Elections and Voting

In Wake of Medrano Family Voter Fraud Case, Herschel Weisfeld Wants Federal Oversight of May City Council Election

It didn't take long for the District 2 City Council race to turn into a mud-slinging match, even if the mud has come from only one side. The first volley came last month from Herschel Weisfeld, who seized on Adam Medrano's refusal to discuss his sexual orientation to question his opponent's openness ... More >>

State Rep. Eric Johnson Filed a Bill Yesterday to Overturn the State's Voter ID Law

Texas' voter ID law wasn't in effect for last November's election thanks to an order by a federal appeals court, but it remains on the books of the state's election code. (A refresher: Anyone who shows up to vote must present a photo ID. Handgun permits are okay; school IDs are not. Otherwise, they ... More >>

European Election Monitors Find U.S. Elections Are Expensive, "Unduly Politicized," Other Shockingly Obvious Conclusions

At the end of October, highly watchable Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott threatened to press charges against any "U.N. poll watchers" who might "interfere with Texas elections." Not to be outdone, state officials in Pennsylvania and Iowa also started threatening to arrest people. Those "poll wa ... More >>

Vote Fraud: A Little Bit is Good for Democracy, Even When the GOP Does It

Latest twist in the great imaginary vote fraud epidemic of 2012: Now Republicans are nabbed doing exactly the same stuff they have accused Democrats of doing. In a piece in this morning's New York Times we get a peek at voter hanky-panky, GOP-style. An operative named Nathan Sproul, who has receive ... More >>

Judge Blocks Texas' New Voter Registration Laws, Calls Registration Drives "Vital"

A U.S. District Court judge in Galveston yesterday blocked five parts of Texas' new voter registration laws, all of which were aimed at curtailing large voter registration drives. Voting for America and Project Vote, two affiliated national projects that hire canvassers to register new voters, had ... More >>

Looks Like the Tea Party's Gonna Elect Cruz Fair and Square. So, Let's Change the Game.

Texas will elect it's next senator today. Odds are, you won't vote for him. In fact, a good number of you, even if you're registered to vote, can't vote in the truly decisive race going down Tuesday, because you were dumb enough to vote in the Democratic primary in May. Suckers. So, let's all clap ... More >>

Report: Voter ID Laws Have Caused Thousands of Legal Votes to Get Tossed

What timing. Just as the trial of Texas' voter ID law kicks off in D.C., a new analysis by the Associated Press has found that such laws in other states have led to hundreds of ballots being rejected, both in 2008's general election and in the primaries this year. The Associated Press looked a ... More >>

Dallas is All Like, 'Voting, Why Bother?'

Turns out, the people of Dallas don't care much for voting -- Dallas County ranked fourth in the state (out of 254 counties) for the fewest ballots cast among voting-age people. Even Harris County had a slightly better turnout, which unfortunately means the Asshole of the Universe, has us beat at so ... More >>

Welcome Back, Jim Crow

New laws in dozens of states could take out Barack Obama this fall.

Feds, Researchers Raise More Questions About Texas's New Voter ID Law

​The voter ID law passed by Texas lawmakers in May continues its circuit among activists, lawmakers, academics and social commentators as a discriminatory, unjustified and absolutely necessary measure, depending on who's yelling. Words like "voter fraud" on the right and "disenfranchisement" o ... More >>

Before He Sipped the Tea, Rick Perry Had a Much Different Take on Voting

​The old Rick Perry -- back before he discovered the Tea Party -- would have swept into Dallas on a white horse shootin' his Ruger and kickin' up dust to defend the embattled Medrano family, accused of faking a family member's voter residency in a justice of the peace election. In fact, I just ... More >>

Reliving the Trinity River Toll Road Campaign With Mayoral Candidate Ron Natinsky

Photo by Sam MertenRon Natinsky​In our cover story about the mayoral race, perhaps you read the section about council member Ron Natinsky and noticed a glossing over of sorts when it came to his public comments during the contentious 2007 Trinity River toll road referendum. As is often the ca ... More >>

Billy MacLeod Steps Up Fight to Move Polling Location From Medrano Elementary

The polling location in dispute​By week's end, District 2 council candidate Billy MacLeod expects to file in state and federal court a lawsuit over the city's decision not to remove Esperanza "Hope" Medrano Elementary School from its list of polling locations for the May 14 election. As you're no ... More >>

Fantasy Voter Fraud

County Commish Maurine Dickey's Campaign Report Long on Smoke, Short on Fire.

