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TexWatch 2014: Voting Issues Already??

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If you pay attention to the mainstream news, you may think that Texas’ first “test run” of the new Voter ID law is going quite well in the 2013 elections. Early voting procedures have been “largely successful” … at least that’s the line that many in the GOP are trying to spin. Of course many reasonable Texans probably don’t define success has having to sign an affidavit or use a provisional ballot that might be thrown out. But here’s something to keep in mind… even with the extra prohibitions, most voters showing up in 2013 are the ones most committed and most able to vote. They are by and large the people that will have their photo ID, and will go through the trouble of signing an affidavit. They are the people that will even ask for a Provisional Ballot if they don’t have photo ID. In short, 2013 is such a light election turnout that you’re not going to see the same issues that will occur in 2014’s national election. The huge number of voters that have been annoyed… nearly 1 in 4 Texans that early voted had to sign an affidavit… were so determined to cast their ballot that they did whatever it takes. In a state where so few people vote to begin, this just won’t be the case in a higher turnout election. Many people are going to give up entirely.

Just today, I spoke to Dr. Martha Serpas, Professor of English at the University of Houston. She is a resident of the Eastwood neighborhood, and went to go vote at Ripley House. When she went to the polling location, she told the election workers that she did not have a photo ID, and asked to vote by Provisional Ballot. According to the new law, this is the procedure… no photo ID means that you are to be allowed to vote by Provisional Ballot. But in Professor Serpas’ case, they denied her request for the Provisional Ballot, and told her she could not vote without a proper photo ID. She was clearly frustrated by the experience, and told me about it directly.

Granted, this is one isolated case, but it begs a question. Now that it is Election Day, how many people are going to vote at Ripley House, and being turned away because their election workers aren’t following the parameters of the law? Keep in mind that just 12 months ago, Texans were not required to have a photo ID… they could come and cast their vote by showing any legal document with their name and address. That includes things like a utility bill, student ID, marriage certificate or other documents. Even with all of the recent press surrounding the new law, most people still have no clue about the changes. In an inner city neighborhood, many residents do not drive, and don’t even own a car. No driving means they have little if any use for a Driver’s license. If these people show up to vote today, they are being caught off guard. And if they show up to vote at places like Ripley House, they are being turned away, and not even offered a Provisional Ballot.

If you’re in Texas, have you heard of any similar stories at your polling place? If so, please share them in the comments. As we approach the 2014 elections, these occurrences need to be documented in every way possible.

CRITICAL UPDATE on this story…

After speaking with Dr. Serpas, I learned some additional information that must be included. She went to vote at the above location on Election Day, but she told me that she normally votes early. This is an important point, because on Election Day, you are only allowed to vote at your designated precinct. When she showed up on Election Day at Ripley House, it was the wrong location for her to be able to cast her vote. So the poll workers would’ve been correct in denying her a Provisional Ballot at that location, and should have instead directed her to the proper polling site.

However, Dr. Serpas says, that they never even checked what her proper polling location should’ve been. She simply says that they asked her for photo ID. When she said she didn’t have one with her and asked for a Provisional Ballot, they turned her away without verifying her information. It would be one thing to deny ballot because it’s the wrong location, but if you’re not going to check, then the error still lies with the Election Officials.

Houston Politics

TexWatch 2014: Poll Shows Davis Inching Closer to Abbott

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As the Houston municipal elections draw to a close, it’s time to focus once again on statewide election developments. Save for serious breaking news, I’ve decided to do a new blog series to keep up with regular election news called TexWatch 2014.

For the first such update, we start with the big news in the Governor’s race. In a poll released by the Texas Tribune today, the race for Governor shows Democrat Wendy Davis inching closer to the Republican frontrunner Greg Abbott. The poll shows Abbott in the lead with 40 percent of to Davis’ 34 percent in a head-to-head matchup, with 25 percent undecided. When Libertarian candidate Kathie Glass was thrown in the mix, Abbott held at 40 percent, Davis inches up to 35 percent, and 20 percent remain in the undecided camp. Clearly this shows that Democrat Davis is still behind, but not nearly as much as she could be. It’s a big sign of encouragement for Texas Democrats as well, because it shows that when presented with a viable candidate, Democratic support is out there in the state. Keep in mind that in 2010, what some could call one the most right-leaning years of the century, under-funded Democrat Bill White still managed 42 percent of the vote in a light turnout election. This was in a blood-red year, and before the existence of groups like Battleground Texas.

