Tag Archives: petitions

RFK Jr pulls out

Posted on August 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

What a loser. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Friday that he is suspending his independent campaign for president and endorsed former president Donald Trump. While announcing his suspension of his campaign, Kennedy said that he is choosing to stay … Continue reading →

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RFK Jr qualifies for the ballot

Posted on August 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Whoopie. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent presidential candidate, will be on the Texas general election ballot this November. The Texas Secretary of State’s office announced Thursday afternoon that it had accepted Kennedy’s petition to appear on the state ballot … Continue reading →

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The brain worm guy submits his petitions

Posted on May 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

He’ll probably be on the ballot. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine activist and environmental lawyer, said Monday he submitted more than double the necessary petition signatures to appear on the November presidential ballot in Texas. Kennedy, the son of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Dallas Mayoral recall effort goes nowhere for now

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It could still happen, but the same concerns exist as before. In a press release early Wednesday morning, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson let everyone know that the effort to recall him had failed “miserably.” Dallas activist and business owner Davante … Continue reading →

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An effort to recall Dallas’ Mayor

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know how seriously to take this. It seems like a big stretch. But I’ll be rooting for them. Last September, when Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson told the world he had switched political parties from Democrat to Republican, it … Continue reading →

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Sarah Stogner to run for RRC again

Posted on September 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

But not as a Republican. This could be interesting. Sarah Stogner announced Saturday at The Texas Tribune Festival that she is mounting her second campaign for the Texas Railroad Commission — this time, leaving the Republican Party to run as … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For the proposition allowing Council members to put an item on the agenda

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t think we’d begin Endorsement Season with a charter referendum, but here we are. This is no way to run a representative democracy in the nation’s fourth-biggest city. Thankfully, Houstonians have an opportunity to change that in this year’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fair For Houston approved for the ballot

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

And the questions about what it can accomplish if it passes have begun. Houston voters will decide whether the city should be part of a regional government board that does not give it proportional voting power, after City Council placed … Continue reading →

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Fair For Houston gets its item on the ballot

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to see it. The city of Houston is one step closer to potentially reshaping its relationship with the influential Houston-Galveston Area Council after officials verified Thursday that a charter amendment campaign had met the threshold for appearing on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fair for Houston backers submit their signatures

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if they get their item on the ballot. With the bulk of the population but a fraction of the power, Houston and Harris County long have complained about getting shortchanged when the influential Houston-Galveston Area Council speaks for … Continue reading →

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Federal judge rules for third parties in petition access lawsuit

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how much difference this makes. A federal judge in Austin has blocked Texas from enforcing a more than century-old state law that requires third-party candidates to collect petition signatures on paper to qualify for a place on the … Continue reading →

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

SCOTx denies pre-election challenge to San Antonio marijuana reform referendum

Posted on March 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

First the voters will vote, then as needed the lawsuits will happen. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that any legal challenges to a proposed charter amendment on policing reforms must wait until after voters weigh in on the measure … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Chron story on Fair For Houston

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff. Local advocates have launched a petition drive aimed at increasing the city’s voice on the Houston-Galveston Area Council, a 13-county regional planning council that has been criticized by Houston leaders for what they consider unfair federal fund allocation. Consisting of … Continue reading →

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AG argues for separating that San Antonio criminal justice reform proposition into multiple questions

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise, but an aggressive position to take. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office is urging the Texas Supreme Court to side with opponents of a proposed charter amendment that seeks to decriminalize marijuana and abortion, as well as enact … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

San Antonio marijuana decriminalization referendum already facing a legal challenge

Posted on February 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t think this one will work, but after that who knows. Opponents of the so-called Justice Charter have filed an emergency petition asking the Texas Supreme Court to require separate votes for each of its provisions, including decriminalizing marijuana and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Marijuana decriminalization and other police reform proposals get closer to the ballot in San Antonio

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This will be the most interesting election on the May ballot. A proposed City Charter amendment that seeks to ban police from using no-knock warrants and chokeholds, as well as expand the city’s cite-and-release policy for low-level, nonviolent crimes, has … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A petition effort to force H-GAC to be more fair to Houston and Harris County

