Security and Medicare.

"It's all going to affect our children and future generations," said Luna, 62, of Houston, a retiree from the Social Security Administration who works as a substitute teacher.

He worries about the increasing cost of health care and wants to elect leaders who will do something about it.

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"Things are getting really tough."

Luna said he's doing his part by distributing voters' guides at the AARP Texas You've Earned a Say sessions that explore the financial security and future of Social Security and Medicare.

Sessions throughout October are in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, the border region of southwest Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.

Also available in Spanish

In areas with large populations of Spanish speakers, materials printed in Spanish and bilingual volunteers such as Luna will be available at the You've Earned a Say sessions.

The voters' guide to Texas' 36 U.S. House races and one U.S. Senate contest is also available online.

It includes statements culled from the candidates' websites, news releases and public remarks that address how they would:

• Protect Social Security for current beneficiaries and strengthen it for future generations.
• Put Medicare on stronger financial ground and protect current and future enrollees from the burden of rising health costs.
• Help working Americans build a financial nest egg for retirement.

"It gives you a real clear overview about what the candidates have actually said about issues," said Bob Jackson, AARP Texas state director.

"Our goal is to make sure there are informed voters who know about the very important issues that affect them," he said.

Next: Options on the table for changes to the Medicare and Social Security programs. »