Another important difference?? Wendy Davis has more time. Even with the passing of her father delaying an original announcement date, Davis is already solidly in the race a full two months before Bill White, whom announced his candidacy for Governor in December of 2009. Davis of course started out with better name ID than White, thanks to massive national exposure from her Filibuster of HB2. She’s also entered the game with a much improved Democratic funding apparatus. Given the 2 month advantage, Davis has the ability to far outpace Bill White in the fundraising arena. And again, with light turnout, White was able to garner 42 percent of the vote to Perry’s 55 percent.

Geography matters a whole lot in this too. Unlike White, who was from an already blue Harris County, Davis is from the last “urban Republican stronghold” Tarrant County. It currently holds the distinction of being the largest red county in the state of Texas. Only Tarrant and Nueces County remain as urban areas where Republicans won. Being Davis’ home and the epicenter of her campaign, she’s got a fantastic shot at winning Tarrant County, and would be expected to at least hold all of the urban counties that White claimed in 2010, and will probably win by greater percentages in each area. The urban counties are how Davis can go from the 42 percent baseline up to a 46 or 47 percent, putting her within striking distance of a win. But the only way for it to happen is through near historic turnout. Where Harris County netted a 16,000 gain for White in 2010, the net of Democratic voters has got to push near 100,000 for Davis. The good news though is this can get done by simply registering enough voters in low turnout areas. In 2008, over 700,000 registered voters in Harris County did not vote. If Democrats can focus on these and other urban centers, Davis really has a shot at being Texas’ next Governor.

Fellow Bloggers Texpatriate and Brains and Eggs have more.

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Texoblogosphere: Week of October 28th

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The Texas Progressive Alliance has its Halloween costume ready as it bring you this weeks’ roundup.

Off the Kuff examines the recent R to D party switches in Bexar County.

Horwitz at Texpatriate discusses the recent shakeups in Statewide races.

Two more Democrats announced their intentions to run statewide, for the US Senate and the lieutenant governorship, over the weekend. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has the details.

Eye On Williamson is still blogging at our temporary home. The corporate toll road experiment is not going well in Texas. TxDOT can’t pave roads in South Texas, but they can erect signs, do marketing, and subsidies/corporate welfare for a corporate toll road, The road to nowhere.

Looking to stay the right course on a new effort after 6 years writing Texas Liberal, Neil at All People Have Value updated his blog throughout the last week. All People Have Value is part of NeilAquino.com.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme says blast from the past Tom DeLay is trying to get in front of the Republican crazy train.

And here are some other Texas blog posts of interest.

Mark Bennett offers a “revenge porn” statute that might pass constitutional muster.

Grits for Breakfast asks if police shootings of mentally ill folks are on the rise.

The Makeshift Academic wrapped up a four-part analysis of the progressive nature of Obamacare taxation.

Nonsequiteuse wants to know why encouraging condom usage isn’t compatible with the principles of demonstrating courtesy and encouraging responsible behavior.

The TSTA blog criticizes merit pay bonuses for teachers.

Texas Vox regrets a missed opportunity for cleaner air in Texas.

Jessica Luther reminds us that Wendy Davis was far from alone during her filibuster.

Juanita suggests a campaign slogan for Ted Nugent.

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Ben Hall For Some?? Candidate OPPOSES LGBT Protections

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All throughout the 2013 Mayoral election, Houston’s Progressive community has wondered where Mayoral candidate Ben Hall stands LGBT issues such as marriage and workplace discrimination. As Mayor and current incumbent Annise Parker has faced much scrutiny regarding these issues, Ben Hall has seemed to get a free pass, managing to artfully avoid all questions on the subject. But today on Houston Matters with host Craig Cohen, the answer finally escaped from his lips. He does not support any form of a comprehensive non-discrimination ordinance.

