Category Archives: Election 2020

Does getting to 40% make you likely to win the runoff?

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I was talking with some fellow political nerds last week, and one of the topics was the forthcoming runoffs. As is usually the case, this year we have some runoffs between candidates who finished fairly close together in round one, … Continue reading →

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County to review countywide voting centers

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s make this work better. Commissioners Court has formed a working group to review Harris County’s shift to voting centers and examine what effect it had on hours-long lines at the polls on Primary Day, which Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney … Continue reading →

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What should we do about the runoffs?

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

With coronavirus concerns now shutting down all kinds of public events and other large gatherings, it’s more than fair to wonder what the risks are of conducting the primary runoffs in the usual fashion. This post on Indivisible Houston suggests … Continue reading →

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The Andrea Duhon situation

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

On Election Night, I wrote about the HCDE Postion 7 At Large primary result, in which Andrea Duhon, who is already serving on the Board in a different position, to which she was appointed following the resignation of Josh Flynn, … Continue reading →

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You periodic reminder that every vote matters

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

2020 Republican primaries edition. One vote still separates second and third place in the GOP primary for Texas House District 47, but a revised total released Wednesday pushed Justin Berry ahead of Don Zimmerman for the final spot in the … Continue reading →

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Dallas County recount completed

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

No effect, as expected. A Dallas County recount turned up 9,149 ballots that were missed on Super Tuesday, but the new votes did not affect the outcome of any race. Through the recount — which was prompted by vote discrepancies … Continue reading →

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Let’s talk turnout

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few random bits and pieces about turnout from the primaries. On the one hand, I think it’s great that Dems got the turnout that we did, in Harris County and around the state. On the other hand, I … Continue reading →

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Dallas County recount to go forward

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s see what we get. A week out from Super Tuesday, a recount is moving forward in Dallas County. State district Judge Emily Tobowlowsky on Tuesday approved the county’s request to redo the tally of votes cast in the March … Continue reading →

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Eckhardt declares for SD14

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

And now there are two. Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt resigned from her position Tuesday ahead of a run for the open seat in the Democrat-leaning Texas Senate District 14. “I’m leaving the warmth and friendship of public service at … Continue reading →

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Look out! Here come the lady judges!

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Everybody scream! In Democratic judicial primaries last Tuesday, Dayna beat David, Jane trounced Jim, and Colleen got more support than John, David and Brennen combined. Is that all there was to it? Men have dominated Texas courts for decades. Now, … Continue reading →

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Elisa Cardnell suspends campaign in CD02

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Monday morning, Elisa Cardnell, Democratic candidate for US House of Representatives in Texas’s 2nd District, suspended her campaign. She released the following statement. “When we began this campaign no one thought this race was possible. Every rating … Continue reading →

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Dallas County needs a recount

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hoo boy. Dallas County Elections Administrator Toni Pippins-Poole discovered her office did not count about 10% of the ballots that voters cast on Super Tuesday. She is now asking a court to let her conduct a manual recount of the … Continue reading →

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Rep. Eddie Rodriguez announces for SD14

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Others are sure to follow. State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, an Austin Democrat, announced Saturday that he is running for Texas Senate District 14. “It is truly an honor to even be running [for] the Senate,” Rodriguez said at B.D. Riley’s … Continue reading →

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DNC to target Texas

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. The Democratic National Committee [added] Texas to its list of 2020 targets just days before Super Tuesday, vowing to invest heavily in the state to help Democratic candidates up and down the ballot in the latest sign that … Continue reading →

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Trautman apologizes for the long lines

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A very good start. Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman is taking “full responsibility” for the long lines and wait times that bogged down election night voting and forced some voters to wait more than six hours to cast their ballots. … Continue reading →

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Runoff roundup

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here, as best as I can determine, are the runoffs of interest for May: US Senate – MJ Hegar versus Royce West CD02 – Sima Ladjevardian versus Elisa Cardnell CD03 – Lulu Seikaly versus Sean McCaffity CD10 – Mike Siegel … Continue reading →

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HCDP statement on Natasha Ruiz

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Harris County Democratic Party has learned of an allegation that a candidate on the Harris County Democratic Party Primary ballot for Texas House District 142 may not have been a genuine candidate. HCDP has not been … Continue reading →

