Tag Archives: Craig Cohen

Texas Doesn’t Want Everyone To Vote

With the approaching apex of election season, debates over voting rights and procedures are certain to become vigorous.  Last week on Houston Matters with Craig Cohen, I even managed to enter the fray with fellow panelists Russ Capper and Lisa Falkenberg over the issue.  Russ stated that he is clearly in favor of Voter ID, while Lisa questioned the necessity of such laws when in person voter fraud doesn’t seem to be a problem.  You can listen to the segment here if you’d like.

https://soundcloud.com/houstonmatters/head-of-houstons-firefighters-union-resigns-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-of-houston-news

The main point that I attempted on the show was this… If Texas really cared about implementing an effective Voter Law, then they would help people to vote instead of hindering them.

On the issue, I agree more with Lisa’s position.  There simply has not been sufficient evidence to prove that Voter impersonation is a problem. The cases of actual in person voter fraud are so miniscule that we’d have better proof to institute a ‘don’t climb on top of a lightning rod during a thunderstorm’ law to prevent people from getting struck by lightning.  This is a problem that simply doesn’t exist.

Be that as it may, I’m not in total opposition to Voter ID laws in concept.  But Texas’ law is specifically designed to disenfranchise certain groups of voters, while not providing sufficient resources to help them vote or obtain the proper ID.  Alice Speri of Vice News has more on what makes Texas law so restrictive…

The voter ID law is not just discriminatory, Martinez Fischer said — it’s also very short-sighted.

[…]

He called Texas’ voter law the “most stringent, harshest voter identification legislation in the country.”

To put that in perspective, Texas’s voter ID law is seen as being more strict than Alabama’s — the state that successfully challenged part of the Voting Rights Act before the Supreme Court.

“Alabama is not exactly a hotbed of liberalism, but even their voter ID law is much, much more lenient and permissive than Texas,” Singh said. “In Alabama, you can use a student ID card, or a government card. In Texas, you can’t use a University of Texas ID. A state employee in Texas is not able to use his state government ID card.”

So a student photo ID, or government employee ID cannot be used to vote, but a concealed carry permit can?  That’s nothing more than a veiled attempt to go after what the Republican Party assumes to be their “base voters” while making sure as many non-Republicans as possible get turned away, or are forced to cast a Provisional Ballot.

The only solution that Texas’ stringent law does provide is a new form of ID that can only be used for voting… the Election Identification Certificate, or EIC.  These special IDs are “free” to those that qualify for them, but the birth certificate that you have to purchase before obtaining the EIC is at a cost.  Another problem with the EIC system?  Most people don’t know where to obtain them, and the Secretary of State isn’t helping to change that.  But at least Democrats have noticed and are trying to broach the issue before election day.  Here’s more from the Texas Tribune

More than a week ago, Texas Senate Democrats put Texas Secretary of State Nandita Berry on notice: They wanted her office to get more mobile units on Texas streets to give voters without an acceptable photo ID a chance to get one before November’s election.

One week later, there’s been no movement to do so, says state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin.

The problem, he says, is that there are not one but two state agencies in charge of putting more mobile units out in the community. The Secretary of State’s office (SOS), which includes voter registration, has to coordinate where the mobile units will go. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) actually owns the mobile units which can issue the new Texas election identification certificates, or EICs.

After trying to get the two entitites to agree on how to do it — and to do it quickly — Watson said late Tuesday that it “appears to me it is a breakdown on both ends.”

Under the state’s voter ID law, residents must present an acceptable form of photo identification for their vote to be counted. Acceptable photo IDs include Texas driver’s licenses or Texas ID cards that have not been expired for more than 60 days at the time of voting, U.S. passports, or military or U.S. citizenship certificates with photos.

Texas Republicans (more like TEApublicans… many don’t deserve to carry the label “Republican” anymore) have led the charge to adopt the nation’s most restrictive Voter ID law.  They do this because they know that having fewer people vote gives them a better chance at maintaining power and codifying their fringe-Right ideology. For those out there that truly consider themselves to be proud ‘Texas Republicans’, the the Voter ID law should give them pause over what their party stands for.

For Texas Democrats, this is all the more reason to prove them wrong in 2014.  If you haven’t volunteered to help get the word out about the changes to voting, please do so.  Try as they may, the Texas GOP cannot hold the state back forever. In 2014, let’s make sure that the TEApublicans get to see what Texas really looks like.

 

 

 

Houston Non-Discrimination Ordiance: Updates

Perhaps better than any of her predecessors, Houston Mayor Annise Parker knows that discrimination is a real issue for the LGBT community. She was a Past President of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, and her activism is remembered from civic protests to consultation in the landmark Lawrence V. Texas case. And of course, the mayor’s recent wedding to her long-time partner is still illegal in her home state, pending further court decisions.

Given this history, it was especially heartening to hear Parker, in her 3rd and final inaugural address as Mayor, pledge that the time has come to pass a comprehensive, LGBT inclusive Non-Discrimination ordinance (AKA Human Rights Ordinance) in Houston.

