Tag Archives: voter registration

On voting rights

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Attorney General Eric Holder was in Austin last week to give a speech on voting rights and the things the Justice Department is doing to protect them. No, the location was not an accident. Giving his most expansive speech on … Continue reading →

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DOJ defers again on voter ID

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the interim maps, we got some more good news yesterday. Texas provided “incomplete” information that does not enable federal officials to determine whether their proposed voter ID law would be discriminatory, the Justice Department said in a … Continue reading →

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Turnout is only half the story

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

One other thing that I noticed while compiling the data for the elections from a bygone era is something that I never hear about whenever the turnout level in city elections gets bemoaned is the number of registered voters in … Continue reading →

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Election results elsewhere

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Results of interest from elsewhere in Texas and the country… – Three of the ten Constitutional amendments were defeated, with Prop 4 losing by nearly 20 points. It drew strong opposition from anti-toll road activists, and I daresay that was … Continue reading →

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Why 18?

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The legal voting age has been 18 for forty years now, but some people would like it to be lower, at least for their local elections. Critics of the young people sleeping on cardboard at Occupy Wall Street argue the … Continue reading →

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30 day finance reports for City of Houston races

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The 30 day campaign finance reports for City of Houston elections were due last week, and they are now mostly up on the city’s campaign finance report website, with a large number showing up today. Already I’m seeing questionable, curious, … Continue reading →

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Justice Department urged to block voter ID law

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m all in on this. A coalition of civil rights groups is urging the Obama administration’s Justice Department to reject Texas’ voter-ID law, charging that the measure advocated by Rick Perry intentionally discriminates against black and Hispanic voters. The Legislature … Continue reading →

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How long will we talk about Latino turnout before someone does something about it?

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard any of this before. On Saturday, the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project announced its 2012 goal of raising Latino voting in Texas to 2 million from the 1.7 million who voted in the last presidential … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against Harris County redistricting

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Hot off the presses, here’s a release from CM Ed Gonzalez: Today, Council Member Ed Gonzalez joined as a plaintiff in a lawsuit versus Harris County over the proposed Commissioners Court redistricting map. “The proposed map cracks communities of interests … Continue reading →

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What the vote suppressers are up to

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I just saw a link on the chron.com homepage about a group of folks who are convinced that there’s heaps! reams! scads! piles! of examples of vote fraud going on out there and how they’re here in our fair city … Continue reading →

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LWV update

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The following email has been sent to League of Women Voters registration volunteers: To Our Voter Registration Volunteers: It is with great pleasure that I write to tell you that we shall after all be able to provide our usual … Continue reading →

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More on Sumners and the LWV

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve got some updates on the change in policy by Tax Assessor-to-be Don Sumners regarding voter registrations at naturalization ceremonies. First, Sumners has acknowledged the need to get pre-clearance from the Justice Department for any changes to voter registration procedures, … Continue reading →

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No voter registration for you

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The following email, sent from the League of Women Voters registration address to its membership, was forwarded to me. I present it below in its entirity: From: LWV Voter Registration Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 3:19 PM Subject: Voter Registration … Continue reading →

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TPJ files complaint against King Street Patriots

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: TPJ today filed a formal complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission alleging that the King Street Patriots and KSP/True the Vote have violated the state’s prohibition on corporate contributions to political parties and candidates. The complaint says … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit relating to voter registration in Harris County

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the TDP is suing the Harris County Tax Assessor’s office (again) over allegations that they are still not properly handling voter registrations. That suit followed the ugly accusations Tax Assessor Leo Vasquez and his radical buddies the … Continue reading →

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Monday is the deadline to register for this election

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Leo Vasquez reminds citizens who have not yet registered to vote that Monday, October 4 is the registration cutoff for this year’s Nov. 2 election. “Although this not a presidential … Continue reading →

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Houston Votes responds

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Earlier today Houston Votes responded to the accusations lobbed at them by outgoing Tax Assessor Leo Vasquez. First, here’s their press release: On Tuesday, August 24, Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Leo Vasquez made reckless and false allegations … Continue reading →

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Vasquez throws a bomb at Houston Votes

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I guess outgoing Harris County Tax Assessor Leo Vasquez wasn’t quite ready to return to obscurity. Harris County Tax Assessor Collector Leo Vasquez accused a nonprofit group of submitting thousands of bogus voter registration applications in recent months in what … Continue reading →

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Is that really the argument you want to make?

