Tag Archives: Tarrant County

The marriage tax is working

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back in 2007, the Lege passed a bill authored by Speaker-wannabe Rep. Warren Chisum that doubled the cost of a marriage license for any couple that did not take a state-approved marriage class. The idea, according to Chisum, was that … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Yes, the “D” in “Big D” stands for “Democratic”

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I continue to not understand the belief that some folks have that Dallas is a swing county. Ridgewood Park was a battlefield staging area for riled-up Republicans determined to take back their legislative district, their city and their county. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Redistricting hearing in San Antonio

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s that time of the decade again. Monday’s joint hearing of the House Committees on Redistricting and Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence — on the University of Texas at San Antonio’s downtown campus — marked the unofficial kickoff for that process. … Continue reading →

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An early look at redistricting

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The House Redistricting Committee is holding some hearings around the state in advance of the 2011 Census reports, and if there’s one thing we know already, it’s that West Texas will be losing influence next year. The state population increased … Continue reading →

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Taking on Tarrant

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Democrats have made huge strides in Texas’ large urban counties in recent years. The main holdout has been Tarrant County, which has remained solidly blue. Is 2010 the year things change? Maybe not, but it ought to be an interesting … Continue reading →

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More vote centers coming to Texas

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I personally really like the concept of “vote centers”, which is basically Early Voting locations done on Election Day as well. I like them because it means you never have to worry about which polling place you need to go … Continue reading →

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Vetoing smart growth

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Tomorrow takes a look at one of the vetoed bills that I hadn’t examined before, SB2169, “relating to the establishment of a smart growth policy work group and the development of a smart growth policy for this state.” The … Continue reading →

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Lon Burnam

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Star Telegram has a nice profile of Rep. Lon Burnam of Fort Worth, who we all know was anti-Tom Craddick before it was cool. If he were a baseball or basketball player, you’d say he’s one of those guys … Continue reading →

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Wendy Davis

Posted on May 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been a fan of freshman State Sen. Wendy Davis since I interviewed her last year at the state Democratic convention. You could tell she was smart and ambitious, and if given the chance could really go places. I’ve been … Continue reading →

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