Texas GOP Passes Bills Allowing Abbott Appointee to Take Over Democratic County's Elections

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Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Sunday warned that Republican state legislators had made a "shameless power grab" by passing a pair of bills aimed at allowing the state government to take control of elections in the Democratic stronghold, which includes Houston.

Senate Bill 1933 passed on Sunday as the state's legislative session came to a close, with lawmakers sending to GOP Gov. Greg Abbott's desk a bill that could give Secretary of State Jane Nelson—who was nominated by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate—the authority to run elections under circumstances in any county with more than 3.5 million residents.

The legislation was passed two days after Senate Bill 1750, which also applies to counties above that population threshold and would abolish the nonpartisan county elections administrator position.

Harris County, which President Joe Biden won by 13 points in 2020, is the only county is Texas with a population above 3.5 million, making both bills apply only to its elections.

Hidalgo denounced the legislation as two "election subversion bills" and warned that they will set a "dangerous precedent" for Republican governors who wish to take control of voting in heavily Democratic counties.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/texas ... ris-county

Harris county is the only county in Texas with more than 3.5 million residents. Also Abbott had the state take over the Houston Independent School District because of poor performance mainly due to underfunding. Vote Democratic and see what it gets you.
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Re: Texas GOP Passes Bills Allowing Abbott Appointee to Take Over Democratic County's Elections

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TrueTexan wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 11:08 am
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Sunday warned that Republican state legislators had made a "shameless power grab" by passing a pair of bills aimed at allowing the state government to take control of elections in the Democratic stronghold, which includes Houston.

Senate Bill 1933 passed on Sunday as the state's legislative session came to a close, with lawmakers sending to GOP Gov. Greg Abbott's desk a bill that could give Secretary of State Jane Nelson—who was nominated by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate—the authority to run elections under circumstances in any county with more than 3.5 million residents.

The legislation was passed two days after Senate Bill 1750, which also applies to counties above that population threshold and would abolish the nonpartisan county elections administrator position.

Harris County, which President Joe Biden won by 13 points in 2020, is the only county is Texas with a population above 3.5 million, making both bills apply only to its elections.

Hidalgo denounced the legislation as two "election subversion bills" and warned that they will set a "dangerous precedent" for Republican governors who wish to take control of voting in heavily Democratic counties.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/texas ... ris-county

Harris county is the only county in Texas with more than 3.5 million residents. Also Abbott had the state take over the Houston Independent School District because of poor performance mainly due to underfunding. Vote Democratic and see what it gets you.
As a Houston Harris County resident this ticks me off, but aside from a court case I don’t see any chance to change it. Even then, I’d expect SCOTUS to back a republican dominated state administration.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Texas GOP Passes Bills Allowing Abbott Appointee to Take Over Democratic County's Elections

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SB 1933: This bill allows the Texas Secretary of State to impose "administrative oversight" during an election. It’s written very broadly. It allows the Secretary of State to order administrative oversight of any county office administering elections or voter registration. If a complaint is filed, the Secretary of State notifies the county election authority, and the Secretary of State investigates and finds “good cause” that there’s a recurring pattern of problems (including malfunctioning voting equipment, lack of proper voting supplies like ballots, uncounted votes or other tabulation errors, or voter registry maintenance issues).

CHANCES OF A COURT CHALLENGE: According to Schneider: “Almost certainly.”
SB 1750: It targets Harris County – and only Harris County – and eliminates the position of Harris County elections administrator (an appointed position) and divvies up the office's responsibilities to the Harris County Clerk and the county's Tax Assessor/Collector. Those are elected positions. In other words, says Schneider, “the county's election responsibilities and processes will return to the elective offices that ran them prior to 2020.”

CHANCES OF A COURT CHALLENGE: Schneider says, “It's likely Harris County could seek a court intervention, but it could be an uphill climb. If there is such a challenge, it might be based on the fact that this legislation specifically addresses one office in one Texas county.”
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/arti ... elections/

Have to see how far the court battles get before the Texas 2024 presidential primaries.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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