Tag Archives: Voting Rights Act

Down to the wire for Congressional redistricting

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Time is running out in this session. Of course, there’s always the next session shudder. A redraw of the state’s congressional map to include a decade of population growth could be headed to last-minute backdoor negotiations after the Texas House … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged CD06, CD15, CD27, CD34, CD35, Congress, Election 2020, Election 2022, Greg Abbott, Jacey Jetton, Joan Huffman, lawsuit, Rafael Anchia, redistricting, SCOTUS, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege, Todd Hunter, Vicente Gonzalez, Voting Rights Act | 3 Comments

The Lege is now 3/4 done with redistricting

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

All but the Congressional maps are done. They’re just plowing through it. The Texas Legislature is nearing the end of its work to incorporate a decade’s worth of population growth into new political maps — pressing forward with efforts to … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Beverly Powell, CD03, CD04, CD06, CD33, Census, Collin County, Congress, demography, Eddie Lucio, Election 2020, Election 2022, Greg Abbott, Harris County, HD132, HD133, HD135, HD138, Jim Murphy, Joan Huffman, Jon Rosenthal, Lacey Hull, lawsuit, Mike Schofield, redistricting, SBOE, SCOTUS, SD10, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege, Todd Hunter, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Senate passes Congressional map

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Start the litigation countdown. Yes, I know, this still has to pass the House, but still. The Texas Senate approved a map Friday that would largely protect incumbents in Congress while reducing the number of districts in which Black and … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged CD33, CD38, Census, Congress, Dan Patrick, demography, Election 2022, Harris County, Joan Huffman, lawsuit, LULAC, Marc Veasey, redistricting, Roland Gutierrez, Sarah Eckhardt, SCOTUS, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

One more lawsuit against Texas’ voter suppression law

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From Mi Familia Vota: Non-profit civic engagement organization Mi Familia Vota, along with individual voters, filed suit today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas in San Antonio seeking to block a new voter suppression … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, curbside voting, Election 2020, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, Mi Familia Vota, poll watchers, Secretary of State, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 2 Comments

More redistricting stuff

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just a roundup of some redistricting stories. We’ll start with the DMN. The new map, part of a process of redrawing legislative boundaries every 10 years, makes significant changes in North Texas, where Democrats likely will gain a seat held … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Al Green, Angie Chen Button, Beth van Duyne, CD03, CD04, CD05, CD06, CD07, CD08, CD09, CD10, CD13, CD15, CD18, CD21, CD22, CD23, CD24, CD25, CD27, CD28, CD31, CD32, CD34, CD36, Census, Collin County, Common Cause, Congress, Dallas County, Denton County, Donald Trump, Election 2020, Election 2022, Gerrymandering Project, HD100, HD104, HD108, HD110, HD112, HD63, HD65, HD92, Jasmine Crockett, Jeff Cason, Jessica Gonzalez, Joan Huffman, Joe Biden, John Turner, lawsuit, Michelle Beckley, Morgan Meyer, redistricting, RepresentUs, SBOE, Senate, Sheila Jackson Lee, Tarrant County, Texas, The Lege, Toni Rose, Voting Rights Act | 2 Comments

Get ready for redistricting

Posted on September 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The next special session starts Monday, and we should expect to see proposed redistricting maps. It’s going to be a rough few weeks, in part because the guardrails are gone, which will allow Republicans to run amuck. The 2020 census … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Census, Congress, Election 2022, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, MALC, NAACP, redistricting, Roland Gutierrez, Sarah Eckhardt, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

It’s not too late to pass a voting rights bill

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Look, we have one queued up. Senate Democrats are close to an agreement on updated voting rights legislation that can get the support of all 50 Democratic-voting senators, three Democratic aides familiar with negotiations said. The For the People Act … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged Chuck Schumer, Congress, filibuster, Florida, Jim Clyburn, Joe Biden, Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, Nancy Pelosi, Senate, Texas, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Three more lawsuits filed against the voter suppression law

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a law now, and the legal machines are humming to do something about it. Though delayed by Democratic quorum breaks, Texas has officially joined the slate of Republican states that have enacted new voting restrictions following the 2020 election. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged abortion, absentee ballots, Americans with Disabilities Act, Common Cause, curbside voting, Danyahel Norris, drop off boxes, Election 2020, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Houston Area Urban League, lawsuit, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, LULAC, NAACP, poll watchers, SCOTUS, Texas, Texas AFT, Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, The Arc of Texas, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act, Voto Latino | 6 Comments

