Tag Archives: voter registration

The counties we aren’t going to win are just as important as the counties we will win

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Collin County is a Republican stronghold. It’s also the kind of place that Democrats need to make gains in order to be competitive. That’s a tough thing to do when there’s little hope for winning the county or taking a … Continue reading →

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Who enforces voter registration requirements?

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

My guess upon reading this is in effect nobody. A combination of lax enforcement in the state’s election code, a faulty voter registration system and lack of leadership by state election officials have led to the disenfranchisement of thousands of … Continue reading →

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Affidavits everywhere

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Dallas County. At least one out of every seven early voters in Dallas County has had to sign an affidavit verifying his or her identity as part of Texas’ new voter ID law. Though no one in Dallas County has … Continue reading →

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Voter ID litigation moving again

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting last week: The Texas voter ID litigation geared back up today, with the court setting a number of new or revised deadlines now that the government shutdown is over. Responses to motions by True the Vote and … Continue reading →

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Still no injunction in voter registration lawsuit

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunate. A district judged erred by partially blocking the enforcement of new Texas voter registration laws while a lawsuit alleging that the laws suppress voting goes forward, a federal appeals court has ruled. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. … Continue reading →

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Once again, voter ID is a non-solution to a non-problem

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott’s record is all the proof you need of this. Attorney General Greg Abbott champions a requirement for voters to show photo identification to prevent ballot fraud. But such a rule would have deterred just a few of the … Continue reading →

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BGTX and Anglo women voters

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The San Antonio Current has a great story on what Battleground Texas is up to, and why more than just increasing turnout is needed to turn Texas blue. The Democrats can take Texas in 2016 if they can tap into … Continue reading →

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Legislative quick hits

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is the time of the session where there’s lots happening, and there isn’t always the time or space to stay on top of it all. So here are a few quick updates on things that are happening in an … Continue reading →

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Online voter registration bills advance

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. House Bill 313, which received praise from committee members in a Monday hearing, and Senate Bill 315, which was voted out of committee Thursday, propose allowing voters to register online and have that application automatically authenticated rather … Continue reading →

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Don’t forget about apartments

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

On the subject of how Battleground Texas can achieve its aims, Greg adds a note and some numbers about apartment complexes. I opted to look at one of the most GOP-friendly places in Harris County: HD130 in the northwestern corner … Continue reading →

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In case you didn’t have enough Supreme Court business to worry about

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Texas Redistricting to give you more to worry about, in the form of Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. Although the case has gotten far less attention than challenges to the constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting … Continue reading →

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We could do something to make voting easier if we wanted to

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

With all the negative news about voting rights in the news these days – voter ID, electoral college gerrymandering, challenges to the Voting Rights Act – it’s good to remember that positive change is still possible. On two major occasions—during … Continue reading →

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On voter confidence

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There was one more interesting aspect to that poll of Harris County from last week, and it had to do with how confident voters were that the vote they cast would be counted. This KUHF story goes into that result. … Continue reading →

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If no one owns the problem then no one will fix it

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Reading this Chron story about the problem of voter registrations done via the Department of Public Safety, it’s clear why this is an ongoing issue. Neither the DPS nor the secretary of state tracks motor voter complaints. Nor can state … Continue reading →

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That Chron story on True The Vote

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For a variety of reasons, I never got around to reading that Sunday Chron story about True The Vote, that self-styled “watchdog” group that claims to be interested in ferreting out all those instances of “vote fraud” that nobody else … Continue reading →

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LULAC files suit against Tax Assessor over voter registrations

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting has the press release. Today, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and a number of Houston residentsfiled suit against Harris County in Federal District Court for the Southern District of Texas maintaining that Harris County officials … Continue reading →

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Settlement reached in “dead voter” lawsuit

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s something. A lawsuit by four registered voters alleging that the state of Texas was violating their civil rights by purging them from voter rolls has been dropped after the plaintiffs and the state reached an agreement. The Texas residents … Continue reading →