“We have a clear difference on these issues. The Mayor is supporting a similar ordinance (to San Antonio) where you’d have extension of rights in terms of anti-discrimination laws on the issues of sexuality… whatever the issue may be, I would not support such an ordinance…”

Now keep in mind that Mr. Hall is not only a lawyer, but the former City Attorney of Houston. He has an extensive background regarding cases of minority discrimination, and Civil Rights protections. He is not uneducated in these subjects in any way. But yet, he chooses to deliver an answer so simplistic that you’d think he has no background in law at all. He groups all LGBT rights and protections into one massive hub, and says just because he disagrees with one precedent set by Parker, he would oppose any and all legislation to protect the LGBT community. Few things shock me in this campaign, but Hall’s answer today was quite a surprise.

Here’s the full interview from Houston Matters. I’ll have more thoughts on this before Election Day…

Houston Politics

TLCQ 2013: Endorsements

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For those that have asked, here is the full list of Texas Leftist endorsements. If didn’t issue an endorsement in the race Houston City Controller, because I felt that there was a strong case to be made on behalf of both incumbent Ronald Green and challenger Bill Frazer. Green is a Democrat and Frazer is Republican, so that may aide some people as they make their decision. 

Prop 1: FOR 
Prop 2: FOR (Saving the Astrodome) 
Texas Constitutional Amendements 
Props 1, 4 and 6: FOR 
Others: No endorsement
Annise Parker
Houston City Controller
No endosement
Position 1: Stephen Costello
Position 2: David W. Robinson
Position 3: No endorsement
Position 4: C. O. Bradford
Position 5: James S. Horwitz
Houston City Council Districts (A-E, F-K)
A: Brenda Stardig
B: Jerry Davis 
C: Ellen Cohen
D: Assata Richards
E: Dave Martin
F: Al Hoang
G: Oliver Pennington
H: Ed Gonzalez
I:   Robert Gallegos
J:  Mike Laster 
K:  Jerry Davis 
District 1: Zeph Capo
District 2: No endorsement
District 3: Dane D. Cook
District 5: Robert Glaser 
District 7: Neeta Sane 
Houston Independent School District
No endorsements
Pasadena Redistricting Measure
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!  
Houston Politics

TLCQ 2013: Endorsement for Mayor of Houston

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The race for Mayor of Houston is big business. Whether that be from the standpoint of running the government equivalent of a $5 Billion dollar corporation, or from the nearly $2 million dollars needed to wage a credible campaign, having a serious shot at winning the office takes some serious commitment.

When I first met Ben Hall back in April, that serious commitment was on full display. He spoke with careful eloquence and clear conviction about why he was entering the Mayor’s race. He proved to be very knowledgeable about the Bayou City, and spoke of how he’s been disappointed in the work of “the incumbent” over the past 4 years. Hall offered little in the way of specifics, but his vision for the city was truly grand. I knew that Mayor Parker had drawn a real challenge for the 2013 elections.

That was then, and this is now. Ben Hall has not lived up to a very promising first impression. Instead of offering a different vision for the city, he instead chose to berate the incumbent as “small-minded”, when in reality it is Hall’s campaign that has proven to be so.

While Hall has spent his time being small-minded, Mayor Annise Parker has mostly done the work of the city in an admirable fashion. After four years of weathering a difficult economic storm, Houston businesses are doing better than any place in the nation. This is partly due to the good fortunes of Texas’ strong energy sector, but make no mistake, the city would be in a worse position if not for Parker’s dedication and meticulous planning. Programs like Hire Houston First gave contracts to local businesses in a time that they were needed the most, helping to quicken the Bayou City’s lift out of the Recession. Parker led major trade missions Brazil and Turkey, planting the seeds for important economic opportunities in the city’s future. Though we may not see all of the progress yet, the Rebuild Houston initiative created a long-term, fiscally responsible plan to fix city streets, and decrease debt. None of these things are paying immediate dividends, and none of them can be held up as some shiny political prize. But the long-term investment in Houston is going to make for a better city, and Parker is doing it the hard way. She’s tackling big issues, one day at a time and seeing how we can make things better.

