Category Archives: Election 2009

Nancy and me on TV

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If you missed it from last night, here’s a clip of Nancy Sims and me doing the pundit thing on KHOU: Among other things, it’s a rare opportunity to see me in a suit and tie. My thanks to Greg … Continue reading →

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The Controller’s race

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still somewhat amazed by this result. City Councilman Ronald Green led a three-candidate field in the race for Houston city controller Tuesday and will face Councilman M.J. Khan in a Dec. 12 runoff. Green, whose campaign appeared unharmed by … Continue reading →

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More thoughts about yesterday’s results

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

– I didn’t note it last night, but all 11 Constitutional amendments passed. No surprise there, they almost always do. – Looking back at my turnout projections, the right number to go with was the 30% scenario. As it happens, … Continue reading →

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Initial thoughts on tonight’s results

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

– My skepticism of those earlier polls that showed Peter Brown in the lead has been justified. Especially in what wound up being a lower-than-expected turnout election, I just couldn’t believe a survey of registered voters that was self-screened for … Continue reading →

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Election results thread

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s gonna be a long night…Here are the early vote results from Harris County. Candidate Votes Pct ========================= Locke 17,183 28.76 Parker 17,169 28.74 Brown 15,387 25.75 Morales 9,451 15.82 Green 19,389 39.97 Holm 16,939 32.26 Khan 15,631 29.77 That’s … Continue reading →

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Twenty percent

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Turnout projections for this election, originally at 25%, are being revised downward as polling places report slow going. Richard Murray, political science professor at the University of Houston, said the 25 percent turnout estimate may be optimistic. At midday, he … Continue reading →

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Election Day

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill by now. You can find polling locations here, and you can see a Google map and download a spreadsheet of voting locations in the open Council districts at Greg’s place. The Tax Assessor’s office would like … Continue reading →

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White condemns anti-Green robocalls

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve heard from numerous people, including several in the comments here, who have received a nasty anti-Ronald Green robocall in the past week or so; at this point, I believe there are at least two variants on the call. It … Continue reading →

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Spending on voter outreach: District Council races

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve taken a look at spending on voter outreach in the Controller’s race and in the At Large Council races, and was working on a similar post for the district Council races for the 30 days out reports, but never … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Jewish Herald Voice and African-American News

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here are some last-minute endorsements, for those of you who plan to do your civic duty on Tuesday. First, from the Jewish Herald Voice: City of Houston, General Election Mayor Annise D. Parker Council Member, District A Amy Peck Council … Continue reading →

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More, so to speak, on the Council races

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what there is to say about this Chron story that “covers”, loosely speaking, the five open Council races. It has 62 sentences in it. It names 31 candidates. You do the math. I mean, seriously. If you’re going to … Continue reading →

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Candidates’ personal financial statements

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the campaign finance reports, candidates are required to file personal financial statements that disclose their income, investments, and other holdings so that any potential conflicts of interest can be identified. Texas Watchdog has been rounding them up … Continue reading →

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If Lubbock can do it, so can Luling

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The little town of Luling is looking to follow in Lubbock’s footsteps and allow alcohol sales. For some towns, being dry is part of the local character: The absence of alcohol reflects the particular values of the community. For others, … Continue reading →

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Enthusiasm, or lack of same

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron provides some decent anecdotal evidence to support the theory that voters aren’t all that engaged in this election. The deciding factor varied widely for many, according to interviews with more than 40 voters across the city during the … Continue reading →

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More on that KHOU poll

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If you say so. Once considered a front-runner, support for Houston City Council member Peter Brown appears to be slipping in independent polling data released to 11 News. Rice University professor Bob Stein, who conducted earlier polls for KHOU-TV and … Continue reading →

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Bikers for Roy

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Mere words cannot adequately express the awesomeness of this: So you better vote for Roy, unless you want bikers to invade your neighborhood and point their fingers at you in a vaguely menacing fashion. Or something like that. Many thanks … Continue reading →

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The NYT on Parker and the Mayor’s race