Posted on January 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I heard about Fair For Houston over the weekend, and I like where they’re coming from. H-GAC determines the funding and planning for our: Sidewalks & Roads Flooding Prevention & Mitigation Childcare Workforce Development Large-Scale Infrastructure, e.g., Highways But we … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

San Antonio will vote on marijuana decriminalization

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes. Progressive groups celebrated on the steps of City Hall Tuesday afternoon before delivering the boxes of signed petitions needed to get a measure in front of voters that would decriminalize both cannabis possession and abortion. … Continue reading →

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Trying again in Harker Heights

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I admire the determination. Cannabis reform advocates are pushing back against the city council of the Central Texas city of Harker Heights, which recently rejected a voter-approved ballot measure decriminalizing low levels of pot possession there. Harker Heights was one … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The independents

Posted on August 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Recently I got an email from a gentleman named Ted Wood, who wrote to inform me that he had successfully completed the requirements to be an independent candidate for Chief Justice of the First Court of Appeals on the November … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Is it time to ditch At Large seats on Houston City Council?

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s one argument for it. The lack of Latinos on the City Council undermines the legitimacy of Houston’s government, experts say, and is something that a prominent Hispanic organization is pushing to change with a lawsuit and ballot proposition. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

The charter referendum will be in 2023

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So be it. The organizations and residents who petitioned the city to give City Council members more power will have to wait until 2023 to vote on the measure, after the council declined to put it on this year’s ballot. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council will decide when charter amendment votes will be

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Fine, but they should be this year. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday promised to bring a charter amendment petition to City Council before a key August deadline to order an election for this year. A diverse coalition of groups, including … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Charter amendment referendum likely #2 on its way

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Pending signature verification. The Houston firefighters’ union says it has collected enough signatures on a petition to make it easier to bring contract talks with the city to binding arbitration. The city secretary now must verify at least 20,000 signatures, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

We will have that charter election

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For that thing I still don’t have a pithy name for. Someone form a PAC and throw me a bone here. A petition filed in April by a group seeking to give City Council members the ability to place items … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

City appeals firefighter collective bargaining case to Supreme Court

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. The city of Houston on Monday asked the Texas Supreme Court to weigh in on a recent appellate court ruling that rejected Mayor Sylvester Turner’s attempt to strike down a key provision of state law governing how … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

What is the point of this Matthew McConaughey poll?

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have questions about this. Matthew McConaughey commands more support to be Texas’ next governor than incumbent Greg Abbott, according to a poll released Sunday by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler. However, the film … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Charter amendment petitions are in

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I need a simpler name for this thing, so that Future Me will have an easier time searching for relevant posts. Houston voters likely will get to decide in November whether City Council members should have the power to place … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Here come the petitions for the latest charter amendment effort

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still skeptical of this, but we’ll see how it goes. A coalition pushing to give Houston City Council members more input at City Hall says it has gathered the required 20,000 signatures to place a charter amendment on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Here comes a charter amendment effort

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m neutral about this, at least for now. The Houston Professional Firefighters Association and a coalition of other groups are launching a referendum campaign to give city council more power at City Hall. The fire union and other groups announced … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When Republicans fight

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Such a sight to see. Gov. Greg Abbott’s most exasperating allies sure chose an awkward time to act up. In the face of a momentous election, with an array of issues that includes the pandemic, the recession, climate change, racial … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

We don’t need a vote to expand Medicaid

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a fundamental truth that needs to be addressed in this. On Tuesday, Missouri became the 38th state to expand Medicaid, opening healthcare to over 230,000 Missourians. It joins a lengthy list of GOP-led states in expanding healthcare, including Nebraska, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

We have a filing failure

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In typical fashion, it’s bizarre. One of the more bizarre things to happen during the recent filing period: Judge George Powell had his filing rejected because of a filing fee mistake. So he sued. Powell filed on the last day, … Continue reading →

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