Monthly Archives: August 2020

A very simple projection of the November vote

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In my earlier post about the current state of voter registrations, I noted that you could see the county-by-county totals in the contest details for the Senate runoff. What that also means is that if you have current (till now, … Continue reading →

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A word about mail ballot drop boxes

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I learned something in this story. Travis County voters nervous about delays with the post office will be able to hand-deliver mail-in ballots or drop them off at drive-thru sites this fall, County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir said Tuesday. “If they … Continue reading →

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We’re trending in the right direction, but…

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Still a ways to go. The number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 in the Houston area have improved significantly since July, but the pandemic remains a serious threat here. The Houston region added 1,957 cases on Saturday, … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 30

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

“Covid now 3rd leading cause of death. Even at “only” half current death rate, Covid would kill – 4x as many as from suicide, kidney disease – 3x as many as flu and pneumonia – 2x as many as diabetes … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 10 Comments

Plaintiffs prevail again in Motor Voter Lawsuit 2.0

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Same result as before, this time without the technicality that got the first try thrown out on appeal. A persistent Texas voter, twice thwarted when he tried registering to vote while renewing his driver’s license online, has for the second … Continue reading →

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Six file in SD30

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One of these folks will be a State Senator. The most prominent contenders for the solidly red seat are state Rep. Drew Springer of Muenster and fellow Republican Shelley Luther,the Dallas salon owner who was jailed earlier this year over her … Continue reading →

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Giving a motion its proper due

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, Ken Paxton really really wants to get his securities fraud case moved back to what he assumes are the warm and friendly confines of Collin County. The case was originally moved out of Collin County on the … Continue reading →

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NBA agrees to offer its arenas as voting centers

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. “What was the plan?” was always the wrong question to ask of striking NBA players; what they wanted was to not play basketball, and they got it. But they used that time not playing to talk, to think and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SOS objects to Hollins’ mail ballot application plan

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was inevitable. In a letter dated Aug. 27, Keith Ingram, director of elections for the Texas secretary of state, told Harris County to “immediately halt” its plans to send every registered voter in the county an application … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Republicans go to Supreme Court to remove Libertarian candidates

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

If at first you don’t succeed, make up a new statutory deadline that you claim is the real date that matters. About a week after Texas Democrats took several Green Party candidates to court and had them knocked off the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Once again, please pay some attention to the Railroad Commissioner race

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It does matter. The Republican candidate running to join the Texas oil and gas regulatory agency has run afoul of state environmental rules and is embroiled in a series of lawsuits accusing him of fraud in the oil patch. Jim … Continue reading →

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Food trucks and bars

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I approve of this. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approved rules Tuesday intended to make it easier for bars to legally operate as restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state agency greatly expanded rules that had already offered a limited … Continue reading →

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DCCC expands the field in Texas again

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is as wide as it goes. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is adding three more districts to its Texas target list, expanding an already ambitious battlefield in the state. The new targets of the House Democratic campaign arm are … Continue reading →

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Just build the effing Ike Dike already

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Enough waiting around. As twin hurricanes converge on the Gulf Coast this week, including one with a decent chance of affecting the Houston-Galveston region, a highly ambitious proposal for protecting the area from a massive storm continues to slowly grind … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

You’ll be able to vote at Toyota Center this fall

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Toyota Center will serve as a voting center for the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election, the Rockets and the Harris County Clerk office announced on Thursday. Toyota Center will be open to any registered voter in Harris County from Oct. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The bullet we dodged

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We can exhale now. Following days of warnings and calls to take Laura seriously, Houston and Harris County awoke to a typical late August day Thursday, virtually unscathed by the category 4 hurricane’s overnight landfall in western Louisiana. The city … Continue reading →

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Republicans try and fail to remove Libertarian candidates from the ballot

