Texas Votes
Okay, here’s the deal.
If you want to run for public office in Texas, you have to submit your paperwork between November 14 – December 14, for an election that’s a year away. Don’t ask me why that is. Hell, I don’t know what I want to do next month, much less a year from now.
Early voting for the primaries begins February 16th and election day is March 1st.
Runoffs for the primary election are on May 24th.
EXCEPT: maybe not.
In Texas, we are waiting for a ruling from the courts on whether or not our gerrymandered to hell and back districts are legal.
Since the litigation began in September 2011, shortly after that year’s legislative session ended, opponents of the maps have alleged that Republican lawmakers failed to create minority opportunity districts.
It was a violation of the Voting Rights Act because non-whites — particularly Hispanics — accounted for nearly 90 percent of the population growth of the past decade that allowed Texas to gain four congressional districts, they allege.
Since people can’t sign up to run for an office in a district with the boundaries being litigated, this is gonna be a damn certified goat rodeo.
If we don’t get a decision by November 14th, I am going to be one cranky woman.
Thanks to Kyle for the heads up.
Gee, it almost sounds as though someone should do some actual governing or something.
What are the odds?
1And I’m sure the Lege and rest of the GOP in Texas will do everything possible to gum up the works until oops, too late to change anything now.
Every “Justice” who voted to slash the Voting Rights Act and who gave us the Citizens United decision should, at the very least, get one upside the head from every American angry about the way those have turned out. Could be quite a line, but I’m willing to wait in it.
2LynnN: Exactly what came to my mind. Republicans and their “reign” (thank you Donald) of terror. But mostly sneaky and cheatin’.
3Rhea we could speed up the process by forming two lines facing each other with the miscreants running the gauntlet.
Every state and county, in fact every jurisdiction with laws, would do well to have periodic reviews and dispense with laws that make no sense. I’d start with the US Tax Code.
As for gerrymandering, toss that hot mess to a neutral computer geek to redraw the districts. Caveat: no Diebold, Experian or NSA contractors need apply.
4Now, honeybunch, this here’s Texas. We might as well start calling you “Cranky” right now.
5Where is Nate Silver when you need him?
6If nobody can run does this mean that all the offices will remain empty?
That could be an improvement.
7Worst scenario: somebody appoints somebody to fill those slots! Oh, the nepotism! Oh, the . . . whatever the hell!
8I think I’ll just go crawl in bed and suck my thumb.
9The Thuglicans gummed up our (North Carolina) districts too, to have their way. So we are in contention as well, with DoJ et al, and who knows when these things will be determined? Free for freaking all until then!
10The November through December is the sign up time to get your name on the Primary Ballot (Primary is March 4th, or there about and in between are the holidays). The sign up time frame is for the major parties (snacilbupeR and Democrats) who have primaries.
11Don’t just TALK about it. This year looks like it COULD be a Goldwater-type disaster for the Republicans — with an almost certain third party or two, plus the clownishness of the ‘Speaker hunt.’ This year, it could wind up with no Republican ‘safe seats’ even in the craziest of Texas districts.
But DWS and the other geniuses at the DNC are looking like they’re more than willing to let Republicans win by default.
I think it is getting to be time for some citizen participation. If you have the money and time, and are in a solidly Republican District, file. If you have money and no time, find someone to run and back. (And don’t overestimate the cost of campaigning. Internet ads are a waste of money — unless they are able to draw national attention, the only people who click on them are people already convinced. And tv ads — well, we all have remotes with a ‘fast forward button.’ Maybe you need one or two, just to convince people you are serious, but only if you can get them cheap. But print lasts, it gets handed from person to person, people read handbills and flyers simply because they have nothing else to do waiting for or riding a bus, etc. And radio is cheap as well, and nobody fast forwards through radio ads, and even sports shows and games take ads from Unions and the like.)
And even in the districts that are almost certain losses, the right type of candidate can ‘push the right buttons’ and draw national attention — and attention as well to Republican bigotries and nastiness.
Just imagine an openly gay constituent of Gohmert’s District challenging Louie. Imagine a woman who runs against a pregnancy-forcer and opens her campaign with “Yes, I chose to have an abortion, and here’s why…” and puts the Republican on the defensive.
(That’s the real key, putting Republicans in a position where they have to defend the indefensible. Somehow we’ve ceded
the high ground to them and we have to grab it back.)
Sure, we’ll lose most of the races — but the DNC was going to concede them anyway. Our attempts will, if they get the sort of attention a gay challenging Gohmert should draw, affect races elsewhere in the country. And a lot of ‘blue dots in a red sea’ will discover they aren’t alone, and can build and network on the connections during this election. (The HQ should serve in a way analogous to a GLBT Community Center, meaning specifically that it shows people who thought they were alone that there are many like them.)
Oh, but of course, sitting around talking to our friends — who don’t need convincing — IS both easier and more ‘fun.’ (And I don’t want to discourage us from doing that TOO, just from thinking that we’ve accomplished more than we have by doing it.)
Oh, yeah, while I am not mobile — never learned to drive and these days can’t even walk more than about three blocks — and can’t travel, if anyone wants some ideas for posters, designs, and anything else a Brooklynite can provide — not including money, sadly — I’ll do whatever I can, and try to figure put ways of doing things I think I can’t.
12@Gregory Perry
Are you saying “snacilbupeR” are a$$backwards? If so, well done young man!!
13Much the same happened in Florida earlier this year. The state Supreme Court ruled that, yes, 4 districts were too gerrymandered to be constitutional and had to be redrawn. I live in one of them – so I have no idea who I might be voting for next year and am being bombarded by flyers from way more possible candidates than I usually receive. My mailbox overfloweth.
Exactly the scenario that Rhea, above, predicted for Texas ensued here. The R’s gummed up the works. First they submitted a blatantly unacceptable redrawn map, then they just didn’t submit another – – – for months.
Finally, the court had had enough. They told the R’s that they had till a certain date [don’t recall when, exactly – but right about now, I’m thinking] to get their act together or the court would appoint a non-partisan committee [can such a thing be put together in Florida?]
Meanwhile, an election took place. Kind of. No candidates were voted on in my district, I know. Just several referendums.
Some day soon, we’re being told, we’ll know what district we’re living in. Some day. Soon. They say. Soon.
14Well we can send the gay Democrat to oppose another screwball Republican (like that Farentholt kid) because Louie already has an opponent. 🙂 Her name is Shirley McKellar, and she ran against him last term. She announced her candidacy for 2016 the same night she made her concession speech. Let’s see: US Army veteran, PhD in Nursing, smart, attractive, African American woman, what’s not to like??
15