Tag Archives: Secretary of State

There were mail ballots not included in the count on Election Day

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Oof, this is bad. Harris County Election Administrator Isabel Longoria’s office on Saturday announced that they have identified approximately 10,000 mail-in ballots that were not added to the original count on Election Night. The county said that approximately 6,000 of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Yeah, the mail ballot thing was a huge mess

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We still don’t know how huge. Election day has come and gone, but it remains unclear how many Texans were unable to vote after trying to cast ballots by mail under new Republican laws restricting that voting option. In the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Initial post-election wrapup

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few updates and observations to add onto what I posted yesterday morning. Any deeper thoughts, if I have them, will come later. – Cheri Thomas and William Demond won their races for the 14th Court of Appeals. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

2022 primary results: Harris County

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There were some issues, as there always are. Honestly, that’s one of the reasons I vote early – less time pressure in case something happens. There was also an issue with reporting the early ballots. The Harris County Elections Administration … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Hey, remember when disability rights advocates were worried about the voter suppression bill?

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They were right to be worried. Because of course they were. As polls opened up for early voting this week, disability advocates say they still do not have adequate guidance from the state about new voter assistance rules and worry … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

2022 primary early voting, Day Four: Dan Patrick contributes to the mail ballot problem

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This fucking guy, I swear to God. Thousands of applications for mail-in ballots submitted by Texas voters have been delayed — and some voters may ultimately not receive ballots — because Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s campaign instructed eligible voters to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Ken Paxton cannot be trusted to prosecute anyone

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Scary story: . From Statesman columnist @bgrumet: “@TXAG Ken Paxton is using the powers of his office to treat a good-faith mishap as a crime, after coming under political pressure from his own base to file charges.” — Austin Statesman … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

No one should have to put up with this level of crappy service

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the plan. Make people give up and walk away. [Pam] Gaskin and her husband, Michael, were denied ballots twice this month over procedural mishaps — and if she were any less determined to vote, it may have stayed that … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Voting Rights Groups Sue Texas for Failure to Disclose Records Related to Voter Purges

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Campaign Legal Center (CLC), the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Texas, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and DĒMOS filed a lawsuit asking the U.S. … Continue reading →

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

This is what voter suppression looks like

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. A Harris County man fears new voting laws may prevent him from voting by absentee ballot for the first time in his lifetime. Kenneth Thompson, 95, has been checking his mail daily … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The story of the paper shortage and the voter registration forms, in two tweets

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

One: . New: League of Women Voters of Texas has sent a letter to the Texas SOS threatening to sue the state unless they are provided with more copies of new voter registration forms. They say SOS is in violation … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Don’t expect the absentee ballot fiasco to improve

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Things are working as planned. Signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in September, the voting law known as Senate Bill 1 contained an array of new restrictions on the state’s voting process and narrowed local control of elections. Among … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Please watch over the fraudit

Posted on January 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good idea. A group of Democratic members of Congress from Texas has sent a letter to the Department of Justice requesting that it closely monitor the ongoing election audit in four Texas counties. Last September, Texas Republicans began an audit in Harris, Tarrant, … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Please watch over the fraudit

Sure, let’s blame the supply chain for voter registration problems

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have a simple solution for this, if anyone wants to hear it. The Texas Secretary of State’s office is having more trouble than usual getting enough voter registration cards to groups who help Texans register to vote. Sam Taylor, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lots of mail ballot applications are being rejected now

Posted on January 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a feature, not a bug. Hundreds of Texans seeking to vote by mail in the upcoming March primary elections are seeing their applications for ballots rejected by local election offices trying to comply with stricter voting rules enacted … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Fraudit fizzling

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Who could have ever predicted this would be a big ol’ nothingburger? The Texas secretary of state’s office has released the first batch of results from its review into the 2020 general election, finding few issues despite repeated, unsubstantiated claims … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

How’s that online voter registration thing going?

