Tag Archives: voter registration

Another look at the County Commissioner race

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the most consequential local race on the ballot this year. Every four years since 1968, Harris County residents have been able to count on a Republican winning the Precinct 3 commissioner’s seat. In that half century, a parade of … Continue reading →

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Turning out more Asian-American voters

Posted on September 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Keep an eye on this. A national progressive group focused on getting Asian Americans to vote says it is going “all in” on Texas, looking to spend $1 million in the state where Asian Americans are the fastest growing segment … Continue reading →

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Voter Registration Week

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been going on all week, and a busy week this has been. After seeing record turnout for this year’s primaries and runoffs, Texas Democrats are striving for even higher numbers in the general election. They have a large pool … Continue reading →

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A very simple projection of the November vote

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In my earlier post about the current state of voter registrations, I noted that you could see the county-by-county totals in the contest details for the Senate runoff. What that also means is that if you have current (till now, … Continue reading →

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Plaintiffs prevail again in Motor Voter Lawsuit 2.0

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Same result as before, this time without the technicality that got the first try thrown out on appeal. A persistent Texas voter, twice thwarted when he tried registering to vote while renewing his driver’s license online, has for the second … Continue reading →

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Despite it all, voter registration keeps increasing

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You love to see it. Not even the worst pandemic to hit Texas in a century was enough to stem the surge in voter registrations that has remade the state’s electorate over the past four years. Just since March, Texas … Continue reading →

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Checking in on CD21

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Thar’s the race where Wendy Davis is trying to unseat the mini-Ted Cruz known as Chip Roy, and the pundits are thinking she can do it. All signs are pointing toward a competitive race between incumbent conservative firebrand U.S. Rep. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Commissioner Rodney Ellis

Posted on July 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Normally, I do candidate interviews for elections, though I do branch out sometimes when there’s an issue or some election-adjacent matter I want to explore. It’s in that spirit that I bring you this conversation I had with Commissioner Rodney … Continue reading →

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RIP, Engage Texas

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We hardly knew ye. Engage Texas, the massive Republican super PAC focused on voter registration, is shutting down, citing challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic. The group began last year with the support of some of the biggest Texas GOP donors and raised $12.7 … Continue reading →

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More people are requesting mail ballots

Posted on May 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a trickle and not a flood so far, but I suspect that will change as we get closer to Novemner. The legal status of mail-in voting for virus-related reasons has gone back and forth — earlier this month, one … Continue reading →

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On picking a new County Clerk

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Stace has some thoughts. I’m of the opinion that the Democratic majority on the Commissioner’s Court should make a strong appointment of someone who will be the incumbent, making it clear that there is no need for a possible free-for-all … Continue reading →

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The federal stimulus package includes money for elections

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

What we’ll do with it remains unknown at this time. The $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package Congress is working to pass this week includes $400 million for election costs states face in wrestling with how to hold high-profile 2020 elections … Continue reading →

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Coronavirus and voter registration

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Time for Plan B. Texas was making record gains getting voters on the rolls. Now the coronavirus threatens to grind that progress to a halt, throwing up major hurdles to Democratic efforts to make the state’s November elections competitive for … Continue reading →

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Harris County settles lawsuit about voter registration records

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure what to make of this. In a victory for government transparency, Harris County officials settled a lawsuit Tuesday with a conservative voting rights group, agreeing to disclose records of foreign nationals who voted in Texas elections and … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of Tax Assessor race

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I wasn’t expecting an interesting race here, at least not going into the filing season, but we have one. Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Ann Harris Bennett is familiar with elections, appearing on the ballot five times in the last six … Continue reading →

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The next round in the Motor Voter 2.0 lawsuit

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for the plaintiffs. Finding Texas in violation of federal law, a U.S. judge gave civil rights lawyers a small win Thursday — fueling hopes of a wider victory in a continuing fight over the state’s online voter registration … Continue reading →

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Speaking of voter registration

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron notes the latest milestone. For the first time in history, Texas has topped 16 million registered voters and is adding voters faster than its population grows heading into the 2020 presidential election. With the voter registration deadline for … Continue reading →

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The Democrats’ voter registration strategy

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the Texas Signal: [Last] Monday, the Texas Democratic Party announced the largest voter registration program in the history of the state. This massive effort will be done in conjunction with Fair Fight, a voting rights organization started by Stacey … Continue reading →

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“Motor voter” lawsuit 2.0

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Try, try again, this time hopefully addressing the cause of the Fifth Court of Appeals’ rejection of the first lawsuit. The first time former English professor Jarrod Stringer was told he couldn’t vote in a Texas election, he sued. A … Continue reading →

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Another voter registration lawsuit filed

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This time, the point of contention is electronic signatures. In a federal lawsuit filed Monday in San Antonio, the Texas Democratic Party and the campaign arms for Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate allege that Texas is violating the … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit overturns “motor voter” lawsuit verdict

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. Totally expected and completely on brand for the Fifth Circuit, but a bummer nonetheless. A federal appeals court has overturned a previous ruling that could have opened the door to online voter registration in Texas. In a Wednesday court … Continue reading →

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News flash: Republicans still like Trump

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I’m as shocked as you are. As in any sports bar in Texas when the Dallas Cowboys are playing on Monday night, most of the TVs at a British pub in northwest San Antonio were tuned to the … Continue reading →

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Our increasingly diverse swing districts

Posted on October 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Current trends keep on trending. New 2018 census data shows that some of the most competitive congressional districts in Texas are continuing to become more diverse, as campaigns gear up for what’s expected to be the state’s most competitive election … Continue reading →

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The need for voter registration never ends

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A small step back, but I expect a big step forward next year. Democrats in Texas see registering new voters as crucial to winning statewide elections in 2020, but the number of registered voters in Harris County, the state’s largest, … Continue reading →

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The TDP 2020 plan

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on. The Texas Democratic Party is pulling back the curtain on its 2020 strategy ahead of the Houston presidential debate, releasing a plan to flip the state that targets 2.6 million potential Democratic voters who are not registered … Continue reading →

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Boosting student turnout at UT

Posted on September 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Cool story. Between 2013 and 2016, Texas eliminated more than 400 polling locations, the largest drop in any state during that time. In 2013, after years of litigation, it implemented a strict voter ID law. The law, which lists seven … Continue reading →

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McCaul’s hustle

Posted on September 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out, running for re-election is hard work. Rep. Michael McCaul does not have to be here, at Carl’s BBQ on the side of a highway, in a wood-paneled backroom, seated at a bare table in front of a stuffed, … Continue reading →

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Yet another story about suburbs shifting away from Republicans

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Collect the whole set! Texas is currently experiencing two trends that are favorable to Democrats: increasing urbanization, and big demographic shifts. The Texas Tribune recently reported that Hispanics are expected to become the largest demographic group in the state by 2022, with … Continue reading →

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Our first look at how Engage Texas will operate

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting move. As people filed in and out of the massive driver license office in Southwest Houston on Tuesday morning, two workers at a tent affiliated with a conservative advocacy group asked if the passersby would sign a petition or … Continue reading →

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Our all-important metro areas

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Another look at the trouble Republicans face in Texas now. The key to Texas’ political future is whether it finally follows the geographic realignment that has transformed the politics of many other states over the past quarter century. Across the … Continue reading →

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We have a new SOS

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Yippie. After losing his last chief election officer over a botched review of the state’s voter rolls, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday appointed a new secretary of state: Ruth Ruggero Hughs. Ruggero Hughs is moving from the Texas Workforce Commission, … Continue reading →

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Raising money to register Republicans

Posted on August 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Just keeping an eye on things. A new super PAC focused on registering new Republican voters in Texas has raised nearly $10 million from some of the state’s biggest GOP donors, according to its first report to the Federal Election … Continue reading →

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Republicans are worried about Texas, part 583

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

When was the last time you head about a Republican-oriented mass voter registration effort? Wealthy Republican donors are preparing a multimillion-dollar effort to register more than 1 million new GOP voters in Texas for 2020 amid anxiety that President Trump … Continue reading →

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It’s not an apology that’s needed

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This may make for good rhetoric, but it’s not what the goal should be. Congressmen Joaquin Castro and Lloyd Doggett on Friday demanded Gov. Greg Abbott apologize to Texas voters for attempting to purge as many as 95,000 people from … Continue reading →

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