Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

Woodfill brings tour back to Harris County

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Former Harris County Republican Party Chair and current candidate for Chair of the Republican Party of Texas Jared Woodfill brings his “Take Back Our Party” tour back to Harris County this week.

The tour actually started in Harris County back in February and were sparsely attended. However, once the tour moved out of Harris County, the rallies were very successful and are the primary reason most insiders think that Woodfill has an advantage going in the race.

Here are the details of the two events in Harris County this week:

jared woodfill for republican party of texas logo

Wednesday, April 13, 2016, 6:30 p.m.
“Take Back Our Party” Rally & Meet and Greet
John Phelps Annex
101 S. Richey, Pasadena, Texas 77506

Thursday, April 14, 2016, 7:00 p.m.
“Take Back Our Party” Rally & Meet and Greet
The Way Church
24418 I-45, Spring, Texas 77386

Ross Ramsey at the Texas Tribune weighed in on the race in an article titled Analysis: No Middle Ground in Race to Lead Texas GOP.

Mechler wants the party to bring in more voters — he’s talking about minorities and millennials, among others — who have generally eluded the charms of the GOP. He doesn’t think it’s his job to tell the state’s Republican officeholders what to do.

“Every Republican should be comfortable within the party,” he says. “My vision is and will be that is that this party is welcoming and embracing all conservatives from all over the state of Texas.”

If I were Ramsey I would have asked Mechler exactly what he’s done while in office to bring in minorities and millennials.

Woodfill is a bully-pulpit guy, a political figure whose effectiveness depends on everything from actual microphones on actual podiums to social media, news media and advertising.

He is appealing for the support of others who, like him, think the state political party should be whipping the Legislature to keep it in line with the GOP platform and the beliefs of Texans in its voting base.

Woodfill is definitely a bully pulpit guy and a very effective one. That was his strength while chair of the HCRP and he has gotten much better after learning the nuances of social media.

The question for Texas Republicans is really pretty simple. Do you want a milquetoast guy as your leader or do you want someone that is willing to take the body blows and potshots that come with stating the clear positions of the party without backing down or wavering from them?

 

Harris County Democratic Party vs Lloyd Oliver – vote suppression attempt?

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At yesterday’s Downtown Houston Pachyderm Club, Ed Johnson from the Harris County Clerk’s office gave an update on the attempt by the Harris County Democratic Party to remove their District Attorney nominee, Lloyd Oliver, from the ballot in November. His update had to do with the effect on ballot printing and mail out ballots.

Ed Johnson discusses ballot printing at the Downtown Houston Pachyderm Club.

It makes one wonder: is this entire episode a ruse by the HCDP designed to bring chaos to the process in an attempt to steal the election?

Here’s the deal. Mr. Oliver filed suit to put his name back on the ballot in state court (where it belongs). The HCDP filed  a motion to move it to the federal courts, where they have had success lately. A hearing was held this past Tuesday in front of Federal Judge Lee Rosenthal. During this hearing, September 6th was given as the date a decision must be rendered by.

But that date is for the FINAL decision. Thus far, she has not seemed to be in a hurry to rule. If she doesn’t get with it and make a decision, there will not be time to hear the case, be it in federal or state court . Why? Because of the ballot printing and approval process.

The due date for political parties to turn their ballots in to the Texas Secretary of State was yesterday, August 30. The Harris County Democratic Party turned their ballot in sans Mr. Oliver. The process of printing ballots, applying logic tests and getting all parties involved to sign off on them takes approximately three weeks. If a decision isn’t made in this case before September 6th, ballots will be printed without Mr. Oliver’s name and then will go through the approval process.

If those ballots are mailed to voters requesting them and a later decision by the court rules that Mr. Oliver should be on the ballot (as expected), the ballots must be reprinted, pass the logic tests, be reapproved, and then mailed again.

So let’s pretend that you are an elderly voter that received one of the first ballots, made your selections, and mailed the ballot back. Then, you receive another ballot in the mail – you know that you’ve already voted once and toss the second ballot in the trash.

When the ballot board goes to count ballots, they have in their hands the first ballot, the one without Mr. Oliver’s name on it, but cannot find the second ballot that was sent to this elderly voter. What do they do?

Consider that in the last two elections, 2008 and 2010, Harris County Republicans have won the absentee balloting 2-1. Consider again that because Democrat Bill White won Harris County in 2010, the Harris County Democratic Party controls the ballot board.

What do you think the decision will be? Toss the ballot in the trash.

Judge Rosenthal needs to decide TODAY and then the full hearing needs to be held immediately regardless of which court it ends up in.

Talk about disenfranchising voters – why aren’t “real” reporters talking about this very real possibility?