The Humane Society and big agriculture slug it out over animal rights

Do Primary Voting Numbers Spell a GOP Trend?

Houston Mayor Bill White is Running for Governor. Unless He Isn't. We Think.

Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison Are Locked In A Pitched Battle Over The Soul Of The GOP. They Are Also Running For Governor.

Hotel? No Hotel? Hard to Say, as Early Voting's Split Darned Near Right Down the Middle.

One of the city of Dallas's official renderings of the convention center hotelMerten and Pulle are out; Schutze is about. They'll offer their reports from hotel shindigs pro and con -- and, just maybe, some council member throwdowns -- later in the night, as Dallas County Elections begins kicking ou ... More >>

The Convention Center Hotel Vote is Not Just About a Building. It’s About a Mayor.

In Memo to Council, Angela Hunt Asks Colleagues to Stop Talking Out of Their Asses

Natilee DeeAngela Hunt has delivered a sound thwacking to fellow city council member Ron Natinsky and Assistant City Manager A.C. Gonzalez over some loose-lipped claims Natinsky and Gonzalez have been making about our upcoming referendum on a city-owned hotel downtown.She says Natinsky and Gonzalez, ... More >>

Leppert Potentially Jeopardizes Tax-Exempt Status of Two South Dallas Churches By Telling Audience Members to Vote No on Props 1 and 2

Sam MertenMayor Tom Leppert did not mince words Sunday: "Vote no on Proposition 1. Vote no on Proposition 2."Mayor Tom Leppert and wife Laura spent yesterday worshiping at churches in South Dallas, where services were interrupted so the mayor could give his convention center hotel sales pitch and in ... More >>

Go Home, GOP|Money For Nothing|Corrections

With Dallas Republicans in Pain, One Local Leader Believes He Has the Cure

How County Chair Jonathan Neerman Plans to Ease the Dallas GOP's Woes

Vaught's Seat Still Up for Grabs

Dems See Bigger Blowout Than ’06 Based on Early Voting Numbers

Texas Watchdog Sees Dead People ... Voting in Dallas County

Obama's Leading in Early Voting

Are Gay Mexicans Homophobic or Do You Just Like Being Treated Badly?

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Early Vote

If You're Feeling Supressed, Feel Free to Contact Sarah Saldaña

Sure, We've Signed the No-Hotel Petition. But, Look, We'll Sign Anything.

Obama and Me

It was the year 2000, and I was a young, hungry reporter in Chicago with a young, hungry state legislator on my speed dial

Voting Early, Voting Often

Mayor Tom Leppert Needs to Walk the Ethics Reform Talk

If the mayor wants to raise the ethical bar at City Hall, he won't have far to reach

Dallas County Trio Goes Obama

Selling You Down the River

The Unholy Trinity: Kirk, Miller and Leppert

I Voted, But Will It Count?

And Your Early Winner Is...

And How About Them Council Races?

Angela Hunt and Craig Holcomb: C'mon, Let's Hug It Out

Looking on the Bright Side

So, Lesse, Tom Leppert...Ed Oakley...and Don Hill? Or Max Wells?

With Ten Percent of the Precincts Reporting...

Only 73 Precincts Left to Go...

This Just In: Harlan Crow and Dallas Citizens Council Hate Democracy

Sam Coats Calls for Trinity Toll Road Vote

Tu Rock Es Votar