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

SD22 special election winner and GOP nominee for November Bill Birdwell filed his response to the lawsuit that challenged his residency on Friday, and, well, color me puzzled. “It has been Texas law for over 40 years that a person’s … Continue reading →

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Houston Votes kickoff party

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Votes, which is well on its way towards its goal of registering 100,000 new voters in Harris County for this election, is having a party and you’re invited. RSVP here. Drink specials, no cover, and cool people. Come out … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry and the Latino vote, part 1

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Say what you want about Rick Perry, he’s got a much firmer grasp of the changing demographics of Texas and their political implications than many of his partymates do. As such, he plans to compete vigorously for the Latino vote … Continue reading →

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Emmett speaks about his county elections administrator proposal

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

County Judge Ed Emmett has a brief op-ed in the Chron to respond to some concerns about his proposal to study the possibility of an appointed elections administrator. There have been several false statements made that an elections administrator would … Continue reading →

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Casey and the Chron on an elections administrator

Posted on May 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey sums up the recent proposal by County Judge Ed Emmett to consider adopting a non-partisan elections administrator for Harris County: While Dallas and Tarrant counties have found it a source of electoral confidence and stability, Bexar County went … Continue reading →

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RV voters

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Really interesting story about a group of RV owners who “live” in a park in Polk County and vote there, but are seldom actually physically present. On the one hand, Escapees Inc. is a business catering to recreational vehicle enthusiasts. … Continue reading →

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Emmett calls for “elections czar”

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett thinks we could use a dedicated elections supervisor. Proponents of an elections czar say an appointee would be insulated from accusations and lawsuits alleging partisanship in carrying out the duties of the office. In late … Continue reading →

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Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar Training

Posted on April 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Want to help register people to vote? Attend the next Houston Area Table meeting and get deputized: Please join Houston Area Table and Marti Morrison from Harris County Voter Registrar’s office for a volunteer deputy voter registrar training and Q … Continue reading →

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Voter registration deadline is Monday

Posted on January 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure everyone reading this is already registered to vote. But if for some reason you’re not, or you’re not sure, your last chance to be registered in time for the primaries is tomorrow, Monday, February 1. Here’s a press … Continue reading →

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Voter registration deadline for the primaries is February 1

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We received our new voter registration cards in the mail this week, as our previous ones expired on December 31. If you haven’t received yours, or if you’re unsure if you’re still registered, better take care of it quickly as … Continue reading →

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HCAD rules for Hoang in homestead dispute

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

On Christmas Eve, the Chron reported that Council Member-Elect Al Hoang and his wife had claimed homestead exemptions on two separate houses, one in Houston and one in Pearland. Now the Harris County Appraisal District has verified Hoang’s explanation about … Continue reading →

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You can still register for the runoff

Posted on November 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I suspect that just about everyone reading this blog is a registered voter, but if you aren’t, or you know someone who isn’t, you get a second chance for the runoff. Harris County Voter Registrar Leo Vasquez reminds citizens they … Continue reading →

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More thoughts about yesterday’s results

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

– I didn’t note it last night, but all 11 Constitutional amendments passed. No surprise there, they almost always do. – Looking back at my turnout projections, the right number to go with was the 30% scenario. As it happens, … Continue reading →

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Both sides may claim victory, but that doesn’t mean they both achieved it

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, last week there was a settlement reached in the lawsuit against the Harris County Tax Assessor’s office over allegations that they improperly rejected thousands of voter registration applications last year. Shortly after that agreement was signed, the … Continue reading →

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Harris County voter registration issues get national coverage

Posted on October 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lou Dubose, onetime editor of the Texas Observer and Tom DeLay biographer has written a story for the Washington Spectator about the shenanigans in the Harris County Tax Assessor’s office with voter registration. You can read it here (PDF), thanks … Continue reading →

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Election tidbits for 9/30

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

While it’s an interesting story, I don’t quite see what the fuss is about Rick Perry using monetary rewards for volunteers who get people to sign up with his campaign. As the story notes, rewards of some kind, usually campaign … Continue reading →

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