Tag Archives: absentee ballots

The TDP motion for a fast ruling in their federal vote by mail lawsuit

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned this in passing in yesterday’s post, so here are some more details. Updating an ongoing lawsuit, the Texas Democratic Party on Wednesday asked a federal judge in San Antonio to issue an order by May 15 requiring state … Continue reading →

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Democracy Toolbox (PPP): Biden 47, Trump 46

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: A new Texas poll shows former Vice President Joe Biden up by one percentage point over President Donald Trump and also provides insights into Texans’ concerns about voting during the COVID-19 outbreak. The poll was commissioned by … Continue reading →

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Age discrimination lawsuit filed over vote by mail

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is something new. Citing the threats of the coronavirus, six Texas voters filed suit in federal court Wednesday challenging restrictions that limit age eligibility for voting-by-mail to those 65 and older. In a lawsuit filed in San Antonio, the … Continue reading →

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Harris County preps for more mail ballots

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted to spend up to $12 million for an expected uptick in requests for mail-in ballots in the July primary runoff and November general election from voters concerned about contracting the novel coronavirus … Continue reading →

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Vote by mail is not a panacea

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s be clear, I very much support expanded access to vote by mail. I support the ongoing TDP lawsuit to force expanded vote by mail, and I would very much advise anyone who is at risk for COVID-19 to apply … Continue reading →

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How do you conduct an election in a pandemic?

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’re about to find out, one way or another. There will be an election in Texas in mid-July, apparently with polling sites, election workers and voting machines in place so people can cast their ballots in person. How many voters … Continue reading →

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Here’s the official order in the TDP vote by mail lawsuit

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Round One went to the plaintiffs. From there, who knows. A Texas state district judge on Friday issued an order allowing voters to use the coronavirus as a reason to vote by mail for as long as the pandemic lasts … Continue reading →

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So about that Senate race

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mostly agree with this. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s re-election campaign should be his race to lose. The coronavirus outbreak, by most measures, has given Cornyn an even bigger advantage as he runs for a fourth term. The Texas Republican … Continue reading →

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TDP gets initial win in vote by mail lawsuit

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good start, but we’ve got a long way to go. A state district judge on Wednesday said he will move forward with an order easing restrictions for voting by mail in Texas in light of the new coronavirus … Continue reading →

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Another view of the lawsuit over expanded voting by mail

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Ian Millhiser at Vox, who is decidedly more pessimistic about the plaintiffs’ chances. He starts by noting how restrictive Texas’ existing vote-by-mail law is. The law only allows Texas voters to obtain an absentee ballot under a very limited … Continue reading →

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TDP files federal lawsuit over expanded vote by mail

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Double your venues, (hopefully) double your chances of success. With primary election runoffs scheduled for July and the November general election on the horizon, the Texas Democratic Party has expanded its ongoing fight for more widespread mail-in balloting to federal … Continue reading →

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SOS moves towards increasing vote by mail

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

How about that? Texas is opening the door to an expansion of mail-in voting during the coronavirus outbreak, though the state is unlikely to heed calls to have every voter cast ballots by mail to avoid exposure to COVID-19 at … Continue reading →

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Intervening in the mail ballot expansion lawsuit

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The ACLU of Texas, American Civil Liberties Union, and Texas Civil Rights Project on Wednesday joined a case seeking to declare that under Texas law all registered voters qualify to request a mail-in ballot as a result … Continue reading →

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So about those runoffs

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They’re still happening in July. For now. Democrats and Republicans across Texas are settling in for the new normal that is campaigning in the time of the novel coronavirus. Not only has the pandemic upended how candidates campaign for the … Continue reading →

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TDP files lawsuit to expand vote by mail

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

All right, then. Following fruitless negotiations over how to proceed with the upcoming primary runoff elections, Texas Democrats are looking to the courts to push for an expansion of voting by mail in the state. In a lawsuit filed in … Continue reading →

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Abbott delays primary runoffs

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So this was originally going to be a post about what various groups have been advocating for the primary runoffs. And then Greg Abbott went and pushed the runoffs back to July without addressing any of the other concerns that … Continue reading →

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Abbott addresses vote by mail possibilities

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

He’s thinking about it. Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledged on Tuesday that he has the authority to postpone May 26 runoff elections or conduct them exclusively via mail-in ballots in response to the coronavirus. “Everything’s on the table,” Abbott told reporters … Continue reading →

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We already have the power to do more voting by mail

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

KUT points to a path forward that could get a lot more people voting by mail in Texas. Texas has one of the most restrictive vote-by-mail laws in the country, but it is open to some of the state’s most … Continue reading →

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All mail ballots for the primary runoffs are being discussed

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is a pleasant surprise. Texas is not making any moves to delay the May 26 primary runoff as of now, even as other states have opted to postpone elections. But election officials have had preliminary conversations about the potential … Continue reading →

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What should we do about the runoffs?

