Threat to Social Security & Medicare Grows

According the The Hill newspaper, Senate Republicans and moderate conservative Democrats are looking at crafting a renewed attack on middle-class Social Security and Medicare earned benefits under the so-called “Grand Bargain” banner.

With Republicans now in control of the US Senate, "Wall Street Senators" of both parties are again attempting to revive misguided actions promoted in the flawed Bowles-Simpson deficit commission report of December 2010. Senators Erskin Bowles and Alan Simpson, were forced to issue their own report after they couldn’t get enough support from Senators of either party serving on the commission they chaired.

Selma and Texas' Discriminatory Voter I.D. Law

by Michael Handley

Thousands gathered with President Obama this weekend at Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of Selma’s “Bloody Sunday” march on March 7, 1965.

They gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a brutal police assault on civil rights demonstrators that spurred the passage of the Voting Rights Act in August 1965. In 1963, only 156 of 15,000 eligible black voters in Selma, Alabama, were registered to vote.

The federal government filed four lawsuits against Alabama county registrars between 1963 and 1965, but the number of black registered voters only increased from 156 to 383 during that time. The federal government couldn’t keep up with the pace and intensity of voter suppression with existing laws.

The Voting Rights Act,  signed by President Johnson in August 1965, ended the blight of voting discrimination in places like Selma by eliminating the literacy tests and poll taxes that prevented so many people from voting. (VRA)

The Selma of yesteryear is reminiscent of the current situation in Texas, where one of the nation's most restrictive voter photo ID laws remains enforce.  This restrictive and discriminatory law has been twice blocked by federal courts finding it to be a discriminatory poll tax, but it has been twice revived by the Supreme Court. The law remains enforce today, but the struggle for voting rights continues.  Read on...

Charting 2014 Collin County Turnout

by Michael Handley

Over all, the national turnout was 36.3 percent; only the 1942 federal election had a lower participation rate at 33.9 percent. The reasons are likely voter apathy and negative perceptions of both political parties. Republicans ran a single-theme negative campaign against President Obama, and Democrats were unwilling to campaign on how much the national economy has improved or to point out significant achievements of Democratic policies over the six years of Obama's presidency.

Neither party gave voters an affirmative reason to show up at the polls so Millennials didn't bother to vote, single women were a little less pro-Democratic than usual, and the racial divide among voters remains stark. One number stands out above all others: 64 percent of older white men voted Republican. It's the "widest GOP advantage in this group in data since 1984," according to ABC News.

Historically Low 2014 Voter Turnout - Why?

General election voter turnout for the 2014 midterms was the lowest it's been in any election cycle since World War II, according to the United States Election Project. Just 36.4 percent of the voting-eligible population cast ballots on November 4, 2014.

The last time voter turnout was so low during a midterm cycle was in 1942, when only 33.9 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. Like many, I'm asking the question - why did only 36.4 percent of potential voters bother to vote in the 2014 midterm election? Obviously, those voters didn't have a good enough reason to take the trouble to vote.

Texas' Voter I.D. Law Found Discriminatory

After a two-week trial hearing conducted in September 2014, U.S. District Court Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos struck down Texas' voter photo I.D. law with a 147-page opinion issued on October 9, 2014.

Judge Ramos found the law had been adopted “with an unconstitutional discriminatory purpose,” created “an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote” and amounted to a poll tax.  Two days later, and less than two weeks before the start of early voting for the November 2014 gubernatorial election, Judge Ramos entered an injunction blocking the law.

Greg Abbott, the state attorney general for Texas and then Republican candidate for governor, immediately filed an emergency motion to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit asking that appellate court to stay Judge Ramos' final judgment pending appeal and asked for expedited consideration. The Fifth Circuit Court did stay Judge Ramos’s injunction saying, "We must consider this injunction in light of the Supreme Court’s hesitancy to allow such eleventh-hour judicial changes to election laws.

Plaintiffs in the District Court case immediately appealed the Fifth Circuit Court's decision with the Supreme Court. The brief filed with the Supreme Court said confusion at the polls was unlikely under Judge Ramos’s injunction. “Expanding the list of acceptable IDs will not disenfranchise any voter,” the brief said, “since the forms of ID acceptable under the old voter ID system include all forms of photo ID specified by” the 2011 law.

The Supreme Court upheld the appellate court's emergency stay against Judge Ramos’s injunction, allowing Texas to use its strict voter identification law in the November 2014 election.  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg issued a six-page  dissent to the court’s order saying the court’s action “risks denying the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of eligible voters.” Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined the dissent.  Justice Ginsburg wrote, the law “may prevent more than 600,000 registered Texas voters (about 4.5 percent of all registered voters) from voting in person for lack of compliant identification. A sharply disproportionate percentage of those voters are African-American or Hispanic.” Justice Ginsburg added that, “racial discrimination in elections in Texas is no mere historical artifact.”

The "emergency stay" blocking Judge Ramos' action to strike down Texas' photo voter ID law will remain in place while the State of Texas appeals Ramos' ruling to the Fifth Circuit Court - and ultimately the Supreme Court - for a final determine.