Posted on December 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty well, it seems. So well, perhaps, that the state of Texas doesn’t want to tell you how well. Since a federal judge forced Texas nearly a year and a half ago to offer limited online voter registration, 1.5 million … Continue reading →

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

From the “Keeping track of all these lawsuits is hard” department

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Spotted on Democracy Docket: Today, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas denied a motion to dismiss Vote.org v. Callanen. The case, filed earlier this summer, challenges Texas’ “wet signature” law that requires individuals who submit … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on From the “Keeping track of all these lawsuits is hard” department

The botched “non-citizen” voter purge continues

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

At some point we need to recognize the fact that our Secretary of State’s office is completely, and maybe maliciously, inept at doing this. Texas’ last attempt to scour its voting rolls for noncitizens two years ago quickly devolved into … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Just be glad you’re not a Republican primary voter in Potter County

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is, and I cannot stress this enough, batshit crazy. The Potter County Republican Party plans to conduct its own election during the Texas primary on March 1, independent of the county election administration. People voting in Republican races on … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Filing update: More candidates than you can count

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This headline and first paragraph are short by a couple of candidates. A dozen potential challengers to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo were among the scores who filed ahead of Monday’s deadline to run for county offices next year. […] … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fraudit update

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, it’s still a thing. Texas Secretary of State John Scott announced late Friday that his office has presented an “exhaustive” document request to Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Harris counties as part of an audit of 2020′s election. Scott’s office … Continue reading →

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

We continue to register more voters

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seventeen million and counting. Texas has surpassed 17 million registered voters for the first time, continuing a pace that is reshaping the state’s electorate so rapidly that even the politicians cannot keep up. Despite a series of new election regulations … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fraudit funding

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bullshit all the way down. GOP leaders on Friday approved shifting $4 million in emergency funds for the Texas secretary of state’s office to create an “Election Audit Division” at the agency, which will spearhead county election audits as … Continue reading →

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

A brief update on the Gutierrez/Eckhardt redistricting lawsuit

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

First news we’ve had in awhile. Plaintiff: Democratic state Sens. Roland Gutierrez and Sarah Eckhardt What the lawsuit argues: Ahead of lawmakers’ third special session, two Democratic state senators sued to block the Legislature from redistricting in a special session … Continue reading →

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

There is no reason to trust John Scott

Posted on October 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He deserves zero benefit of the doubt. Texas’ new secretary of state says he wants to “restore confidence” in the state’s elections, despite a background that includes helping former President Donald Trump challenge the 2020 presidential election results in Pennsylvania. … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on There is no reason to trust John Scott

Abbott picks Trumpy Secretary of State

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Red alert, this is not good. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday appointed John Scott — a Fort Worth attorney who briefly represented former President Donald Trump in a lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania — as Texas’ new … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

First lawsuit filed against the redistricting maps

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Why wait? We already know they suck. Before they’ve even been signed into law, Texas’ new maps for Congress and the statehouse are being challenged in court for allegedly discriminating against Latino voters. Filing the first federal lawsuit Monday in … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

More on the Mac Walker ballot name situation

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good move by HISD. Houston ISD on Tuesday took responsibility for failing to include the nickname of a trustee candidate when it entered his name in a county elections office portal. Lee “Mac” Walker, vying for district 7, said last … Continue reading →

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

What’s in a ballot name, 2021 edition

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is unfortunate. A candidate for the Houston ISD Board of Education said Friday his name has been printed incorrectly on ballots and county elections officials said it is too late to change the name. Lee “Mac” Walker, running for … Continue reading →

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

One more lawsuit against Texas’ voter suppression law

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From Mi Familia Vota: Non-profit civic engagement organization Mi Familia Vota, along with individual voters, filed suit today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas in San Antonio seeking to block a new voter suppression … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A little sandbagging from the SOS on the fraudit

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Who’s running this show? In the five days since the Texas secretary of state’s office announced it is auditing the 2020 general election in four counties, local officials indicated they were in the dark about what the reviews would entail. … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

More on the fraudit

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

My God, Greg Abbott is a wimp. Donald Trump’s letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott demanding he pursue an “audit” of the 2020 election set off a “mad dash” in the governor’s office as aides sought to figure out just … Continue reading →

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

So we have a fraudit

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What a load of crap. The Texas secretary of state’s office announced late Thursday that it has begun a “full forensic audit” of the 2020 general election in four Texas counties: Collin, Dallas, Harris and Tarrant. But the statement from … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments