Tag Archives: Election 2015

Looking ahead to 2019

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, yes, I know. We’ve barely begun the 2018 cycle. Who in their right mind is thinking about 2019? I plead guilty to political insanity, but the beginning of the year is always the best time to look forward, and … Continue reading →

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The potential Sylvia effect

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, Rep. Gene Green is retiring, and as we also know, Sen. Sylvia Garcia is one of the contenders to succeed him. As noted before, this is a free shot for Garcia, as she would not otherwise be … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

2017 EV daily report: Final numbers and our attempt at projecting turnout

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the final numbers. Believe it or not, people did vote on Friday despite the fact that the entire metro area appeared to be at the Astros parade. Here are the daily totals from previous years: 2015 2013 2011 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

2017 EV daily report: Day 10, and the first sign of an uptick

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers through Wednesday. I know I said yesterday that I don’t usually report the latest results in Week 2 because they come in late, but like everyone else I was up late watching Game 7, so here … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Day 8, and one more look at a way to guess turnout

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers through Monday. Now that we are in the second week of early voting, when the hours each day are 7 to 7, these reports arrive in my inbox later in the evening. Here are the daily … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Day 6

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers through Saturday. Sunday’s numbers didn’t come in last night, but it’s the shortest EV day so its numbers are always the smallest. Here are the daily totals from previous years: 2015 2013 2011 2009 2007 And … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Just remember, the reports we get are all of Harris County

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are today’s numbers, and here are the daily totals from previous years: 2015 2013 2011 2009 2007 And here’s a select comparison: Year Early Mail Total Mailed ======================================= 2017 11,953 7,513 19,466 19,581 2015 36,322 19,789 56,111 42,520 2011 … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Day One

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Happy first day of early voting! If you’re expecting me to have today’s EV totals from Harris County, as well as EV totals from past elections, you’re right. Here are today’s numbers, and here are the daily totals from previous … Continue reading →

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Harvey and the elections

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Labor Day weekend of odd-numbered years is considered to be the opening weekend of Houston election season. The filing deadline has passed, so the fields are set and people (supposedly, at least) begin to pay attention. Candidate forums are held, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017, Election 2018, Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

HISD board fills Manuel Rodriguez’s seat

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The HISD Board of Trustees is back to full strength. The Houston ISD Board of Education voted to appoint José Leal to fill the seat left vacant after the death of longtime District III Trustee Manuel Rodríguez Jr last month. … Continue reading →

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July 2017 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s continue our survey of campaign finance reports with reports from the city of Houston. Name Raised Spent Loans On Hand ================================================ Turner 520,430 138,068 0 1,643,519 Stardig 59,470 36,402 0 102,289 Davis 5,500 13,231 0 147,050 Cohen 5,000 8,382 … Continue reading →

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There will be no city elections this November

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the early version of the story. I’ll add a link to the full story in the morning. The Texas Supreme Court on Monday denied plantiffs’ attempts to expedite their case challenging the [2015 term limits referendum] ballot language that … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

HCC Trustee Chris Oliver pleads guilty to bribery charges

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hoo boy. A Houston Community College trustee faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to bribery, federal prosecutors said Friday. The case of 53-year-old Christopher W. Oliver, 53, of Houston was unsealed by U.S. District Judge Vanessa … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

City responds to term limits mandamus

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what the city had to say in response to the request that the Supreme Court vacate the district court ruling that let the 2015 term limits referendum stand and order an election for this November: In an unusually blunt … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

When might the Supreme Court speak on the Houston term limits lawsuit?

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

So as you know there is an ongoing lawsuit over the language used in the 2015 referendum that altered the city’s term limits ordinance. It was filed shortly after the election, with the city winning the first round in district … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Final EV report for the May 6 election

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Before I get to the numbers, here’s a Chron overview of the Pasadena Mayor’s race that mentions the numbers towards the end. “I believe it’s a pivotal time in this city’s history – that it can either draw together and … Continue reading →

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One last look at the recapture re-vote

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot at stake here, and not a whole lot of people voting on it. For the second time in seven months, voters within the Houston Independent School District will determine how – and if – it should pay … Continue reading →

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Early voting Day Five: Can we make any guesses yet?

