Primary Voting Information

Today’s post has specific information for Texas, but some of it might be more generally useful. I try to keep friends apprised of voter information each election, and when I update, I go to some sites I’ve linked in the body of the piece below. But if you’re in another place, you can probably compile similar information for yourself and friends by doing an online search. Use words like “primary election, [your state and/or county]” or “voter information [your state and/or county]” or possibly your state or county party of choice.

There’s specific information below about Texas precinct meetings being eliminated this year (just this year). But, while every state is different, there is usually some variation of voters meeting together on or near voting day, and choosing delegates to the next level convention and deciding on propositions for the party’s platform. This is usually the grassroots method of developing a platform. So these meetings are a very good place to have influence, with only a commitment of an hour or two of your time every other year. Party’s decide how these meetings are run, so you should be able to find out by going to your party’s state or county websites. Whatever you find out, share it with like-minded friends to multiply the influence for good. 

Voting Information 2012 Primary

Primary Voting Day

Primary voting day in Texas is Tuesday, May 29^th. The reason for the delay in voting relates to redistricting, which, because of the Voting Rights Act, requires Texas to present any voting changes for judicial review. The judicial review then led to appeal. And there was necessary time to have ballots ready to send to overseas servicemen. Early voting, from May 14-25, can be done at any county location. On May 29^th voting must be done at your precinct location. You can verify your precinct voting location here http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/current.shtml  or watch the newspaper for a few days prior to voting day. Note that redistricting may have altered some precincts and other voting districts.

Registering to Vote

As always, you must register to vote at least 30 days prior to the voting day (so, by April 29^th for voting day, or by April 12^th for the beginning of early voting).

For information about registration, see the Secretary of State’s official site: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/reqvr.shtml

If you have previously voted in your current location, you are registered, but if you are uncertain, you can check here: https://team1.sos.state.tx.us/voterws/viw/faces/SearchSelectionVoter.jsp .

If you have recently moved, turned 18, or earned citizenship, then you need to register. Voter registration cards can be found at public buildings, such as libraries, post offices, and DPS offices. Forms can also be downloaded from online: https://webservices.sos.state.tx.us/vrapp/index.asp . You are required to fill out the form, print it out (if done online), and mail with appropriate postage to your county registrar’s office, address information here: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/votregduties.shtml .

Your voter registration card shows your precinct, your US Representative district, your State Senate district, your State Representative district, your Commissioner Precinct (Sheriff), your Justice Precinct, and your school district and city, where applicable. If you do not have your card, you can look up that information at the Secretary of State site. Note that redistricting may have changed what precinct or districts you are assigned to. You can also look up your sample ballot. Use an online search engine, such as Google, for “sample ballot <your county> <your party> primary 2012.”

Voter ID

Usually if you are previously registered, you will receive your updated voter registration card in the mail prior to the election. Because of the lateness of getting a primary voting date this year, it is possible that not all voters will receive their updated card. However, your previous registration card will show the same voter ID number, which will remain in the county computer system. That information can be accessed by using your voter ID number, your TX driver’s license number, or your full name.

Texas’s new Voter ID law is intended to require a photo ID, to make sure the person voting is indeed the legally registered voter and not an impersonator. This law is still under judicial review. It may be in effect by the November election. However, it is always helpful and acceptable to use a driver’s license or other specified photo ID for voting. For those without photo ID, a photo ID can be obtained for voting purposes only at no cost through DPS offices.

Precinct Meetings

Normally precinct caucus meetings are held on primary voting days, after the polls close, usually at the precinct voting location. At these meetings delegates are chosen for the district/county conventions of the various parties. Also propositions for the party platform are voted on and sent on to the next level.

This year the date change made it impossible to hold precinct conventions on voting day and still have time for district/county conventions prior to state conventions. So most Texas counties will not hold precinct meetings in 2012.

District and county conventions will be held on Saturday, April 21^st in most counties, including Harris County. County party websites can give more detailed information, but in general it has been stated that all who are committed to a party will be welcome at the district/county conventions this year, rather than only those voted to be delegates in precinct meetings. Delegates to the state convention will be chosen from attendees at the district/county conventions. Also, platform propositions will be taken at the county/district conventions, since that opportunity was lost at the precinct level. Previous party platforms should be available for review at online state party websites.

Follow-ups

Texas Voter ID

Wednesday’s post was concerned with the Texas Voter ID law going up against the DOJ, with the suggestion that the approach should include the unconstitutionality of section 5 of the 1964 Voting Rights Act.

J. Christian Adams followed up later Wednesday with the news that Attorney General Greg Abbott had indeed used this approach, by amending the complaint to aim it directly at the unconstitutionality of the law. Good news.

list provided by Townhall.com

Delegate Count

On March 7^th I commented on the actual result of Super Tuesday compared to the negative media about Mitt Romney—even though he increased his lead. I was amused to see that Rick Santorum has been complaining about Fox News being a shill for Romney, and that the media is all in the Romney camp. You can hear the clip here.

Santorum seems to believe that mentioning the delegate count (fact) while also spending a disproportionately large amount of coverage on Santorum’s wins is “shilling” for Romney. It’s not true, and the interviewer called him on it.

One thing this extended campaign has done: show us more of who the candidates really are. Here is my new assessment: Rick Santorum complains about unfair treatment even when he has been treated disproportionately positively. What is he likely to do against the Chicago machine? Plus, he’s aware that there is no way (barring Romney dropping out, which isn’t going to happen) for him to earn enough delegates to get the nomination—but he is staying in the race based on the fantasy that all those Romney voters were wrong, and their delegates will gladly flee to him during a brokered convention just 2 ½ months before the final election.