Texas Voter I.D. Trial

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014 was the opening day of the U.S. District Court trial in Corpus Christi over whether Texas’ SB14 voter ID law is discriminatory.  The current voter discrimination suit was filed under section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos is the trial judge.

The law was already ruled discriminatory in August 2012 by another federal district court 3 judge panel under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. That 2012 ruling was overturned after the Supreme Court in June 2013 effectively nullified Section 5 anti-discriminatory protections.  Just hours later, Texas announced that it would immediately implement its ID law.

Public Education - A Fundamental Texas Value

by Michael Messer, President, Collin County Young Democrats

“Unless a people are educated and enlightened, it is idle to expect the continuance of civil liberty, or the capacity for self government.” These words are forever a part of the unique history of our state. In March of 1836, as Santa Anna's army was attacking the Alamo, five men gathered to write the Texas Declaration of Independence. Among their grievances, they included that Mexico had failed to create a system of public education, “although possessed of almost boundless resources.”

Your Vote Matters - Vote Democratic!

There are people who do not vote. They tell you “my vote doesn’t matter,” or “elected officials don’t listen to me,” or “my vote doesn’t count.” The reality is that VOTING MATTERS. The people elected to office have the ability to make opportunity available to all citizens or to make the American Dream available only to the privileged few.

VOTING MATTERS when you look at what each party stands for and the goals they have set out for governing. VOTING MATTERS if you care about education. VOTING MATTERS if you care about health care. VOTING MATTERS if you care about jobs. Take a look at what each party hopes to achieve, based on the official 2014 Party Platforms, and determine if VOTING MATTERS in your life. Ask yourself - if I vote, will it matter? If you care about any of the issues below, VOTING MATTERS!

VOTING MATTERS! Are you going to make your voice heard on Election Day?

Early Voting Locations 2014 Collin County

Collin County Early Voters may vote at any of the Early Vote Centers listed below.

Collin County Elections Early Voting Webpage

Election Day Locations 2014 Collin County

November 4, 2014 - General and Special Elections 
Election Day Vote Center Locations Hours

Collin County Registered Voters may vote at any of the Election Day Vote Centers.

All polling locations will be open for voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4, 2014.

  
Collin County Elections Election Day Webpage

Democratic Candidates on Collin County Ballots

Election Information

Judge Ken Molberg For Fifth District Court of Appeals

Judge Ken Molberg will be on the November 4, 2014, general election ballot as a candidate for Fifth District Court of Appeals, Place 5.

The 5th District Court of Appeals is one of our region's most important courts with jurisdiction over criminal, family and civil appeals cases for Dallas, Collin, Rockwall, Kaufman, Grayson and Hunt counties.

Denise Hamilton For Justice Of The Peace

Denise Hamilton is the Democratic Nominee for Collin County Justice of the Peace Court Precinct 3, Place 2.

Justice of the Peace courts have original jurisdiction over Class C misdemeanor criminal cases, and over minor civil matters, including small claims disputes, trespass, landlord and tenant disputes, and other real estate or property related disputes. Justices of the Peace can also perform marriages. Justice of the Peace courts also have jurisdiction over juvenile truancy cases.

Sameena Karmally for Texas State Representative

Lifelong Texan Sameena Karmally, candidate for State House District 89, grew up in the DFW area and is a proud graduate of Texas public schools, the University of Dallas, and the University of Texas School of Law.

Dallas Morning News endorses Sameena Karmally for Representative, Texas House District 89, over incumbent, Jodie Laubenberg.

"Not only has [Laubenberg] drawn an opponent, but a top-notch one. Democrat Sameena Karmally, a 38-year-old Allen attorney, gets this newspaper’s recommendation because her vision for Texas is more constructive and forward-looking than what Laubenberg has offered."

Leticia Van de Putte For Texas Lt. Governor

Leticia San Miguel Van de Putte grew up on the West Side of San Antonio, graduated with honors from high school and then attended pharmacy school at the University of Texas at Austin. After graduating, she opened her own small business, a community pharmacy that serves the same neighborhood she grew up in.

Leticia was elected to the Texas Legislature in 1990 and since then has been a champion of business, public education, and veterans. She also has worked to fight the heartbreaking and criminal practice of human trafficking.

Leticia led Texas’ fight for a safer state by creating the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force which has increased penalties for criminals that have committed repeat offenses against children and improved services for victims. She will continue to toughen penalties for those who prey on our most vulnerable and strengthen services for the victims seeking to heal.

Wendy Davis For Texas Governor

Wendy Davis got her start in public service on the Fort Worth City Council. Her work there and in the Texas Senate show she's a fighter working for all Texans, working to restore the Texas Promise of equal opportunity to education, a strong economy and a government that works for all people, not just some special interests.

Davis began working after school at 14 to help support her family, and by 19 was a young mother. To make a better life, she enrolled in community college.

Hard work, with the help of scholarships, loans and grants led her to Texas Christian University and later Harvard Law, where she graduated with honors.