For all of the things she’s tackled head-on, there are still a host of issues where Annise Parker has been far too risk averse. Texas Leftist is hopeful that her third term will finally bring some significant legislation to protect GLBT citizens from discrimination, and to address the troubling discriminatory practices within Houston’s law enforcement agencies. But for 2013, Annise Parker has proven that she deserves to win reelection. I look forward to what the 3rd term brings.

The pick for Mayor of Houston is Annise Parker.

Houston Politics

TLCQ 2013: Endorsements in City Council At Large Races

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Though he’s drawn one challenger in perennial candidate Mike “Griff” Griffin, Council Member Stephen Costello is looking strong for reelection in At Large Position 1. Costello is a Republican, but his style of politics is far-removed from the grand-standing hyper-partisanship of Washington. As head of the Budget Committee, Costello has become an important ally to the Parker administration and helped to garner much consensus among his council colleagues (no government shutdown in H-Town). He has chosen to go after some of the city’s biggest issues, including the municipal pension fund, the continuing struggle with food deserts and Rebuild Houston. To the latter, Costello has been a leading voice for not only the passage of Rebuild Houston, but also worked hard to monitor its implementation and see that tax dollars are spent wisely. For all these reasons, Council Member Costello deserves a final term. The pick for At Large 1 is Stephen Costello.

Though only in his first term, At Large 2 Council Member Andrew C. Burks has already left a dramatic impression on Houston municipal politics. In many instances, he has been an important voice to issues that previously had little focus in government, especially those relating to the city’s minority communities. He has continued to remind council of the vast poverty and inequality we see in our underserved neighborhoods, and at times has even lodged political power to ensure that these issues are addressed. For Texas Leftist, fighting for Houston’s most vulnerable citizens is something to be admired. This is Burks at his best. But for all of these moments, Council Member Burks has also publicly berated constituents appearing at City Hall, openly threatened his opponents, and done other things that are counter to the mission of good governance. For all of these reasons, it is time for a change in At Large 2, and that change David W. Robinson. As an architect, President of the Super-Neighborhood Alliance and committed civic leader, Robinson will lend a wealth of experience to some of the next great challenges. He was an important leader of the passage of Chapter 42, and like Council Member Costello, I suspect Robinson would be just as committed to seeing the new density requirements implemented successfully. The pick for At Large 2 is David W. Robinson.

In At Large 3 Texas Leftist will not be issuing an endorsements a I am already supporting candidate Jenifer Rene Pool’s campaign as a volunteer. But I highly recommend that readers consult other endorsements in this race, all of which are conveniently compiled on Off the Kuff’s 2013 elections page.

At Large 4 Council Member C.O. Bradford is not without his dramatic moments, but on the whole he has done a good job of representing the views of a diverse constituency. For all of the vocal opposition he gives to the Parker Administration, ultimately Council Member Bradford works to find good compromise and keep the city moving forward. As a former Police Chief, his tireless advocacy for our public servants is a voice that needs to be heard in local government. The pick for At Large 4 is C.O. Bradford.

Eccentricity is a word that comes to mind with At Large 5 Council Member Jack Christie. As the Chronicle endorsement points out, Christie’s sensationalist remarks are still mostly rhetoric, and have not caused any genuine harm around the Council table. When it comes time to vote, Christie has shown much willingness to work with his colleagues and get the business of the city accomplished. Texas Leftist is grateful for that, but the whole purpose of having elections is to find the BEST persons for the job. Why can’t Houstonians have both a good role model on City Council and someone that espouses more sound judgments in his public views? It’s what we deserve. Amongst two strong opposing candidates, the standout in this race is James S. Horwitz. The Houston attorney has a strong record of community service, and Progressive views that would be a great asset to council. As the city continues to grow with bold new initiatives like Rebuild Houston, Chapter 42, rail line expansion and complete streets, Houstonians need stability within our municipal leadership. Unlike the Chronicle staff writers, Texas Leftist does not believe that Christie’s behavior should just be ignored. The pick for At Large 5 is James S. Horwitz.

A Voice for the Rest of Texas