Tag Archives: voter registration

If no one owns the problem then no one will fix it

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Reading this Chron story about the problem of voter registrations done via the Department of Public Safety, it’s clear why this is an ongoing issue. Neither the DPS nor the secretary of state tracks motor voter complaints. Nor can state … Continue reading →

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That Chron story on True The Vote

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For a variety of reasons, I never got around to reading that Sunday Chron story about True The Vote, that self-styled “watchdog” group that claims to be interested in ferreting out all those instances of “vote fraud” that nobody else … Continue reading →

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LULAC files suit against Tax Assessor over voter registrations

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting has the press release. Today, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and a number of Houston residentsfiled suit against Harris County in Federal District Court for the Southern District of Texas maintaining that Harris County officials … Continue reading →

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Settlement reached in “dead voter” lawsuit

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s something. A lawsuit by four registered voters alleging that the state of Texas was violating their civil rights by purging them from voter rolls has been dropped after the plaintiffs and the state reached an agreement. The Texas residents … Continue reading →

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No help from SCOTUS on voter registration

Posted on September 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. The U.S. Supreme Court late Tuesday denied an emergency request by a voter registration group that sought to block the state from enforcing changes made last year. The legislation adds hurdles for canvassers or groups that seek to increase … Continue reading →

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The “dead voter” saga still has some life in it

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like I spoke too soon when I said that the “dead voter” purge story was over. Remember that lawsuit filed by four voters and the temporary injunction granted by a Travis County judge forbidding the Secretary of State from … Continue reading →

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“Dead voter” purge finally laid to rest

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Our long countywide nightmare is finally over. The running dispute over presumed-dead voters on Harris County rolls was substantially resolved Wednesday between the Texas Secretary of State’s office and Harris County’s tax registrar just hours before a Travis County judge … Continue reading →

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Deal reached to restore SOS funding for Tax Assessor

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This whole protracted standoff between Harris County Tax Assessor Don Sumners and the Secretary of State over the “dead voter” purge has apparently been the result of a misunderstanding. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett has brokered a deal with the … Continue reading →

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Voting-related lawsuit updates

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: The three-judge panel presiding over the Texas voter ID entered an order this morning adopting a briefing schedule for questions about the constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. With minor differences, the schedule tracks … Continue reading →

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SOS ups the ante against Sumners

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting real at the Tax Assessor’s office. Harris County election officials got a bit of a surprise Friday morning when they attempted to open the county’s spending account on the Texas Secretary of State’s office website and found their … Continue reading →

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SOS versus Sumners

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not a steel cage death match, but it’ll do. In a strongly worded letter today, the Texas Secretary of State’s office told Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Don Sumners that his decision not to purge presumed-dead voters … Continue reading →

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Not dead yet

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As they say, reports of their deaths have been greatly exaggerated. Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Don Sumners said Monday that he would not purge from the voter roll before the November election any of the 9,018 citizens who received letters … Continue reading →

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Voter registration restrictions back in place

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and AG Greg Abbott remain BFFs. Texas won a stay Thursday of a federal court decision that had barred enforcement of the state’s toughened voter registration law. Attorney General Greg Abbott described the development … Continue reading →

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On turnout and 2012

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The watchword you have been hearing and will be hearing about this November’s election is “turnout”, specifically whether Team Obama can match or at least approach the success it had in turning out minority and younger voters. Here at home … Continue reading →

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No stay for voter registration injunction

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal judge in Galveston today denied the state’s request for a stay that would have allowed Texas to enforce several of its voter registration laws. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office asked for the stay on Aug. 4 … Continue reading →

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The demographics of jury service

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Why is it that juries in Harris County tend to not reflect the demography of the county as a whole? District Clerk Chris Daniel explains why in a recent Chron op-ed. If you’re familiar with the concept of “citizen voting … Continue reading →

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Judge halts anti-voter registration laws

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good. U.S. District Judge Gregg Costa of Galveston ruled that a law that prohibits third-party voter registrars from working in more than one county and another that mandates registrars in Texas be residents of the state violate the First Amendment. … Continue reading →