Making Collin County A Texas Democratic Battleground

We're on a mission to make Collin County a Texas Democratic Battleground! First up is our Triple-Hit June coordinated block walk program the first three Saturday mornings in June: June 7th, 14th, and 21st.

Come out and join the Democratic Network of local Collin County Candidates, Precinct Chairs, Women Organizing Women Democrats, Heritage Ranch Democrats, Collin County Young Democrats, Wylie Democrats, and Deputy Voter Registrars for our Triple-Hit June block walks.

CLICK HERE To Sign Up For Our Triple-Hit June Program
www.tinyurl.com/Triple-Hit-June-2014

We go to work for our local 2014 Democratic Women Candidates, building our Collin County Democratic base of voters, starting 9:00 a.m., June7th. We'll canvass neighborhoods with Sameena Karmally's campaign for Texas House of Representatives, District 89 and Denise Hamilton's Campaign for Collin County Justice of the Peace, Pct 3 Pl 2.

We'll register new voters, and introduce new county residents to our Democratic Women Candidates. Details on the walk locations for each Saturday will be communicated to those who sign up. Please come help make Collin County a Texas Democratic Battleground! And bring your friends, too.

During the fourth weekend in June, on June 26-27, Senate District 8 Delegates and Alternates from Collin County will go to the Texas Democratic Party State Convention at the Dallas Convention Center.

We want a good turnout of block walkers on June 7th, 14th, and 21st, so we can report to Democrats across Texas, at the State Convention, that we are working hard to make Collin County a Texas Democratic Battleground in Battle Year 2014!

We hope to see you every weekend in June!

Pol. Ad. Pd. for by Democratic Network

2014 Democratic Party SD / County Conventions

by Michael Handley

Since I am the Collin County Senatorial District 8 (SD8) Convention Chair, I created a convention information website that provides an A to Z collection of information about 2014 Democratic Party SD / County Convention procedure under the newly adopted Texas Democratic Party rules. While some of the convention information published on the website is tailored for the Collin County SD8 Convention, much of the information applies generally to Democratic Party  SD / County Convention procedures.  CLICK HERE to visit the SD8 Convention information website.

Many Democrats have questions about the TDP Rule change that moves Democratic Precinct Conventions from immediately after polling places close on Primary Election Day to the top of the SD / County Convention agenda, as a step in March 22nd Convention Day proceedings.  Another TDP Rule change removes the requirement for Democrats to vote in the primary in order to attend their SD / County Convention. Any Democrat who is registered to vote and has taken an oath of affiliation or has voted in the Democratic primary may become a convention delegate and volunteer to serve on a committee at their SD or County Convention.

These changes to Democratic Party Convention procedure may be confusing to Republican Party primary voters, because, for the first time, convention rules are no longer the same for both Republicans and Democrats. 

The Republican Party of Texas continues to convene Republican Precinct Conventions immediately after polling places close on Primary Election Day.  Republican Party and Democratic Party convention notification signs displayed in primary polling place will give different information about party convention when, where, and how.

Perhaps all the more confusing for Republican and Democratic Party primary voters in Collin County is the agreement made between the  Republican and Democratic Party County Chairs to depart from precinct based voting on Election Day.

Primary Election Day voting in Collin County, for the first time, will move from 130  traditional precinct-based primary polling locations to 63-65 "Voting Centers."  Only Collin County in the North Central Texas area will have Election Day "Voting Centers."  Most, but not all, Voting Center locations in Collin County will have both Republican and Democratic Party primary voting check-in desks.   Four election day polling locations will offer only Democratic Party primary voting.  (Collin County Election Day Voting Center locations ~ Early Voting Polling Locations)

Election Day Voting Centers work like Early Voting polling locations where registered voters living anywhere in Collin County may vote at any Voting Centers open around the county on Election Day.   Collin County Republicans seeking to attend their precinct convention immediately after polling places close on Primary Election Day should contact the Collin County GOP office for details on which precinct conventions will convene at various locations around the county.    

If you are a Democrat living in the Senate District 8 portion of Collin County, please plan to attend the Collin County Senatorial District 8 Convention on Saturday, March 22, 2014 at the Community Unitarian Universalist Church, 2875 E Parker Rd, Plano, TX 75074. (map)  (Details)

In past years, the Democratic Party of Collin County convened a joint Senatorial District 8 and Senatorial District 30 "County Convention," within District 8 territory.

This year, on Saturday, March 22nd, each Senatorial District (SD) within Collin County will convene their own SD Convention within their own District's territory.

NOTE: Under the newly revised Texas Democratic Party rules, Precinct Conventions are no longer held immediately after polling places close on Primary Election Day.

Individual Precinct Conventions have moved from Primary Election Day to the top of the SD Convention agenda as an organizing step in Convention Day proceedings.

Any Democrat within the Senatorial District who is registered to vote and has taken an oath of affiliation or has voted in the Democratic primary may become a convention delegate and volunteer to serve on a Convention Committee.