Monthly Archives: October 2016

Lawsuit filed against Bexar County over voter ID info

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We’re still fighting this out. An advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against Bexar County for misinforming voters about the state’s voter ID rules. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), filed the lawsuit Friday afternoon on behalf … Continue reading →

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BOMA for recapture

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A group that represents property owners who would be directly affected if the recapture vote goes down and detachment results has endorsed a Yes vote on the recapture referendum. A local trade association for commercial property owners has come out … Continue reading →

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Collin County won’t fight its special prosecutor bill

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

For now, anyway. The Collin County Commissioners Court on Monday voted to take “a careful review” of the cost of prosecuting Attorney General Ken Paxton, while appealing to residents to set aside emotions and avoid attacking the court’s future decisions. … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: What’s the matter with Waxahachie?

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Donald Trump goes one for Texas in newspaper endorsements. While recent polls suggest Republican Donald Trump is just a few points ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton among Texas voters, the presidential race is far more lopsided among the state’s leading … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for October 30

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

“The 2016 campaign may have reached dispiriting new lows, but voter registration in America has soared to new heights as 200 million people are now registered to vote for the first time in U.S. history.” That’s a 33% increase – … Continue reading →

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Republicans: Still worried about the Trump effect in Texas

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The continuing story. Texas Republicans are slowly coming to grips with the unthinkable: Hillary Clinton has a shot at winning the nation’s most iconic red state. The odds are long, they say, in a state that hasn’t voted Democratic for … Continue reading →

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Election Day observers coming from Justice Department over ADA complaints

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a complicated headline for this story. Six teams of Justice Department officials will be dispatched to observe Election Day voting at 75 polling locations in Harris County as part of an investigation into allegations that the county failed to … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of HD26

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Back to Fort Bend for a look at another legislative race. Incumbent state Rep. Rick Miller can describe his political perspective in five words: “I’m a Christian, conservative Republican.” His opponent in November, political newcomer and Democrat L. Sarah DeMerchant, … Continue reading →

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Early voting, Day Six: A good first week for Democrats

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There’s still a week to go, but so far, so good. Harris County residents cast more ballots in the first four days of early voting than five states did in the entire 2012 presidential election. Locally, the number of ballots … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Mockingbird

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Peter, Paul & Mary sing a well-known lullaby: That’s from an album of children’s songs called “Peter, Paul & Mommy”. iTunes calls it “Mockingbird”, YouTube calls it “Hush, Little Baby”. I embed, you decide. Eminem borrows from that song for … Continue reading →

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Crosswind/Statesman: Trump 45, Clinton 38

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

One more poll result, because why not. In the wake of recent polls indicating that deep red Texas might be a toss-up in the presidential race, a new Crosswind/American-Statesman Texas Pulse poll conducted Saturday through Monday shows Republican Donald Trump … Continue reading →

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Republicans take their desperate shot at limiting same sex marriage

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Pathetic. After coming out on the losing end of a United States Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, Texas Republican leaders are now looking to the Texas Supreme Court to narrow the scope of that landmark ruling. Gov. Greg Abbott, … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of HD29

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Over to Brazoria County for this one. A Bernie Sanders’ liberal is taking on one of the most conservative members of the Texas House of Representatives in District 29 in Brazoria County, presenting voters with, perhaps, the starkest contrast between … Continue reading →

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Early voting, Day Five: Maybe the lines will be shorter next week

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Resources will be mobilized to ameliorate things. Harris County will add staff and equipment to early voting locations next week to help cut down long wait times fueled by a record surge of voter turnout, County Clerk Stan Stanart said. … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Ladies’ night, part 19

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I knew this Songs By Women thing would take me past the election, but it’s beginning to feel to me like it has some meaning, you know? 1. Un Dia – Juana Molina 2. It’s A Heartache – Juice Newton … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib: Trump 45, Clinton 42

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Even the UT/Texas Trib poll shows a tight Presidential race in Texas. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump held a three-percentage-point lead over Democrat Hillary Clinton on the eve of early voting in Texas, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas … Continue reading →

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Council ratifies Turner’s pension plan

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: On a 16-1 vote, Houston City Council has endorsed Mayor Sylvester Turner’s historic package of pension reforms. The vote clears the way for the City to move forward in partnership with the pension systems to seek legislative … Continue reading →

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The Trump effect on the SBOE

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib covers some familiar ground. At least one SBOE race is “very much in play,” said Rice University political scientist Mark P. Jones. He’s referring to District 5, where Democrat Rebecca Bell-Metereau is attempting to unseat incumbent Republican Ken … Continue reading →

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Texas gets VW lawsuit settlement money

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad. Texas will receive more than $190 million for environmental mitigation under a multibillion-dollar settlement in the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal approved by a federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday. Volkswagen buyers will have the option of buybacks … Continue reading →

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Early voting, Day Four: Just the facts

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here is your Day 4 EV report, and here as always is the spreadsheet that tracks early voting in Presidential elections going back to 2004. Long story short, another record-breaking day, with about the same volume (just over 76,000 in … Continue reading →

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Voter ID problems still abound

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hardly a surprise. This much is clear after two days of early voting in Texas: Legal wrangling over the state’s voter identification law is stirring confusion at the polls. Amid Texans’ mad dash to polling places this week, the front … Continue reading →

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Business owners tell Dan Patrick to back off on bathrooms

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

More like this, please. Saying Texas Republican leaders are threatening jobs and the economy, more than 200 small-business owners issued an open letter Tuesday urging legislators to abandon plans for a state law targeting transgender bathrooms. The letter described “a … Continue reading →

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Donald who?

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Never heard of him. As national polls show Hillary Clinton widening her lead just two weeks before the presidential election, Texas Republicans mostly have gone silent about the candidate at the top of their ticket, presidential nominee Donald Trump. Lt. … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of October 24

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance celebrates the start of early voting as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Early voting, Day Three: The case for pessimism

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Dave Mann tells Texas Democrats to put those rose-tinted glasses away. On Monday, the Real Clear Politics site declared that Texas is up for grabs in the presidential election. The shift comes after a series of polls showing a tight … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Judge RK Sandill

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I ran a series of judicial Q&As for Democratic candidates in contested primaries earlier this year. I am now doing the same for the candidates who were unopposed in March, which includes most of the sitting incumbent judges. As … Continue reading →

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Pension deal approved by firefighters

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a big deal, though it’s hardly a done deal yet. For the first time ever, the Houston firefighters’ pension board agreed Monday to accept benefit cuts for current workers and retirees, potentially paving the way for a solution to … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Still talking about recapture

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This Chron story from Monday adds a bit more to the recapture discussion. As one Houston school board member sees it, the district’s November ballot measure regarding the state-mandated forfeiture of local tax dollars offers no good choice for voters. … Continue reading →

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Help a crony out?

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Collin County, y’all. Collin County lawmakers debated intervening in Ken Paxton’s legal woes by pressuring county leaders to cut funding for the case, according to a series of private text messages exchanged last week. Taxpayers in Paxton’s home county are … Continue reading →

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Early voting, Day Two: How long can we keep this up?

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Monthly crunches some numbers from Day One: Digging further into the numbers, it seems as though the long-whispered awakening of Texas Democrats happened, at the very least, on day one. GOP consultant Derek Ryan, who published a detailed report … Continue reading →

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Interview with Bill Baldwin of Keep Heights Dry

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, there will be a referendum on the ballot for a very limited electorate this year, to alter the existing ordinance that enforces a dry zone in the historic Houston Heights to allow the sale of beer and … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Barbara Gardner

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I ran a series of judicial Q&As for Democratic candidates in contested primaries earlier this year. I am now doing the same for the candidates who were unopposed in March, which includes most of the sitting incumbent judges. As … Continue reading →

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CBS/YouGov: Trump 46, Clinton 43

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Texas is being tracked as a battleground state. I can’t even believe I just typed that. Hillary Clinton holds a three-point lead over Donald Trump in Florida, while in Texas – a state that has voted Republican by wide margins … Continue reading →

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The Trump effect and the State Supreme Court

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib touches on a subject I addressed awhile ago. Three Republican members of the Texas Supreme Court running for re-election are facing Democratic challengers who say they may have a chance in the solid-red state with Donald Trump at … Continue reading →

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