Then there is Gingrich. We have learned (if we didn’t know it), that he is vindictive and delusional. He has no path to the nomination; his only reason for remaining in the contest is to do whatever it takes to deny Romney the nomination. (Think about the dirty tricks of Huckabee last time around, but expanded to the entire national convention, instead of just a state caucus or two.) Gingrich continues to put out ads that are clearly false and damagingly negative against Romney—because in Iowa Romney PACs put out accurate but negative ads against Gingrich. Does this man have the best interests of the nation in mind? Or is he using followers and their money for his own misplaced passions?

In case you missed it (because, even though it has been covered, the most reported story has been Santorum’s “big wins,” here are the delegate increases since Super Tuesday (during which Romney won 276, Santorum won 90, Gingrich won 81, and Paul won 21):

·         Romney 80[*]

·         Santorum 70

·         Gingrich 24

·         Paul 4

Gingrich and Santorum both claim that Romney isn’t a strong front runner, because he hasn’t sealed the deal. Yet it was a similar situation four years ago. The difference then was that Romney looked at the odds, and at what was best for the country, and stepped out of the race. Then he worked to get the GOP nominee elected—and as many conservative candidates around the country as he could help. It would be better for our country if Santorum and Gingrich were more interested in making sure Obama is defeated than following their personal dreams. 

One More Thing

Santorum has portrayed himself as the social conservative. While Romney has portrayed himself as the fiscal conservative—and economic turnaround expert—it might turn out to be a pleasant surprise to those Santorum devotees once they come to learn about the real Romney. There was an opinion piece in the Deseret News (the more conservative of the two newspapers in Salt Lake City), identifying Romney as much more conservative on all fronts than his opponents and the media have portrayed him. If you want to read something positive today, read this one.

 

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[*] This list comes from the Romney campaign and coincides with Real Clear Politics. There are discrepancies in counts from one news source to another, because each state has its own formula for allotting delegates. One difference is accounted for because Wyoming was separated into two days (primary and caucus, one before Super Tuesday, and one after—both of which Romney won), plus the assignment of unpledged RNC delegates, which went up another 9 for Romney this week.

Texas Voter ID

In last year’s legislative session, Texas passed a law similar to laws in other states requiring a photo ID for voting, in an attempt to reduce voter fraud. I havewritten about some of the voter fraud that has actually happened, that could have been prevented with a photo ID. I am strongly in favor of free and fair elections and have worked toward that end, volunteering as a poll watcher several times.

Texas is, unfortunately, subject to the 1964 Voting Rights Act. Texas is required to get federal approval for any changes in voting law and redistricting. I was not a Texan then, but the purpose was to prevent certain southern states from being able to prevent legal voting because of racism. That was 48 years ago. It may be that there were incidents of racist voter prevention back then; the state was solidly Democrat at that time. But now, while certain little pockets of racism still exist (among rural, older, less educated citizens), racism is simply not tolerated publicly or privately anywhere I associate. So, in essence, I believe such an act is outdated, unnecessary, and illegally discriminatory against Texas and the other sovereign states listed in the Act.

Today, subjecting all voting law changes and redistricting to federal review means subjecting ourselves to the racist discrimination of Eric Holder’s (and Obama’s) Department of Justice. It’s no surprise that they would be against Voter ID; they were the ones who refused to prosecute the New Black Panthers for several incidents of voter intimidation and violence since 2008. Their logic? Blacks can’t be considered racist, so anything they do is legal. (Read J. Christian Adams’ book Injustice.)

The claim about the Texas Voter ID is that legally registered Hispanic voters are unduly burdened, because they are less likely to have a photo ID, particularly in rural areas.

I’m suspicious of that assessment. In order to live in a rural area, driving just to a grocery store is a significant distance. Legal voters, we are to believe, live in the middle of nowhere, with no access to public or private transportation, and have no need to cash a check, get a library card, use a credit card, or fly on a plane—ever. And we are to believe this creates such a huge burden for such large numbers of Hispanics that even offering free state photo IDs cannot and will not solve the issue.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has already filed a lawsuit to fight the ruling, so that it goes up to a higher level court. I admire Mr. Abbott and generally see him as fighting strongly for Texas interests. I hope he is doing that in this case. However, yesterday, Christian Adams made suggestions for an approach to the fight the DOJ. He says the point of attack should be the constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Adams believes that both that section of the law and the way it is applied is unconstitutional. He believes Texas didn’t go far enough in stressing that point when coming up against the redistricting question, and can only show it’s seriousness on the Voter ID law by attacking on the unconstitutionality of the law.

The use of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act to block Texas voter ID is, in fact, unconstitutional. The Voting Section used statistical exaggerations and misapplication of the law to justify the objection. Why wouldn’t Texas challenge the constitutionality of the action against Texas?

Adams also points out that other states (Florida and Arizona) have used the unconstitutionality argument in their defense, and the DOJ has essentially folded. So there is no danger of political repercussions based on fear of the DOJ. Adams adds,

Had Texas filed a lawsuit in April 2011 to have voter ID approved, and challenged the constitutionality of Section 5 in the complaint, voter ID would now be in place in Texas. Instead, it is unlikely to be effective even by November 2012—unless Texas challenges the constitutionality of Section 5. Then approval will come faster.

This is one of those times when Texas needs to remember that we are the only state in the US that was once a sovereign nation; we joined the United States on the promise that the Constitution would protect our freedoms. Texas needs to stand firm—now and always.