The tab for voter ID

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Impressive. Texas remains responsible for nearly $6.8 million in legal fees and costs owed to the collection of parties who sued over its voter ID law. Though the state ultimately won the long-winding fight to keep the voter ID law … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, lawsuit, MALC, Marc Veasey, NAACP, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, voter ID, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

First two lawsuits filed against the voter suppression bill

Posted on September 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

No time wasted. The top elections official in Harris County and a host of organizations that serve Texans of color and Texans with disabilities have fired the opening salvos in what’s expected to be an extensive legal battle over Texas’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, ACLU, Americans with Disabilities Act, Brennan Center, Chris Hollins, curbside voting, Dana DeBeauvoir, Disability Rights Texas, Election 2020, elections administrator, FIEL Houston, Greg Abbott, Harris County, HOPE, Isabel Longoria, Jolt Initiative, Ken Paxton, La Unión Del Pueblo Entero, lawsuit, League of Women Voters, MALDEF, Medina County, Mexican American Bar Association of Texas, OCA Houston, REV UP Texas, Secretary of State, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Impact, Texas Organizing Project, The Lege, Travis County, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act, Workers Defense Action Fund | Comments Off

Final passage of the voter suppression bill

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s all for now, we’ll see you in court for what will likely be a frustrating and unsatisfying denouement. A wave of changes to Texas elections, including new voting restrictions, are headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. Three months after … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Briscoe Cain, Bryan Hughes, Crystal Mason, filibuster, Garnet Coleman, Hervis Rogers, John Turner, quorum, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege, two thirds rule, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Voter suppression bill passes the House

Posted on August 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was always to be, it was just a matter of when. After months of drama and political resistance, the curtain has lowered on Democratic attempts to stave off a far-reaching rewrite of the state’s voting laws coveted by Republicans … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Andrew Murr, Greg Abbott, Harris County, John Lewis, quorum, Senate, Senfronia Thompson, special session, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 3 Comments

A look ahead to Commissioners Court redistricting

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the Census redistricting data is out, and that means a whole lot of map-drawing is in our future. The main focus on this will be in Austin where the Congressional and legislative maps are re-drawn, but those … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged Adrian Garcia, Beto O'Rourke, Census, Commissioners Court, Donald Trump, Election 2018, Election 2020, Election 2022, Election 2024, Harris County, HCDE, Jack Cagle, Joe Biden, Lina Hidalgo, precinct analysis, redistricting, Rodney Ellis, Texas, Tom Ramsey, Voting Rights Act | 4 Comments

Spring Branch ISD lawsuit

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m late to this, but better late than never/ A former candidate for the Spring Branch ISD school board has filed a lawsuit alleging the district’s election policies are in violation of national laws against voting discrimination. In her complaint, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged City Council, Election 2021, Farmers Branch, Irving, lawsuit, Pasadena, single member districts, Spring Branch, Texas, Virginia Elizondo, Voting Rights Act | 4 Comments

Is it really a quorum?

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It is if no one is counting too closely. Texas House Republicans finally got their long-sought quorum Thursday — by the skin of their teeth. There were 99 members registered as present Thursday evening, the exact number needed to end … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Ana Hernandez, Armando Walle, Art Fierro, Chris Turner, Congress, Dade Phelan, Garnet Coleman, Jake Ellzey, James Talarico, Joe Moody, Leo Pacheco, Mary Gonzalez, quorum, Ron Reynolds, SCOTUS, Senate, special election, special session, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

We have a quorum

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. For the first time in nearly six weeks, enough lawmakers were present in the Texas House on Thursday for the chamber to conduct business — opening the door for the passage of the GOP priority elections bill that prompted … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Ana Hernandez, Armando Walle, Art Fierro, Congress, Dade Phelan, Garnet Coleman, Jake Ellzey, James Talarico, Joe Moody, Leo Pacheco, Mary Gonzalez, quorum, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 6 Comments

