Are we going to have primaries in Texas?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

The legal fight over redistricting has put the primaries on hold. They used to be on the first Saturday in March, as I remember from being an active member of Harris County Democrats.

[Gman]

1. Last I heard it was likely going to be May 29

[Gothmog]

2. We will known more tomorrow

There is a status hearing in the San Antonio court tomorrow and perhaps Wednesday. Unless there is a settlement, there is likely to be a split primary with a vote on the presidential contest and a couple of county races in April and a vote for the other races in July or August

[northoftheborder]

3. This is all really messy, the county and state conventions may have to be changed.

[Gothmog]

4. Conventions will not be moved

I just talked to the SDEC representative for my county. There will be no settlement and the conventions will not be moved. We will have to skip precinct conventions and go straight to country/senate district conventions to elect delegates to the state convention with loyalty oathes.

[Gothmog]

5. Split primaries being discussed at Status hearing in San Antonio case

I have been following twitter feed on the status hearing. It would be impossible to do April primaries for some counties. The judges are not discussing split primary where primaries for Presidential, US Senate and certain county wide races are held in April and the other primaries held in June or July

[Gothmog]

6. State of Texas claims no money for split primary

The attorney for the state of Texas claims that there is no money for split primary.

The attorney for the Texas Democratic Party thinks that May 29 (the Tuesday after Memorial Day weekend) works.

[sonias]

7. Oh boo hoo

How did they manage to "find" enough money to impose a poll tax on voters with their photo ID requirement and all of a sudden they can't find money to pay for their mistake on a split primary?

Too friggin bad Abbott - you better start looking in the state couch cushions because you broke it and you have to buy it!

[Gothmog]

8. The DPS is getting no extra funding for the voter id program

Back in November, I was one of the speakers at a town hall held by Congressman Al Green on the voter ID law. One of the other speakers was a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety. The DPS is getting no additional funding for this program. The money for these ids will have to come out of existing budget. The DPS is probably rooting for the DOJ to win the voter id lawsuit to keep from having to run a program with no funding

[sonias]

9. Texas Primary 2012 May Slip Into May Or Later Because Of Redistricting Fight

Huffington Post 2/15/12

Texas Primary 2012 May Slip Into May Or Later Because Of Redistricting Fight

SAN ANTONIO — An attorney for one of several minority rights groups challenging Texas' new Republican-drawn electoral maps says the two sides are close to agreeing on a new state Senate map.

Attorney Gerald Hebert told a panel of federal judges Wednesday that the two sides are "very close" to reaching a deal on the state Senate map. However, the sides still disagree on how the Texas House and the state's congressional districts should look.

The lawsuit already has pushed the Texas primaries from March's Super Tuesday into April and now appears likely to delay it further into May.

The agreement would be the first full compromise in the Texas redistricting battle that has dragged on since last summer.

[sonias]

10. Judge: Texas primaries likely to be May 29

AAS 2/15/12
Judge: Texas primaries likely to be May 29

SAN ANTONIO — In the final moments of Tuesday’s redistricting hearing, a three-judge panel said Texas’ primary elections likely will not occur before May 29.

While Judge Jerry Smith, one of three federal judges in the San Antonio redistricting case, said the likely date of the primaries will be May 29, he did not commit to the date. Smith, however, told the state’s two major political political parties that they should prepare proposals based on that assumption

The Republican Party of Texas and the Texas Democratic Party will prepare a schedule in the coming days that will include dates for early voting and runoffs. They also will determine when to reopen the filing period for candidates looking to run for office.

Likely they say, likely. I'm hearing that there is also an agreement on the Senate map that would keep Senate district 10 (Wendy Davis district) in tact.

[sonias]

11. Lone Star Project press release

Lone Star Project

February 15, 2012
[phone] - Fax [phone]
Contact: Matt Angle


State Agrees to Preserve Senate District 10
Senator Wendy Davis’ tough, smart, legal fight protects Fort Worth minority neighborhoods

Just a short time ago, the state Attorney General’s office agreed to drop its efforts to dismantle Senate District 10. Under an agreement made with state Senator Wendy Davis and other plaintiffs, Senate District 10 will remain completely unchanged in its configuration.

The concession on the state’s part represents an enormous victory for Tarrant County voters, minority citizens in Fort Worth and Senator Davis herself. In an attempt to destroy Senate District 10, the state of Texas removed large African American neighborhoods in the southeastern part of the district and attached them to an Anglo Republican district extending one hundred miles to the south. The state then removed Latino neighborhoods in the northern part of the district and attached them to a Denton County Republican district. Under the agreement, all of these changes are reversed.

Senator Davis defied predictions that a legal challenge to Senate District 10 would be unsuccessful. This agreement represents a clean and complete victory for Senator Davis and other plaintiffs.

Comments from Lone Star Project Director Matt Angle:

Senator Wendy Davis and other key leaders like Commissioner Roy Brooks, State Representative Marc Veasey and Constable Sergio De Leon had the guts and the smarts to stand up to Greg Abbott. Their courage paid off.

Greg Abbott and state Republicans spent millions of dollars trying to eliminate the voting rights of Tarrant County citizens. Wendy Davis and Tarrant County leaders stood up to them and stopped them.

to Senator Wendy Davis!!!