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No help from SCOTUS on voter registration

Posted on September 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. The U.S. Supreme Court late Tuesday denied an emergency request by a voter registration group that sought to block the state from enforcing changes made last year. The legislation adds hurdles for canvassers or groups that seek to increase … Continue reading →

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The “dead voter” saga still has some life in it

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like I spoke too soon when I said that the “dead voter” purge story was over. Remember that lawsuit filed by four voters and the temporary injunction granted by a Travis County judge forbidding the Secretary of State from … Continue reading →

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“Dead voter” purge finally laid to rest

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Our long countywide nightmare is finally over. The running dispute over presumed-dead voters on Harris County rolls was substantially resolved Wednesday between the Texas Secretary of State’s office and Harris County’s tax registrar just hours before a Travis County judge … Continue reading →

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Deal reached to restore SOS funding for Tax Assessor

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This whole protracted standoff between Harris County Tax Assessor Don Sumners and the Secretary of State over the “dead voter” purge has apparently been the result of a misunderstanding. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett has brokered a deal with the … Continue reading →

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Voting-related lawsuit updates

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: The three-judge panel presiding over the Texas voter ID entered an order this morning adopting a briefing schedule for questions about the constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. With minor differences, the schedule tracks … Continue reading →

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SOS ups the ante against Sumners

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting real at the Tax Assessor’s office. Harris County election officials got a bit of a surprise Friday morning when they attempted to open the county’s spending account on the Texas Secretary of State’s office website and found their … Continue reading →

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SOS versus Sumners

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not a steel cage death match, but it’ll do. In a strongly worded letter today, the Texas Secretary of State’s office told Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Don Sumners that his decision not to purge presumed-dead voters … Continue reading →

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Not dead yet

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As they say, reports of their deaths have been greatly exaggerated. Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Don Sumners said Monday that he would not purge from the voter roll before the November election any of the 9,018 citizens who received letters … Continue reading →

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Voter registration restrictions back in place

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and AG Greg Abbott remain BFFs. Texas won a stay Thursday of a federal court decision that had barred enforcement of the state’s toughened voter registration law. Attorney General Greg Abbott described the development … Continue reading →

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On turnout and 2012

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The watchword you have been hearing and will be hearing about this November’s election is “turnout”, specifically whether Team Obama can match or at least approach the success it had in turning out minority and younger voters. Here at home … Continue reading →

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No stay for voter registration injunction

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal judge in Galveston today denied the state’s request for a stay that would have allowed Texas to enforce several of its voter registration laws. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office asked for the stay on Aug. 4 … Continue reading →

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The demographics of jury service

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Why is it that juries in Harris County tend to not reflect the demography of the county as a whole? District Clerk Chris Daniel explains why in a recent Chron op-ed. If you’re familiar with the concept of “citizen voting … Continue reading →

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Judge halts anti-voter registration laws

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good. U.S. District Judge Gregg Costa of Galveston ruled that a law that prohibits third-party voter registrars from working in more than one county and another that mandates registrars in Texas be residents of the state violate the First Amendment. … Continue reading →

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Voter ID trial, day one

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off, with the state bringing the funny math as part of its case. A Justice Department lawyer, Elizabeth Westfall, argued that the law has the potential to prevent 1.4 million Texans from voting who are eligible but lack … Continue reading →

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Christina Gorczynski – Mission Possible: Youth Engagement

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Ask the League of Women Voters to do a guest blog and what do you get? Brace yourself, readers, for a … Continue reading →

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There’s an app for registering voters

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In New Mexico. It needs to go nationwide. Jason Libersky is a deputy voter agent in New Mexico. He spends much of his time at community events throughout Albuquerque registering people to vote using an iPad application he created — … Continue reading →

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Yet another voting-related lawsuit

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I had completely forgotten about this. A federal judge in Galveston is to consider motions in a lawsuit filed by a Washington-based voters’ rights group that contends Texas laws make it illegally difficult to register voters. The group Voting for … Continue reading →

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