Meet the new special session

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Same as the old special session, at least at first. It appears likely that not enough Democrats will show up for the Texas House to conduct business when a second special legislative session convenes Saturday. Some of the more than … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Alma Allen, Ana-Maria Ramos, Attorney General, Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, budget, Celia Israel, Chris Turner, Christina Morales, Craig Washington, Dade Phelan, Donna Howard, Eddie Rodriguez, Gene Wu, Gina Hinojosa, Greg Abbott, Jake Ellzey, James White, Jarvis Johnson, Jasmine Crockett, Jon Rosenthal, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Legislative Budget Board, line item veto, Liz Campos, Mary Ann Perez, Nicole Collier, quorum, Ray Lopez, Ron Reynolds, Senfronia Thompson, Shawn Thierry, special session, Supreme Court, Terry Meza, Texas, The Lege, Trey Martinez-Fischer, veto, Vikki Goodwin, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 3 Comments

Special session 2.0 coming right up

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that the second special legislative session will begin at noon Saturday — and with an expanded agenda. The 17-item agenda still includes well-known Abbott priorities like the election bill that caused … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged budget, coronavirus, Dan Patrick, filibuster, Greg Abbott, lawsuit, Legislative Budget Board, line item veto, quorum, redistricting, special session, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege, veto, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

The march for voting rights

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good work, but it can’t be the end. Saturday marked the third time in as many months that former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke has headlined a voting rights rally at the Texas Capitol, as Democrats hope to keep momentum with … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged activism, Beto O'Rourke, Congress, filibuster, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act, William Barber | 19 Comments

Day 17 quorum busting post: Testify

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, Ms T. State Rep. Senfronia Thompson described to a U.S. House committee on Thursday occasions in 2010 and 2012 when white Republican poll watchers showed up at a Houston polling place where she and many other Black … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, That's our Lege | Tagged Chuck Schumer, Congress, Diego Bernal, filibuster, Georgia, Joe Biden, Joe Manchin, Nancy Pelosi, Nicole Collier, poll watchers, quorum, Raphael Warnock, Senate, Senfronia Thompson, special session, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 11 Comments

Day 3 not as long omnibus quorum busting post

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s jump right in… Who’s paying for Texas Democrats’ trip to DC? Beto O’Rourke has already raised $400K. Beto O’Rourke’s political action committee has raised nearly half a million dollars to support Texas Democrats’ escape to Washington, D.C., he said … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Beto O'Rourke, Donald Trump, fundraising, Greg Abbott, lawsuit, line item veto, Powered by People, quorum, SCOTUS, Senate, special session, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege, Trey Martinez-Fischer, veto, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 27 Comments

Day 2 quorum busting omnibus post

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna round up a few stories here. Don’t know how often I’ll be this energetic, or how often there will be this many stories that I see that are worth commenting on, but it is Day Two. We’re just getting … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged abortion, bail, Bryan Hughes, budget, Chris Turner, critical race theory, Dade Phelan, Eddie Morales, Garnet Coleman, Greg Abbott, Joe Biden, Joe Manchin, John Turner, Jon Rosenthal, Killer Ds, Kyrsten Sinema, line item veto, Morgan Meyer, Odus Evbagharu, Penny Shaw, quorum, Rafael Anchia, redistricting, Rhetta Bowers, Ryan Guillen, Senate, Senfronia Thompson, special session, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege, Tracy King, transgender rights, veto, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act, Will Metcalf | 13 Comments

SCOTUS takes another knife to the Voting Rights Act

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The red carpet for voter suppression has been rolled out. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld two Arizona voting restrictions that a lower court had said discriminated against voters of color. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion in … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Arizona, lawsuit, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 34 Comments

Justice Department sues Georgia over its voter suppression law

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. In its first major action to combat GOP voter suppression laws, the Biden Justice Department announced on Friday that it is suing the state of Georgia over its new voting restrictions. The lawsuit was first reported by … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, National news | Tagged Georgia, Justice Department, lawsuit, Merrick Garland, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 2 Comments

They’re coming back

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. Gov. Greg Abbott has set a special session of the Texas Legislature starting July 8, his office announced Tuesday. Abbott’s office did not specify what legislative priorities will be included on the special session agenda and said in … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged bail, budget, filibuster, Greg Abbott, Killer Ds, line item veto, quorum, Rafael Anchia, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege, veto, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 13 Comments

