Tag Archives: Harris County Clerk

Lawsuit filed over Abbott’s order to limit mail ballot dropoff locations

Posted on October 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Voting rights advocates and civic groups have rushed to the courthouse in a bid to block Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s Oct. 1 order allowing Texas counties no more than one drop-off location for voters casting absentee ballots, calling … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Abbott moves to stop mail ballot dropoff locations

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about you, but this reeks of fear to me. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday declared that counties can designate only one location to collect completed mail ballots from voters, forcing Harris County to abandon 11 sites set … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

You can track your mail ballot in Harris County

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Harris County residents now are able to track the status of their mail ballots through a new system launched by County Clerk Christopher Hollins Wednesday. For the first time, a voter can see when their ballot is mailed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SCOTX hears mail ballot case arguments

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here we are. Harris County Clerk Christopher Hollins’ plan to send mail ballot applications to all 2.4 million registered voters in the county far exceeds what the state Election Code allows, the attorney general’s office argued before the Texas Supreme … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Paxton opposes Hotze mandamus to curb early voting

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Reform Austin: In a brief filed with the Texas Supreme Court, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argues that the GOP group suing Gov. Greg Abbott to prevent him from extending early voting for the November election has no standing … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Hotze’s latest Supreme Court gambit

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

He has nothing else to do, clearly. A litigious conservative activist in Houston, the Harris County Republican party, and a number of Republican officials and candidates are asking the Texas Supreme Court to limit in-person and absentee voting options for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The people responded to the call for poll workers

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In Harris County, bigtime. Muhammed Nasrullah was ready to call it quits. After working as an election judge in every Harris County contest since 2004, the COVID-19 pandemic discouraged the 67-year-old retired mechanical engineer from signing up again. He is … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Let’s not overstate the no-straight-ticket effect

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

With all due respect, this is some ado about not very much. With straight-ticket voting no longer an option in 2020, the Harris County Clerk estimates the average resident will spend a significantly longer time in the voting booth this … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Recruiting poll workers

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One good thing Facebook has ever done. Facebook has set out to recruit poll workers, providing free ads for state election officials to help fill jobs at voting centers in a very unusual election year. “With the election less than … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Recruiting poll workers

Appeals court sides with Hollins in mail ballot applications case

Posted on September 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s up to SCOTX now. A Texas appeals court on Friday upheld a district court ruling that denied Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to block Harris County officials from sending mail ballot applications to the county’s 2.4 million registered voters. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harris County preps to print mail ballots

Posted on September 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

How many they have to print remains an open question at this time. For the first time, Harris County will pay a third-party vendor to print mail ballots, a move intended to help the county clerk handle what is expected … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SCOTX extends stay in Harris County vote by mail case

Posted on September 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I was set to be super outraged about this, but as you will see it’s not quite as bad as it first looked. The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked Harris County from sending mail ballot applications to all registered … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

County’s plan to make in person voting safer is having an effect

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So says this poll. Voters with the highest risk of suffering COVID-19’s worst effects say they’re more likely to vote early this November, according to a Rice University study. A poll of nearly 6,000 Harris County voters found roughly 80% … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on County’s plan to make in person voting safer is having an effect

Now we wait on SCOTX

Posted on September 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Shouldn’t have to wait too long to get a resolution to the “Harris County Clerk wanting to send out mail ballot applications to all registered voters” question. A day after a court ruled against him, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

County Clerk can send his vote by mail applications

Posted on September 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A judge on Friday rejected Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to halt Harris County’s plan to send mail ballot applications to all 2.4 million registered voters. State District Judge R.K. Sandill denied Paxton’s request for a temporary injunction, stating … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

State appeals court rules (mostly) against Libertarians in filing fee lawsuit

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the story. It gets into the legal weeds, and I’m going to try my best to clear them out. A state appellate court this week upheld a 2019 law that extended a requirement that candidates pay a filing fee … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Where are we with the lawsuit to stop Harris County from sending out vote by mail applications?