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Legislative hearings on those long lines coming

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

More scrutiny. After excessive voting lines on Super Tuesday forced Texans to wait for up to six hours to vote, state lawmakers are directing their attention toward challenges voters faced in trying to cast a ballot for the presidential primary … Continue reading →

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HD142 and the case of the mystery candidate

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

WTF? Long time Democratic State Representative Harold Dutton was forced into a runoff Tuesday night, but a ghost candidate may have helped make that happen. Dutton, who has long represented House District 142 in northeast Houston, already faced a formidable … Continue reading →

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We need to talk about those lines

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I wish we could talk about something else, but we have to do this. Dozens of Democratic voters were still waiting to cast ballots at midnight in Houston, turning Super Tuesday into a painful slog for some citizens amid questions … Continue reading →

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It’s Hegar versus West for the Senate nomination

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The last undetermined race on the Dem side has an answer. MJ Hegar and Royce West are advancing to a runoff for the Democratic nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. Hegar, the former Air Force helicopter pilot backed … Continue reading →

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2020 primary results: President

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Before we get to the numbers, one last word about polls. As we know, polls released over the weekend were quite favorable to Bernie Sanders. However, there was more polling done since then, and both nationally and in Texas there … Continue reading →

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2020 primary results: Senate and Congress

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In the US Senate primary, MJ Heger is clearly headed to the runoff. It’s less clear who’s in second place, in part because the statewide results are so out of date on both the Trib and SOS pages. As of … Continue reading →

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2020 primary results: State races

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to direct you to the Texas Tribune results page, which combines both parties’ results and is a couple orders of magnitude less sucky than the revamped SOS election night results pages. Good Lord, whoever designed that “upgrade” from … Continue reading →

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2020 primary results: Harris County

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with this. Long lines combined with a lack of voting machines turned into frustration for voters at several election sites in Harris County on Super Tuesday. Margaret Hollie arrived at the Multi Service Center on Griggs Road at … Continue reading →

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Six questions for today’s voting

Posted on March 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In some semblance of an order… 1. How will the early vote differ from the Tuesday vote? I’m mostly talking about the Presidential race here. We strongly suspect today will be a very big day at the ballot box, in … Continue reading →

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Four more polls say Bernie is leading in Texas

Posted on March 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Latino Decisions: A new poll of Texas voters published Friday by Univision shows Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) with a 6-point lead over his rivals in the crucial Super Tuesday state, particularly among Latino voters. The poll, conducted by polling … Continue reading →

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Primary early voting: Comparing 2020 to 2016

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron looks into the early voting numbers around the state. Experts cautioned that early voting data should be taken with a grain of salt — for one because the subset of people who vote early aren’t necessarily representative of … Continue reading →

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Primary Day voting information

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: On Super Tuesday, March 3, eligible voters will be able to cast their ballots at any of the 401 voting centers across the county. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For the … Continue reading →

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Final 2020 primary early voting report: “Healthy but not historic”

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds about right. Democratic primary voters surged to the polls in Harris County on Friday, surpassing turnout from 2016 but falling well short of their record-setting performance in 2008. Republican primary voters, meanwhile, turned out in larger-than-expected numbers thanks to … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the CD02 primary

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be an interesting one. Near the end of a recent forum for the three Democrats looking to unseat U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a seemingly innocuous moment hinted at some friction between candidates Elisa Cardnell and Sima Ladjevardian. “At the … Continue reading →

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CNN/SSRS: The first big Bernie lead

Posted on February 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We come full circle. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders holds substantial leads in the two largest states to vote in next week’s Super Tuesday lineup of primaries, according to new CNN polls conducted by SSRS in California and Texas. In Texas, … Continue reading →

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A look at the CD25 primary

Posted on February 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

CD25 in Central Texas is a lower-tier race but after a much closer result in 2018 than before it’s on the radar this year and there’s an interesting primary to see who gets to take the shot at it. When … Continue reading →

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Can someone beat Lucio?

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe this is the year. A lot of Democrats running for the Texas Legislature this cycle are hoping that the opportunity to influence the next redistricting process helps propel them to office. One Democrat, meanwhile, is hoping it keeps him … Continue reading →

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