The Texas Dem legislators and the push for federal voting rights legislation

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We know this happened. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday pointed to Texas Republicans’ push for sweeping new voting restrictions as a key illustration of the need to restore federal oversight of elections. While meeting at the White House with … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged Al Green, Congress, filibuster, Greg Abbott, Henry Cuellar, Jasmine Crockett, Jessica Gonzalez, Joe Manchin, Jose Menendez, Kamala Harris, quorum, SCOTUS, Senate, special session, Sylvia Garcia, Texas, The Lege, Trey Martinez-Fischer, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 3 Comments

The voting location restrictions of SB7

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As Michael Li said on Twitter, this is breathtaking, and not at all in a good way. The number of Election Day polling places in largely Democratic parts of major Texas counties would fall dramatically under a Republican proposal to … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Bexar County, Bryan Hughes, Dallas County, early voting, Election 2020, Harris County, Isabel Longoria, Lubbock, Senate, Tarrant County, Texas, The Lege, voter registration, voter suppression, voting centers, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

Census apportionment numbers are in

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Texas will gain two seats in Congress, which is one fewer than had been expected based on population growth estimates. Texas will continue to see its political clout grow as it gains two additional congressional seats — the most of … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged Arizona, California, Census, Colorado, Congress, coronavirus, demography, Donald Trump, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, redistricting, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act, West Virginia | 24 Comments

First major vote suppression bill passes

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing’s going to stop them. Senate Republicans on Thursday cleared the way for new, sweeping restrictions to voting in Texas that take particular aim at forbidding local efforts meant to widen access. In an overnight vote after more than seven … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged absentee ballots, American Airlines, Borris Miles, Bryan Hughes, Business Roundtable, Carol Alvarado, curbside voting, Dan Patrick, Dell, drop off boxes, early voting, Election 2022, Judith Zaffirini, lawsuit, LULAC, NAACP, poll watchers, SCOTUS, Senate, Texas, The Lege, voter registration, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 5 Comments

Republicans want to ban voting at night

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Give me a break. Texas Republicans have made it clear that voter suppression is a legislative priority, and one of their biggest targets involves Harris County. State Rep. Jared Patterson filed a bill last week that would restrict voting hours at … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Chris Hollins, Congress, Donald Trump, early voting, Election 2020, Harris County, Harris County Clerk, Jared Patterson, Ken Paxton, redistricting, Texas, voter registration, Voting Rights Act | 4 Comments

How Greg Abbott wants to restrict voting

Posted on February 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More from that Trib story following the State of the State address. As part of his State of the State speech, Abbott designated five emergency items, or items that lawmakers can vote on within the first 60 days of session. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged absentee ballots, Allen West, Briscoe Cain, Congress, coronavirus, Donald Trump, Election 2020, emergency powers, Greg Abbott, Pennsylvania, Republican Party, sedition, Texas, The Lege, voter ID, Voting Rights Act | 12 Comments

If we’re lucky, Congress will short circuit the Lege’s attempts to curtail voting

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That would be nice. Elections have consequences. So does the Republican enabling of the worst, most corrupt chief executive in the nation’s history. Hence, the first piece of legislation to be introduced in the new Democratic Senate will be S. 1, The for the … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged absentee ballots, Congress, Joe Biden, redistricting, Senate, Texas, The Lege, voter registration, Voting Rights Act | 17 Comments

How bad will the attack on voting be this session?

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to say, but there’s no reason to be particularly optimistic. As the country’s political polarization reaches a boiling point — illustrated vividly Wednesday by the violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of the president who believed his … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged absentee ballots, Allen West, Congress, constitutional amendments, coronavirus, curbside voting, Donald Trump, Drew Springer, drop off boxes, early voting, Election 2020, Election 2022, Greg Abbott, John Bucy, Paul Bettencourt, Senate, special session, Steve Toth, Texas, The Lege, voter ID, voter registration, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 8 Comments

Will we get redistricting hearings?

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Please? Voting groups in Texas want lawmakers to open up the state’s redistricting process to the public before they redraw political boundaries next year. Public hearings are aimed at giving communities input in the process. But since the pandemic, those … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged coronavirus, League of Women Voters, redistricting, Senate, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

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