Category Archives: Show Business for Ugly People

Dan Patrick and Michael Quinn Sullivan fighting is the sweetest sound you will ever hear

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Inject this directly into my veins. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Michael Quinn Sullivan, a hardline conservative activist long aligned with the head of the Texas Senate, publicly accused each other of “destroying” the Republican Party on Tuesday — seeming … Continue reading →

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Voting centers everywhere

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In Dallas: Starting in November, problems like Mr. Voter’s, at least in Dallas County, will be a thing of the past. Tuesday afternoon, the Texas Secretary of State’s Office officially gave the county permission to participate in the countywide voting … 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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“Mistakes were made”

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that “mistakes were made” in his fundraising letter that used alarmist language in calling to “DEFEND” the Texas border and was dated one day before a deadly shooting that targeted Hispanics in El Paso. … 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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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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The main concern about voting centers

Posted on August 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This Trib story, which is about the implementation of voting centers in multiple counties across Texas for the 2020 election, delves into one of the main concern about them: Voting centers can change from one election to the next, which … Continue reading →

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No SOS

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Just in case you were wondering. Just as they do every year, hundreds of county officials from all over Texas are packing a hotel ballroom in Austin this week for three days of all things elections. On the agenda are … Continue reading →

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It’s up to cities to make the Census work

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege shirked its duty, so this is what’s left. Across the country, states are spending millions on making sure they get a better headcount of their residents. For example, California officials announced they are investing as much as $154 … Continue reading →

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There’s no reason to trust the Republican study to “reform” the judicial election process

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, hell no. After a punishing election for Republican judges, state leaders are set to take a long look at Texas’ often-criticized judicial selection system — a partisan election structure that Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht has described … 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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Another dive into the Heidi Group grift

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer is on it this time, and as before if you’re not mad by the time you’ve finished reading you’re doing it wrong. The state of Texas has poured hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars into [Carol] Everett’s clinic, … Continue reading →

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It was Abbott all along

Posted on June 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Who was behind that botched voter purge that caused now-former Secretary of State David Whitley to not get confirmed by the Senate? Greg Abbott, that’s who. Two top officials at the Department of Public Safety named Gov. Greg Abbott’s office … Continue reading →

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Whitley lands on his feet

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Were you surprised? Former acting Secretary of State David Whitley, who resigned Monday after failing to be confirmed by senators following his botched oversight of an investigation that questioned the citizenship of nearly 100,000 voters in Texas, has landed back … Continue reading →

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Will the next SOS be any better than David Whitley?

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Anything is possible, but don’t count on it. Voting rights advocates are celebrating Whitley’s forced departure, but said they have no illusions that his successor will be any more committed to upholding voting rights for all Texans. “There is certainly … Continue reading →

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Adios, David Whitley

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sine die and see ya. The ill-fated tenure of Texas Secretary of State David Whitley has come to an end. The Texas Senate gaveled out Monday without confirming the state’s top election official, who served for less than half a … Continue reading →

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Paxton again refuses to comply with House Oversight Committee

Posted on May 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s like he has no interest in oversight, or something. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office this week again denied a request for a records by a U.S. House panel seeking to investigate the state’s botched voter purge program. […] … Continue reading →

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Why would any Dem Senator change their mind on Whitley?

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t think of a good answer to that, but the man himself is going to try. Acting Secretary of State David Whitley, whose confirmation has been stalled in the Texas Senate after a controversial advisory from his office questioned … Continue reading →

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A closer look at how Texas strongly discourages voting

Posted on April 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Well, it strongly discourages some people from voting. Julieta Garibay, a native of Mexico City, was brought to Texas by her mother when she was 12. For 26 years, she was told to assimilate and stay quiet so people wouldn’t … Continue reading →

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Texas versus AirBnB update

Posted on April 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From last week: The Texas Comptroller’s office said Tuesday it’s reviewing the inclusion of Airbnb on a list of companies that boycott Israel and are banned from doing business with the state after the company announced a change to its … Continue reading →

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Congressional Republicans seek to halt SOS voter purge inquiry

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I’m as shocked as you are. Republicans are challenging the authority of a U.S. House panel to investigate the Texas effort to purge thousands of suspected non-citizens from voter rolls, contending in letters Monday that a recent request … Continue reading →

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Paxton gives the middle finger to House Oversight Committee

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure you’re as shocked as I am. Facing an investigation over the state’s botched efforts to screen its voter rolls for noncitizens, the Texas Attorney General’s Office is declining congressional leaders’ request for information about the review. In a … Continue reading →

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Failing upward

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Must be nice. The day after David Whitley took office as Texas secretary of state on Dec. 17, he received a 49 percent pay raise thanks to his friend and political patron, Gov. Greg Abbott. In a Dec. 18 letter to the Legislative … Continue reading →

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Congress to investigate bogus SOS advisory

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Elections do have consequences. The U.S. House’s main investigative committee has opened an inquiry into the Texas secretary of state’s review of the voter rolls for supposed noncitizens. In letters sent to top Texas officials on Thursday, U.S. Reps. Elijah … Continue reading →

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TCRP report on Texas election administration problems

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Today the Texas Civil Rights Project (“TCRP”) released a report—utilizing data from the largest non-partisan Election Protection effort in the state, provisional ballot data, as well as publicly available information—to analyze the the long-standing failures in Texas … Continue reading →

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Holder talks gerrymandering

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The former AG was in town as part of his national activism on the topic. Texas is “ground zero” in a national effort launching Saturday to ensure that every American’s vote counts in upcoming elections, former U.S. Attorney General Eric … Continue reading →

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Of course some voters were removed by that bogus SOS advisory

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

No one should be surprised by this. Fourteen Texas voters caught up in the secretary of state’s botched review of the voter rolls for supposed noncitizens had their registrations canceled but have since been reinstated, state officials told a federal … Continue reading →

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Still a “no” on Whitley

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

As it should be. Senate Democrats still pledge to block the confirmation of embattled Secretary of State David Whitley, even as a top Texas law enforcement official is taking blame for major errors in a list of suspected non-citizen voters. … Continue reading →

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McCraw falls on his sword

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

He’s a good company man, I’ll give him that much. After being rebuked by Gov. Greg Abbott for the state’s botched review of the voter rolls, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety took “full responsibility” Tuesday for … Continue reading →

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SOS screws up again

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Are you kidding me? The list of missteps in the Texas secretary of state’s review of the voter rolls for supposed noncitizens grew again Monday, when the office inadvertently added additional people to its already flawed list of voters flagged … Continue reading →

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Blaming DPS

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Meet your new scapegoat for the SOS non-citizen voter advisory fiasco. Amid the fallout surrounding his administration’s botched review of the voter rolls, Gov. Greg Abbott has picked a side. Who’s to blame for the state’s mistaken challenge to the … Continue reading →

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The Heidi Group grift

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You’re not mad enough right now. Read this, that’s fix it. On a Monday evening in May 2016, Carol Everett sent an email to fellow anti-abortion activists detailing “an extraordinary pro-life opportunity.” Her nonprofit, the Heidi Group, she said, had … Continue reading →

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Another reason David Whitley has to go

Posted on February 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

County elections officials feel like they can’t trust him or his office right now. That’s a big deal. As the Texas secretary of state’s office rolled out its botched effort to review the citizenship of nearly 100,000 voters, Betsy Schonhoff … Continue reading →

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Whitley’s “apology”

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

He can do a lot better than this. He should do a lot better than this if he wants to get confirmed. Facing an uncertain path to confirmation after ordering a deeply flawed voter citizenship review that seemingly focused on … Continue reading →

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