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks for asking, we had the hearing in district court yesterday. Voting in person will be safe across Texas in this fall’s general election despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the state’s elections director asserted in a Harris County courtroom Wednesday … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

HISD may do remote learning on Election Day

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Makes sense to me. Houston ISD’s administration wants to hold online-only classes on Election Day this November, citing safety concerns at more than 100 campuses that are expected to be used as polling locations. “While it is not unusual for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

When HEB is on your side

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Who could be against you? Charles Butt, the billionaire owner of the San Antonio-based grocery chain H-E-B, sent a letter to the Texas Supreme Court this week, siding with Harris County on its plan to send mail ballot applications to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Supreme Court issues possibly pointless stay in mail ballots case

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This story doesn’t quite say what it seems to say, as we will see. The Texas Supreme Court has temporarily blocked Harris County from sending mail-in ballot applications to all its voters for the November election. The decision Wednesday came … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

County Clerk scales back mail ballot application sendout for now

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a wise tactical move. The Harris County clerk is holding off his plan to send ballot applications to every registered voter in Harris County. County Clerk Chris Hollins said for now he is going to send ballot applications … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

And now the state has sued to stop the Clerk’s mail ballot application program

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Such a busy day in court. Acting at the request of the secretary of state, the Texas attorney general on Monday sued Harris County after it refused to drop plans to send applications for mail-in ballots for the November general … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Hotze and the Harris County GOP try to stop the Clerk from sending out mail ballot applications

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s mandamus time! Again. The Harris County Republican Party on Monday joined a lawsuit asking the Texas Supreme Court to halt the county clerk’s plan to send mail ballot applications to all 2.4 million registered voters. The lawsuit accuses County … Continue reading →

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

SOS objects to Hollins’ mail ballot application plan

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was inevitable. In a letter dated Aug. 27, Keith Ingram, director of elections for the Texas secretary of state, told Harris County to “immediately halt” its plans to send every registered voter in the county an application … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

You’ll be able to vote at Toyota Center this fall

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Toyota Center will serve as a voting center for the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election, the Rockets and the Harris County Clerk office announced on Thursday. Toyota Center will be open to any registered voter in Harris County from Oct. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harris County goes all in on voting access

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Harris County voters this November will have more time and more than a hundred additional places to cast ballots in the presidential election, including drive-through locations and one day of 24-hour voting, under an expansive plan approved by Commissioners … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Weekend voting litigation news

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have two news items about voting-related lawsuits. Both of these come via the Daily Kos Voting Rights Roundup, which has been increasingly valuable to me lately, given the sheer number of such lawsuits and the fact that some news … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hollins asks for some slack on when mail ballots are received

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: On Wednesday, August 19, 2020, Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins sent a formal request to Governor Greg Abbott requesting that Governor Abbott extend the deadline by which county election administrators can receive mail ballots. The deadline for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Hollins asks for some slack on when mail ballots are received

More on mail ballots

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a second story from the Trib on the attempted destruction of the Postal Service in the name of vote suppression by Donald Trump. “I think the goal of Donald Trump’s comments are to destabilize faith in voting systems and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 59 Comments

And the nominees are…

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday was the Harris County Democratic Party CEC meeting, at which the nominees for the two positions that needed them were filled. The easy one was the second one, where Teneshia Hudspeth was unanimously selected. The way this process works … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Do not wait with your mail ballot

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You have been warned. The U.S. Postal Service has warned Texas officials that some ballots cast by mail may not arrive in time to be counted for the November election thanks to certain state deadlines for mail-in ballots being incompatible … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

More election innovation, please

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Some good stuff here: less than 90 days to E-Day & we’re pushing for Bexar to: ✅ send all 65+ reg voters app to vote by mail ✅ expand EV hrs to include at least one 24-hour site ✅ increase … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Making NRG Arena the 2020 election headquarters

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds like a good idea. Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins is seeking permission from Commissioners Court to use NRG Arena as a headquarters for the fall presidential election, converting the expansive space for voting, ballot counting and a call center. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Abbott officially extends early voting for November

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s just by a week, but at least the announcement has been made early. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday extended the early voting period for the November election by six days, citing continued challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Early … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments