Tag Archives: Common Cause

More on Ken Paxton’s ethicslessness

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, that’s a word. It’s also a good description of the state of our Attorney General. Three decades following its inception, the [Texas Ethics C]ommission is toothless. Compliance of Texas’ ethics laws is largely voluntary. That’s because the agency relies … Continue reading →

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Of course Dan Patrick has a Ken Paxton conflict of interest

Posted on June 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Why wouldn’t he? Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has cast Attorney General Ken Paxton’s upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate as like a real-world courtroom, with senators sitting as jurors and Patrick serving as judge. “Would you go to a judge … Continue reading →

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At least we avoided violence

Posted on December 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve tried and failed to come up with a better post title than that for this. After two years of fears of electoral dysfunction and violence, voting rights advocates breathed bated sighs of relief this week as Texas finished a … Continue reading →

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Paxton files corrected finance report

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I feel duty-bound to note this. Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is in a hotly contested primary, has filed a corrected campaign finance report after he did not disclose a large portion of his donors from the last six months … Continue reading →

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We’ll probably never know who Ken Paxton’s big campaign donors are

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He has no interest in telling us, and there’s basically no mechanism to make him. Attorney General Ken Paxton recently announced a hefty $2.8 million campaign haul, showing the competition he can still raise big bucks while under FBI scrutiny. … Continue reading →

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Lots of mail ballot applications are being rejected now

Posted on January 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a feature, not a bug. Hundreds of Texans seeking to vote by mail in the upcoming March primary elections are seeing their applications for ballots rejected by local election offices trying to comply with stricter voting rules enacted … Continue reading →

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Redistricting litigation update

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Reform Austin shows that the state’s legal defense strategy against the various redistricting lawsuits is “You can’t sue us!” Because of the clear racial gerrymandering, multiple groups are launching legal challenges under the Voting Rights Act. The state has now … Continue reading →

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ACLU and others sue over new redistricting maps

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The count is now seven. Civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging new Texas state legislative and congressional district plans as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders violating both the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution. The suit details an … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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More on the poll watcher problem

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all right here. You just have to pay attention to what they’re saying. As Texas Republican lawmakers seek to expand the powers of partisan poll watchers — and Democrats warn doing so will lead to intimidation of minority voters … Continue reading →

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House committee passes its voter suppression bill

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I remain pessimistic about this, but we have no choice but to fight. A Texas House committee on Thursday advanced an elections bill that would make it a state jail felony for local election officials to distribute an application to … Continue reading →

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SCOTX upholds Abbott’s limit on mail ballot dropoff locations

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m shocked, I tell you, shocked. In what’s expected to be the final ruling on the matter, the Texas Supreme Court has upheld Gov. Greg Abbott’s order limiting Texas counties to only one drop-off location for voters to hand deliver … Continue reading →

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SCOTX reinstates Abbott’s mail ballot dropoff location limit

Posted on October 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They can move fast when they want to, that’s for sure. Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial order to limit Texas counties to one mail-ballot drop-off site was allowed to remain in effect Saturday by the Texas Supreme Court. The court blocked … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s order limiting mail ballot dropoff sites blocked again

Posted on October 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

But that’s not the end of the story, so hang on. A Texas appellate court on Friday stepped in to block Gov. Greg Abbott’s order limiting counties to just one mail-ballot dropoff site, but Harris County officials said they will … Continue reading →

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State judge halts Abbott’s mail ballot dropoff limit order

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Remember there was a state lawsuit over the executive order that limited counties to one mail ballot dropoff location? That suit had a hearing this week, and the plaintiffs prevailed. For now, at least. A Travis County state district judge … Continue reading →

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Third lawsuit filed against Abbott’s order to limit mail ballot dropoff sites

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This one’s in state court. Gov. Greg Abbott’s order limiting Texas counties to one mail ballot drop-off location has been challenged in court a third time. The lawsuit filed in Travis County court on Monday alleges that Abbott’s order exceeds … 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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Civil rights groups push back on bogus SOS letter

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Lawyers with 13 organizations — including the Texas Civil Rights Project, the ACLU of Texas, the League of Women Voters of Texas and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund — are demanding that the state rescind an advisory sent to … Continue reading →

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Trying again with online voter registration

Posted on January 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Fingers crossed. Texas voter registration might be heading to the internet if any of several bills filed for the upcoming legislative session finds its way to the governor’s desk. Five bills, all filed by Democratic legislators, would require the state … Continue reading →

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Abbott signs bill to remove Public Integrity Unit from Travis County DA office

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Ignoring calls for a veto, Gov. Greg Abbott signed controversial legislation this week that will allow elected and appointed state officials and state employees to bypass Austin prosecutors when they are accused of public corruption. Abbott, a Republican, … Continue reading →

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