Posted on April 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mike Snyder wonders about the turnout so far in the May elections. When Pasadena last chose a mayor, in 2013, about 7 percent of its registered voters determined who would lead the industrial port city of 150,000. Mayor Johnny Isbell, who … Continue reading →

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Petitions submitted to force another pension vote

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, good grief. Voters soon could decide whether to close Houston’s traditional pension plans to new employees after political activists submitted a petition to City Hall to force a referendum this November. The petition further complicates Mayor Sylvester Turner’s efforts … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

TOP responds to Chron story on Mayor Turner

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Via the inbox, we come full circle: The following is a statement by Tarsha Jackson, Harris County director of the Texas Organizing Project, in reaction to the article “Progressives fret over Turner’s focus”: “Far from fretting over Mayor Sylvester Turner’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Is there some fretting about Mayor Turner?

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe? I don’t know. I guess it depends on how you define “fretting”. The resignation of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s top deputy – a social justice advocate and one of the mayor’s few confidants in a sea of senior staff appointed … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Bill to restore some budget flexibility filed

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Call it the Law of Unintended Consequences Act of 2017. The Texas House’s chief budget writer filed legislation Friday that would allow lawmakers to claw back billions of dollars that voters approved for state highways, freeing them up for other … Continue reading →

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Some dude opposes pension reform

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Presenting this in a slightly redacted form. [Some dude] has joined friend and ally Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, in rallying opposition to [Mayor Sylvester] Turner’s [pension reform] proposal among conservatives. He has attended at least three dozen forums on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

January 2017 campaign finance reports: Houston officeholders

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Normally, at this time I would be scanning through Houston candidate campaign finance reports, to see where incumbents stand at the start of the season. Of course, barring near-term court action there is no season for Houston municipal officeholders this … Continue reading →

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Turns out a little budget flexibility is a good thing

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Some lessons have to be learned the hard way. More than a year after Texas voters approved routing billions in state sales taxes to roads and bridges, some lawmakers are questioning whether the first payment of $5 billion should move … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

City loses appeal of procedural argument in term limits lawsuit

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Stay with me, because this is going to take a bit of explaining. A state appeals court on Thursday rejected the city’s procedural challenge to a lawsuit that could force Houston’s mayor and city council members to revert to three … Continue reading →

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

This fight feels different

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The more I read about the forthcoming fight between Dan Patrick and his minions and everyone else over the bathroom bill, the more I am struck by the thought that we have never seen anything quite like this before in … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A look ahead to Houston’s 2017 elections

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I want to return to something in that story about Mayor Turner’s 2017 agenda, which was near the bottom but which is a very big deal for the coming year: A lawsuit over the ballot language used last year to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Year Two for Mayor Turner

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Year One was busy, but a lot of what was done this year depends on what happens next year. Tasked last year with distinguishing himself from a crowded field of mayoral candidates, Sylvester Turner styled himself as a progressive with … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Pasadena voting rights case in the judge’s hands now

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We await a ruling. Armed officers guarded a closed-door committee meeting. Discriminatory comments surfaced at City Hall. Latino-backed council members were hustled from chambers by police. The accounts of perceived intimidation and back-door dealings were detailed during testimony in a … Continue reading →

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

Time once again to discuss Latino political participation

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s jump right in. The long wait continues for Houston and Harris County residents eager for a steep uptick in elected Latino representation. Hispanic residents last year were 42 percent of the county population, up from 23 percent in 1990, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Council ratifies Turner’s pension plan

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: On a 16-1 vote, Houston City Council has endorsed Mayor Sylvester Turner’s historic package of pension reforms. The vote clears the way for the City to move forward in partnership with the pension systems to seek legislative … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Endorsement watch: Stay the course

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County Democrats have one incumbent up for re-election: County Attorney Vince Ryan. The Chron gives their approval for another term. [Ryan] said that he actively pursues pollution enforcement lawsuits against big companies – such as Volkswagen after it lied … Continue reading →

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Senate whinefest about ballot propositions

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Spare me. Members of a state Senate committee called Monday for changes in Texas law to prevent cities from thwarting or blocking citizen petition drives, a key issue for conservative and tea party groups in Houston and other cities in … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments