Jul 23, 2017 | Campaign News
Special Session: The Senate State Affairs Committee unanimously approved a bill intended to prevent mail-in ballot fraud. Senate Bill 5 by Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) would increase penalties for voter fraud committed via mail-in ballots, particularly...
Jul 16, 2017 | Campaign News
The federal trial over the districts drawn in 2013 for the Texas House of Representatives and U.S. House of Representatives has concluded. The state presented its defense during the trial’s last two days. The three-judge panel appeared skeptical of its arguments. Rep....
Jul 13, 2017 | Campaign News
Redistricting: The federal trial over the districts drawn in 2013 for the Texas House of Representatives and U.S. House of Representatives continued in San Antonio for the fourth of what is now expected to be six days. Plaintiffs called their final witnesses, and the...
Jul 12, 2017 | Campaign News
Redistricting: The federal trial over the districts drawn in 2013 for the Texas House of Representatives and U.S. House of Representatives continued in San Antonio. Luis Vera, legal counsel for the League of United Latin American Citizens, testified that Latinos today...
Jul 11, 2017 | Campaign News
House Speaker: By a 36-28 vote, the executive committee of the Bexar Co. Republican Party approved a resolution calling for “a change in leadership in the Texas House … due to the non-support of the Republican Party of Texas platform by the current incumbent,” Speaker...
Jul 10, 2017 | Campaign News
Redistricting: The federal trial over the state and federal House of Representatives districts began today before federal District Judges Orlando Garcia, Xavier Rodriguez and Jerry Smith. Most of the more than 10 hours of testimony revolved around plaintiffs’...
Jul 7, 2017 | Campaign News
Redistricting: A week-long trial over the state’s congressional and House districts adopted in 2013 begins Monday before a three-judge federal panel in San Antonio. GOV: Dallas street rapper and marijuana legalization activist Yvette “Will Rap 4 Weed” Gbalazeh filed...
Jun 19, 2017 | Campaign News
The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear oral arguments in a Wisconsin case (Gill v. Whitford) on partisan gerrymandering, a highly watched case that could significantly alter the way congressional and legislative districts are drawn. In November, a three-judge...
Jun 6, 2017 | Campaign News
Gov. Greg Abbott called the Texas Legislature back into session on July 18 to address Sunset legislation that needed to pass during the regular session. Once that has been accomplished, Abbott promised to add 19 more items to the special session call including...
May 29, 2017 | Legislation
This post had been updated to reflect Gov. Abbott’s subsequent actions on these bills. The 85th Legislature, Regular Session has adjourned sine die. While there are rumors of a special session in the air, one is not likely to include election-related issues....
May 25, 2017 | Campaign News
The state “does not intend to undertake redistricting in a special session,” according to a response filed by the defendants in the ongoing Perez v. Abbott redistricting lawsuit. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the North Carolina redistricting case, U.S....
May 22, 2017 | Campaign News
In a ruling that may have implications (pdf) in Texas and across the country, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower court’s decision striking down two North Carolina congressional districts. The Court found that they were drawn on the basis of race without...