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Patrick Svitek: . Texas appeals court rejects last-minute lawsuits by @NRCC, @TravisGOP to kick Libertarian candidates off November ballot for not paying filing fees: http://search.txcourts.gov/SearchMedia.aspx?MediaVersionID=fee8c1fc-f70a-4d57-baf0-5775ccdea786&coa=coa03&DT=Opinion&MediaID=9242cd19-73c0-441c-bc1f-786be9ec000f — Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) 12:00 AM – 26 August 2020 The Third Court of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Harris County goes all in on voting access

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Harris County voters this November will have more time and more than a hundred additional places to cast ballots in the presidential election, including drive-through locations and one day of 24-hour voting, under an expansive plan approved by Commissioners … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Hope now, support relief efforts next

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is so, so bad. And it’s terrifying to realize how much worse it could have been. With winds topping 150 mph, Hurricane Laura is approaching Category 5 status as it barrels toward the Texas-Louisiana border. As of 7 p.m., … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of August 24

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is fired up and ready to vote as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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We are finally making progress in getting COVID-19 under control

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good news is always welcome, but be aware of the context. Houston-area hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients dropped below 900 Sunday, the lowest amount since the summer surge peaked in mid-July. Some 893 people confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19 were … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

PPP: Biden 48, Trump 47

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Time for another poll. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden emerged from his national convention with a 1 percentage point lead in Texas over Republican President Donald Trump, a poll scheduled for wide release on Tuesday shows. The results from the … Continue reading →

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Uptown BRT officially opens

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the Silver Line. T.J. Buttons is used to a bus ride in Houston giving him plenty of time to check his phone. On that front, Houston’s first bus rapid transit route failed miserably. “It’s so fast,” Buttons said as … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Coronavirus and hurricane shelters

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Two things we have to be thinking about today. Houston officials and public health experts are expressing concern that Tropical Storm Laura could amplify the spread of COVID-19 by displacing residents to public shelters or residences outside the area, increasing … Continue reading →

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The state of the Democratic bench

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s deeper now, and it could keep getting deeper after this year. The speaking turns may have been brief and the spotlight not as bright, but Texas Democrats got a glimpse at their national convention this week of their emerging … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Here comes Laura

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Be prepared. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo urged residents to prepare for a hurricane as the track and intensity of Tropical Storm Laura remains uncertain. She said the greatest threat posed by Laura likely would be high winds and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Here are your Bush coins

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

For the Presidential numismatists out there. You know who you are. The U.S. Mint unveiled the design for coins honoring President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush, on Tuesday. The presidential $1 coin for President Bush will bear … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why wouldn’t Dems attack Abbott for his COVID response?

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I am puzzled by the premise of this article. As the Democratic National Convention opened on Monday, former First Lady Michelle Obama condemned President Donald Trump for having downplayed the coronavirus pandemic and scenes flashed throughout the night from Houston, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Special election set for SD30

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t wait till November, apparently. Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday announced the special election to replace state Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, will be Sept. 29, setting off a sped-up race to fill his seat ahead of the next legislative session … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

COVID executive order lawsuit update

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to keep track of all these, I know. The state of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott have denied a Dallas salon owner’s allegations that COVID-19 emergency orders suspending state laws are unconstitutional. Abbott and the state specifically denied allegations … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 23

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

“Our school’s emergency bags are remarkably sparse. No band-aids, no first aid materials. We have one flashlight, one sign with my name to help my students find our class if they get separated during a mass exodus, one copy of … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 11 Comments

Weekend voting litigation news

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have two news items about voting-related lawsuits. Both of these come via the Daily Kos Voting Rights Roundup, which has been increasingly valuable to me lately, given the sheer number of such lawsuits and the fact that some news … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

As goes Tarrant, 2020 edition

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hello, old friend. Shortly after Democrat Beto O’Rourke launched his campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, he made several visits to Tarrant County in North Texas to press the message that if he could flip this county, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Recount ends in CD23

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Republicans finally have a candidate to defend their most vulnerable Congressional seat in Texas. The recount of the Republican primary runoff for the national battleground seat of retiring U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, has reached an end, and Tony … Continue reading →

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