Lookie What You Did!
You made a REAL difference. Thank you again for your generous contributions toward this effort.
There has been a huge increase in mail-in-ballots thanks to the Texas Democratic Party’s vote by mail program.
In January, we sent more than 116,000 annual applications to eligible voters so they could vote by mail in the Democratic primary, runoff, and the general election. This set the stage for success this November.
We followed-up that successful program with more than 637,000 applications mailed in September.
You help to make that happen all across the state.
“The number of mail-in ballots received by close of business on the first day of early voting more than doubled from the last midterm elections.” [Corpus Christi Caller-Times,10/23/2014]
“…a surge in mail-in ballots could benefit Democrats more “based on the logic that Democrats are much more active this year than in the past in promoting mail ballots while the GOP does not appear to have ramped up its mail ballot efforts as substantially compared to past elections.” [Austin American-Statesman, 10/23/2014]
“…El Paso and some other counties had a big uptick in mail-in ballots through two days of early voting. At the close of business Tuesday, the number of such ballots received in the El Paso County Elections office was up 146 percent compared with 2010, to 1,919.” [El Paso Times, 10/22/2014]
“Almost 3,000 more mail-in ballots brought the percentage of registered Hidalgo County voters who’d cast a ballot to 4.9 percent — just a touch higher than Galveston County’s 4.82 percent.” [McAllen Monitor, 10/22/2014]
“An additional 5,703 ballots were cast by mail in Fort Bend, up from 4,240 in 2010.” [Houston Chronicle, 10/21/2014]
No matter what happens tomorrow we have built a base for ballot by mail. That will serve us well in 2016.
From little acorns…
1Thanks to your wonderful push, my husband Mike & I (in our 80’s) sent for & used mail-in ballots. We always vote. But this year it was much easier. And who knows when voting by mail will be essential for us. So glad for this push. And so glad it has been working here in El Paso & across the state.
2I agree that we are at a base point. I hope that over the next two years one thing we will see is a sharper defining of the Democratic party. I can list a dozen things that define what the GOP stands for. The Dems in comparison are wishy-washy. I can’t think of a single issue they all support. I hope they will decide to go to the mat for Social Security, Medicare, immigration reform, growing the middle class, infrastructure investment, etc. I am sick of seeing the Dems let the Repubs define the issues, to the point where the ACA is all about “death panels” while the Democratic party fails to either define or defend it.
Currently the main reason to vote for a lot of Dems is simply that they are not Repubs. The party needs to change that. It can remain big tent while still strongly defining what its core values and core issues are.
3What @LynnN said, plus KISS on the issues. And Dem Truth Squads everywhere at grass roots. When one of those lying SsOBs mumbles alound a Dem should pop up saying “Not true. Here’s the truth about that …”
4I second or third that, LynnN. I hope that taking care of the water of Texas is high on that list of important stuff. Without water, everyone may as well just move to Canada or somewhere.
5Now the next step is to check the area dumpsters for all those ballots that got “accidentally” tossed out by republican ballot counters.
6Daughter of a Texan here. In Oregon we have ONLY vote by mail. No lines, no showing i.d. Perhaps a future goal in Texas?
7LynnN, the best way, IMO, for Democrats to define themselves (ourselves, that is) is by bringing up raising the ridiculously low cap on Social Security. Right now, it’s $117,000. Next year, it’s $118,500. I personally know a tightwad multimillionaire who’d collecting Social Security. IMHO, $300,000 at the very least would be more appropriate.
8You can bet your last tube of “Louie Gohmert hemorrhoid cream” that the vote by mail program will see some changes in the upcoming legislative session. I also suspect that in that session there will be changes to reduce the period for early voting. Each of those dastardly Republican tricks will be sold as “cost cutting”. You know, like to lower taxes.
9Up here in WA we’re also totally vote by mail. I like it because it’s all on paper ballots and that means there’s a record of the votes.
10637000 applications can lead to 637000 votes and that can swing a lot of state and local elections.
If I were a Republican I would be scared to death of Glenn Maxey and Juanita Jean.
11In Brazos county 73% of the voters voted a straight ticket Republican. I don’t know what the state average was but I am sure it was high. Repubs start with that kind of advantage and Democrats don’t have a chance. The only way this will change is for more people to vote.
12The President should have been more active and pointed out all the things he has done and all the things Repubs don’t want to do such as food stamps, medical care, jobs, the economy ets. The democrats that ran away from the President deserve to lose.