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Our Mayor’s race is getting some national attention, as the New York Times gives it a writeup, with a primary focus on Annise Parker. Greg goes over the basics, so I’ll leave that to him, and I’ll just make note … Continue reading →

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Comparing Controller’s races

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In 2009, we have a Controller’s race that features an At Large Council member, a Council member from a high-turnout, mostly white district, and Council member from a low-turnout, mostly non-white district. In 2003, we had a Controller’s race that … Continue reading →

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The official turnout projection, sort of

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on the end of early voting. [E]lection officials and political observers said Friday they expect fewer than one in four registered voters will cast ballots in Tuesday’s elections for Houston mayor, City Council, controller and other … Continue reading →

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Some info on the HCC Trustee District 3 race

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned before that I knew nothing about the HCC District 3 Trustee race, which is the only such contested race on the ballot. In response, Sergio Davila forwarded the following press release from a group called Concerned East End … Continue reading →

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Early voting: Out with a bang

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today was by far the heaviest day of Early Voting, with 17,072 ballots cast, which is nearly as much as Wednesday and Thursday combined, and also nearly as much as the final day of 2003. In the end, 71,368 in-person … Continue reading →

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And we finally get some coverage of Council races

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has done a good job, as expected, of covering the Mayor’s race, and they’ve provided more coverage than I’d expected of the various HISD Trustee races. But their coverage of the Council races has been basically non-existent, and … Continue reading →

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Eight days out: Spending on voter outreach by At Large candidates

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As with the Controller’s race, I took a look at spending on voter outreach for At Large candidates in the 30 day out report. Given that some large number of people have no clue about who is running for these … Continue reading →

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HISD candidate spending

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

After all I’ve done detailing how city candidates are spending their campaign money, I’d love to be able to tell how how candidates for HISD Trustee are spending theirs. I’d love to, but unfortunately I can’t, because that information isn’t … Continue reading →

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Early voting: One more day

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow is the last day of early voting. If you haven’t voted by 7 PM on Friday, you’ll need to show up at your precinct polling location on Tuesday to have a say in this election. Here’s a press release … Continue reading →

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Don’t mess with Bill

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As everyone expected, Mayor White has stayed the heck out of the race to replace him. So it’s a pretty big deal when he feels compelled to speak up about something that is happening in the race. Mayor Bill White … Continue reading →

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Spending on voter outreach: The Mayorals

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t take a look at the Mayoral candidates’ expenditures on voter outreach in the 30 days out reports, as this exercise is rather time consuming, but I figured I’d have a look at the 8 day reports, just to … Continue reading →

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“I don’t know” wins big!

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just as the Chron poll also asked about the Controller’s race, so did the recent KHOU poll, which went it one better and also asked about the At Large Council races. Not that this told us anything useful. The poll, … Continue reading →

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Early voting: Two big days to go

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday and today were the two busiest days for early voting so far, with 7193 and 8684 voters showing up on each day. Both were better than the corresponding days in 2003, though thanks to the rain-induced slowdown on Monday, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HCC trustees

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses in the HCC Trustee races, which even I had forgotten they hadn’t yet done. In the westside District VI, Sandie Meyers is unopposed as the replacement for incumbent Robert Mills Worsham. In District III, which stretches from … Continue reading →

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Eight days out: What the Controller candidates are spending their money on

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall I looked at how the Controller candidates were spending their money after the 30 day reports came out, and I figured I’d do it again with the 8 day reports. Along the way, I found a little … Continue reading →

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Tuesday mail call

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

After several politics-free days, my mailbox was overflowing with campaign literature today. Two pieces from the Houston Turnout Project, one that generically advocated early voting and one that advocated for Annise Parker, using language that I daresay we’ll all find … Continue reading →

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Eight day out finances

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about the eight days out finance reports, which is all about the Mayor’s race. City Councilman Peter Brown, who polls show leading the pack, poured an additional $801,000 of his family fortune into the race, pushing … Continue reading →

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Brown leads in KHOU poll

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Another good poll result for Peter Brown. According to [an 11 News / KUHF Houston Public Radio] poll, 24 percent of likely voters in the Houston mayoral race plan to vote for Brown. This is up sharply from the five … Continue reading →

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