Other Houstonians say that it’s time as well. Texans Together Education Fund, an organization founded to increase civic engagement in underserved communities, has started a petition to get the ordinance passed, and whose members are actively lobbying to bring it forth to City Council. Unlike years past, Non-Discrimination has now mobilized Houston’s progressive community to the point where it will impossible for municipal government to ignore. And of course, Houston has a nearby example with San Antonio’s recent NDO, led by Mayor Julian Castro.

But it appears that even the planned ordinance for Houston will not include *direct* discrimination protections for those working in the private sector (which of course is the majority of the workforce). Here’s what Parker had to say on Houston Matters earlier this week…

Craig Cohen: When can we expect a comprehensive Non-Discrimination Ordinance that protects all Houstonians regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and will such an ordinance protect those employed in the Private Sector?

Mayor Parker: I hope to have it passed by the end of May. It will affect the Private Sector in as much as if they do business with the City of Houston. It will affect the Private Sector if they operate public accommodations or multi-family housing. But the first draft I’m working on does not apply to the Private Sector otherwise.

Why can’t this first version of the ordinance include private employment? In short, the answer is simple politics. Sources say the Houston ordinance will lose votes on Council if it affects private employers. It’s true that any step is a step forward, especially in these times of heightened contention in politics. But if a Council Member wants to allow discrimination to continue, they deserve to be put on record with a vote. Instead of protecting them, Parker and her administration should let them deal with the Progressive community’s ire. Texas Leftist cannot confirm at this time which persons are against equal protection, but if that information is ever revealed, it will surely be passed along via this blog. As for now, we’ll wait to see what develops this May.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform ‘Won’t’ Pass The House

The curious case of the GOP versus Comprehensive Immigration Reform continues.

It appears that the latest plan that Republicans have cooked up to stall Immigration Reform is nothing more than an old stand-by… blame President Obama.

Here’s more from the Washington Post…

Republicans are starting to lay the blame on President Barack Obama if an overhaul of the nation’s broken immigration system fails to become law.

The GOP’s emerging plan on immigration is to criticize Obama as an untrustworthy leader and his administration as an unreliable enforcer of any laws that might be passed. Perhaps realizing the odds of finding a consensus on immigration are long, the Republicans have started telling voters that if the GOP-led House doesn’t take action this election year, it is Obama’s fault.

“If the president had been serious about this the last five years, we’d be further along in this discussion,” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican, said Sunday.

I suppose making CIR a top priority of his administration during virtually every year of his Presidency isn’t getting serious enough? And not to mention that the only chamber to have done anything substantive at this point is the Democratically-controlled Senate, which passed Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation last year. Let’s also not forget that Obama is apparently much more serious on the issue than President George W. Bush. During the Bush administration, neither House of Congress got ANYTHING advanced on immigration. Make no mistake, the GOP is running plays from a tried and true playbook right now… desperately trying to sound serious about immigration reform just long enough to get through the 2014 elections. That’s the only reason for all of the caution and careful change in tone for 2014.

But on Wednesday’s Houston Matters with host Craig Cohen, Texas Congressman Kevin Brady decided to throw even that caution to the wind, and out the window. Here was the exchange from last week…

Craig Cohen: “Another topic of significance to Greater Houston that the President raised last night was immigration. What would it take to see comprehensive immigration reform pass through the House?”

Congressman Brady: “You know… it won’t. I think the House has learned from some of the massive bills, such as the Affordable Care Act, that comprehensive efforts are normally very sloppy, and we learn later just what the consequences of them are. The House is going to take a step-by-step approach.”

Step-by-step approach is code for “we’re going to stall for as long as humanly possible.” Their focus is only on the next election. The GOP agenda is not now, nor will it ever be serious about immigration reform. For someone like Congressman Brady, member of both the House Ways and Means Committee and House-Senate Joint Economic Committee, to be dismissing any hopes of a substantive bill from the House is a big problem. Brady lives in a very safe district that is majority white and majority Republican… basically, he can afford to tell the truth on this issue, and not worry about much blowback. Please folks, don’t be fooled by the Republican rhetoric. If you want Immigration reform passed, vote for the Democrats. And maybe someday, the Democratic party will grow a spine and run on the issue too.

Texas Leftist appears on Houston Matters

Well I must say this was a lot of fun.

Houston Matters is a brand new show on KUHF Houston Public Radio. The show is about all things Houston… discussing important events around the city, and the ever-changing nature of the region. Needless to say, it’s already one of my favorites for subject matter alone. Just this week, they talked about how Houstonians would be affected in Syria, the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Ike, and a host of other topics.

I was honored to be asked to participate on today’s show with Host Craig Cohen, John Beddow, Operator of the Houston Business Journal and Joe Holley, Columnist and Editorial Writer for the Houston Chronicle. KUHF reporter Edel Howlin arranged the segment. Check it out!