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

With coronavirus concerns now shutting down all kinds of public events and other large gatherings, it’s more than fair to wonder what the risks are of conducting the primary runoffs in the usual fashion. This post on Indivisible Houston suggests … Continue reading →

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You periodic reminder that every vote matters

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

2020 Republican primaries edition. One vote still separates second and third place in the GOP primary for Texas House District 47, but a revised total released Wednesday pushed Justin Berry ahead of Don Zimmerman for the final spot in the … Continue reading →

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Let’s talk turnout

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few random bits and pieces about turnout from the primaries. On the one hand, I think it’s great that Dems got the turnout that we did, in Harris County and around the state. On the other hand, I … Continue reading →

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Primary early voting: Comparing 2020 to 2016

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron looks into the early voting numbers around the state. Experts cautioned that early voting data should be taken with a grain of salt — for one because the subset of people who vote early aren’t necessarily representative of … Continue reading →

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Final 2020 primary early voting report: “Healthy but not historic”

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds about right. Democratic primary voters surged to the polls in Harris County on Friday, surpassing turnout from 2016 but falling well short of their record-setting performance in 2008. Republican primary voters, meanwhile, turned out in larger-than-expected numbers thanks to … Continue reading →

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2020 Primary Early Voting, Day Ten: Come hell or high water

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday was quite the day, wasn’t it? People did still vote, which is nice. Here’s the Day Ten report for 2020, and here are the totals from 2012, 2016, and 2018. The totals after Day Ten: Year Mail Early Total … Continue reading →

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2020 Primary Early Voting, Day Eight: It starts to turn upward

Posted on February 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Day Eight report for 2020, and here are the totals from 2012, 2016, and 2018. The totals after Day Four: Year Mail Early Total ============================== 2012 5,695 16,671 22,366 2016 10,970 34,419 45,389 2018 12,914 36,185 49,099 2020 … Continue reading →

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2020 Primary Early Voting, Day Seven

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

And we’re back at it. Here’s the Day Seven report for 2020, and here are the totals from 2012, 2016, and 2018. The totals after Day Four: Year Mail Early Total ============================== 2012 5,609 14,063 19,672 2016 10,180 28,367 38,547 … Continue reading →

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2020 Primary Early Voting, Day Six: On to Week Two

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’re back from the weekend, where the only votes tallied are in-person. We have five more days of early voting to go. Here’s the Day Six report for 2020, and here are the totals from 2012, 2016, and 2018. The … Continue reading →

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2020 Primary Early Voting, Day Four: First Friday

Posted on February 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We are at the end of the first business week, shortened by the holiday on Monday. It’s been a brisk week, especially compared to other years, but there should be a lot more to come. Here’s the Day Four report … Continue reading →

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2020 Primary Early Voting, Day Three: Midweek meandering

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have any clever openings today, so once again let’s just jump right in. Here’s the Day Three report for 2020, and here are the totals from 2012, 2016, and 2018. The totals after Day Three: Year Mail Early … Continue reading →

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2020 Primary Early Voting, Day Two: In for the long haul

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s jump right in. Here’s the Day Two report for 2020, and here are the totals from 2012, 2016, and 2018. As of Day One from those years : Year Mail Early Total ============================== 2012 5,100 3,035 8,135 2016 7,191 … Continue reading →

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2020 Primary Early Voting, Day One: Off to a quick start

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

And we’re off. On an overcast and drizzly day in much of Texas, early voting for the 2020 primary elections in some of the state’s most populous counties was up over turnout four years ago, despite warnings by political watchers … Continue reading →

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District H status

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The closest election we had on Saturday remains unsettled. Just a dozen votes separate Houston City Council District H contenders Karla Cisneros and Isabel Longoria, and it may come down to an undetermined number of provisional, overseas and military ballots … Continue reading →

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2019 runoff early voting wrapup

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here are your final totals: Date Mail Early Total ============================= Nov19 13,015 88,822 101,837 Dec19 18,935 96,269 115,204 The Day Ten EV Runoff file is here, and the final file from November is here. Keir’s thread is here, with a … Continue reading →

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