The latest development in GOP tactics to keep the state red. First was Abbott limiting drop boxes, now GOP coming for the newly installed drive thru voting in Harris. Got turned back by the appeals court and are crying to the Texas Supreme Court.
Don't vote for the people that don't want you to note. Do vote for the people that want you to vote. VOTE!
I keep reminding my friends and family and anybody that will listen, there are 4 Texas Supreme Court seats up for election. Vote their asses out for goodness sakes. The court is all republican, we need to at least turn a couple of seats. Republicans are lucky they removed straight ticket voting, otherwise, you'd likely see a blue wave in Texas.
What do you expect? The LT governor says grandma should die for the economy and the AG is currently under indictment. This is just another normal day for them...
I don't think 'lucky' is the right word there. It was a deliberate and undemocratic power play by an entrenched cabal.
This. Instead of promoting the importance of conservative principles and working for a better life for Texans, they'd rather keep the systems in place that are keeping them rich and do everything in their power to stop any change from happening. These Republicans are lazy. Change happens whether you like it or not. You can't keep stuff the same forever.
So what happens to those drive in votes, invalidated? Slimy move (no suprise) to pull off less than week before election day.
I spent all afternoon suppressing voters. It was a great day. The R's suppress and the D's cheat. What else is new?
Unfortunately he is not smart enough to know that. But then, if he was smart, we wouldn't be posting this.
Texas republicans want to take away any safe way of voting that avoids voting in person... and now, also fights mask wearing which would make voting in person safer...
Abbott, Patrick, Paxton (who will probably end up in jail, but not because of this election), and the leaders of the state Republican Party in the Legislature are freaking out. Cornyn is also freaking out. Their internal polling combined with the massive, historically huge early voting has them trying everything they can think of to suppress voting. Abbott, besides the early voting box suppression effort, trotted out a thousand members of the National Guard as an idea for election day intimidation in Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin and San Antonio, but the uproar has him backing off. Still might happen. Why are they freaking out? In 2018, the Texas Democratic Party captured 12 seats in the state House of Representatives, which has 150 seats. That was a huge gain and shocked the leaders of the state's GOP. If the Democratic Party captures 9 more seats, and it is very possible that they will, Democrats are the majority in the Texas House with a Democrat as Speaker. That's huge. Redistricting in Texas is coming up after the Census results are official, and the incredibly gerrymandered districts are the main thing keeping the GOP in power in Texas. In 2003 they took control of the state legislature and then gerrymandered the hell out of Texas. In fact, they did it outside of the usual "every decade after the census," thanks in large part to Tom DeLay. Example? Austin used to have it's own central district. In fact, it was the usual practice for all the major cities to have districts in and around them, and now Austin is divvied up into 4 Congressional districts. One reaches all the way to the Woodlands and another snakes its way down into the Valley. Lloyd Doggett, bless him (my significant other knows his wife, Libby), was targeted and still managed to keep his seat in one of them. With the Democratic Party in control of the House, the districts should change dramatically. It'll also put Abbott, Patrick, Paxton, and every other GOP controlled statewide position, which is all of them, including some of the seats on the Texas Supreme Court (elected statewide for staggered 6 year terms), in real danger of going down to defeat in 2022. Ultimate result? A political earthquake felt nationwide that could screw the Republican Party for a really, really long time. We would be on the road of seeing Texas become like Virginia or Colorado, not simply purple, but blue more often than not. Sooner than the GOP thought could happen. The demographics are seriously against them, but they were hoping to squeak by one more census. Everything hinges on this election and Democrats taking the Texas House. They have also targeted several congressional seats and some state senate seats. Fingers crossed that things go well.
I would not get your hopes up on more favorable redistricting even if the Democrats win the State House. Even though districts are drawn by the State Legislature, the lines are subject to veto by the governor. If the State Legislature cannot get an approved redistrciting plan, the backup commission will draw the line. Currently the commission is comprised of the Lt. Governor, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, AG, State Comptroller, and Commissioner of the General Land Office. Even if Dems take the house, they're still outnumbered by Republicans 4-1 in the commission. https://ballotpedia.org/Redistricting_in_Texas