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Voter ID trial, day one

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off, with the state bringing the funny math as part of its case. A Justice Department lawyer, Elizabeth Westfall, argued that the law has the potential to prevent 1.4 million Texans from voting who are eligible but lack … Continue reading →

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Christina Gorczynski – Mission Possible: Youth Engagement

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Ask the League of Women Voters to do a guest blog and what do you get? Brace yourself, readers, for a … Continue reading →

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There’s an app for registering voters

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In New Mexico. It needs to go nationwide. Jason Libersky is a deputy voter agent in New Mexico. He spends much of his time at community events throughout Albuquerque registering people to vote using an iPad application he created — … Continue reading →

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Yet another voting-related lawsuit

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I had completely forgotten about this. A federal judge in Galveston is to consider motions in a lawsuit filed by a Washington-based voters’ rights group that contends Texas laws make it illegally difficult to register voters. The group Voting for … Continue reading →

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You sure you’re registered?

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Your voter registration could get cancelled without you realizing what’s happening. More than 300,000 valid voters were notified they could be removed from Texas rolls from November 2008 to November 2010 – often because they were mistaken for someone else … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the Tax Assessor primary

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Having just reported on the vehicle registration problems at the Harris County Tax Assessor’s office, the Chron now writes about the GOP primary for that office. A Houston Chronicle story Friday reported Sumners’ staff is working overtime to process a … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Sullivan for Tax Assessor

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron made its first primary endorsement on Friday, and I just now noticed. The [Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office] is, or should be, the quintessential service department – run with the customer’s satisfaction uppermost in mind. For almost half … Continue reading →

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Residency is more state of mind than anything else

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the “Home is where you say it is” department. Her dogs live there, her mail arrives there, and her “stuff” is still there. But Delicia Herrera insists she no longer lives at the home she owns on SW 39th … Continue reading →

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Your voter registration card is in the mail

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Someone was just asking me about this, so I’m glad to see that they’re on their way. Harris County officials prepared to ship out 1.7 million voter registration cards Tuesday – after an unprecedented nearly five-month delay resulting from a … Continue reading →

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“Phantom” voters

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is a molehill, not a mountain. Sixteen small counties across Texas appear to have more registered voters on their rolls as of 2010 than qualified citizens of voting age – a phenomenon prompting conservative Washington, D.C., watchdog group to … Continue reading →

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Harris County voter registration lawsuit settled

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For now, at least. Something tells me we have not heard the last of this. Harris County officials and the Democratic Party have settled an ongoing legal dispute over denial rates of new voter registration applications – at least for … Continue reading →

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Harris County rejecting fewer voter registrations

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In other lawsuit-related news: Harris County officials have rejected far fewer would-be voters since 2008, but Democrats are demanding more proof that voter rolls are not being illegally suppressed – particularly among Hispanics – as another U.S. presidential election approaches. … Continue reading →

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If it walks like a PAC and talks like a PAC…

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

…the odds are pretty good that it’s a PAC. A Travis County district court judge ruled this week that a Houston-based tea party group is not a nonprofit corporation as it claims, but an unregistered political action committee that illegally … Continue reading →

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News flash: The voter ID law will do exactly what it was intended to do

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And that is to make it harder to vote. Mostly for the poor, the elderly, college students, and minorities. This is a feature, not a bug. The state’s contested voter ID law could provoke widespread complications in the upcoming presidential … Continue reading →

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Still no voter registration cards yet

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve written about this before, but apparently there are some rumors running around regarding voter registration cards. Central Texas elections officials are warning against a rash of emails spreading false information about voter registration — an already confusing issue for … Continue reading →

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Why do we make it so hard to vote?

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

News item: Many voter registrations around the country are outdated or incorrect. Some 24 million voter registrations in the United States contain significant errors, including about 1.8 million dead people still on the rolls and many more approved to vote … Continue reading →

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Your voter registration card is not in the mail just yet

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another side effect of the Supreme Court stay. Even if you’ve registered to vote in Texas, you won’t be getting a new voter registration certificate until February. Although the latest blue cards expired at the end of the year, counties … Continue reading →

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