State Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless, predicts the stalling tactics employed by House Democrats to keep controversial Voter ID legislation from reaching the House floor "won't be successful". He wouldn't give details of possible compromises between the two sides to break a legislative stalemate that's putting hundreds of bills in jeopardy, but did speak with reporters this afternoon. With that, here's Todd:
Well, that was strange. First, press got notified that Republican state Rep. Betty Brown, R-Terrell, would hold a midday press conference to rally her R troops in support of a strong Voter ID bill. Then, House Democrats sent out a blast that they, too, would have a press conference at lunch, and in the same room. The location wasn't reserved, so it was first-come, first-serve for members upon lunch recess.
SB 362, the Voter ID bill, is on its way to the House floor as early as Friday of this week. State Rep. Betty Brown, R-Terrell, who authored previous versions of Voter ID, is holding a midday press conference to discuss her position on the bill. (She doesn't think it's strong enough.) Brown is expected to talk about how she wants stricter photo identification requirements in the bill.
City Councilmember Brewster McCracken has decided to bow out of the runoff for Austin mayor after finishing a distant second to rival Lee Leffingwell on Saturday. Leffingwell...
The familiar last-minute ethics complaint is rearing its head in the final days of the race for Austin mayor. Mayoral candidate Lee Leffingwelllodged a complaint in municipal court Monday, alleging his opponent, Brewster McCracken, took illegal campaign contributions.
Democratic Chairmen Demand New Hearing on Voter ID
Democratic chairs and vice-chairs in the Texas House have sent a letter to Speaker Joe Straus calling for a public hearing on state Rep. Todd Smith's latest version of the Voter ID bill, also known as CSSB 362.
"While some components of the bill may have been discussed previously in committee, the public has not had an opportunity to voice their opinions regarding the comprehensive new bill. This is only prudent, given the Voting Rights Act and the impact of this bill on every citizen in Texas," the letter reads. It was signed by 33 chairmen and vice-chairmen in the Texas House, all of them Democrats.
The latest draft of the House version of the Voter ID bill is circulating, and Election Committee members say state Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless, who chairs the panel, is hoping to vote the bill out of committee as early as today.
What's in CSSB 362, as of now:
1.) Voter ID Education
-- Creation of a website detailing the new ID requirements.
-- Statewide education effort spearheaded by Secretary of State and the major political parties
2.) Election Worker Training
-- County clerks must provide at least one training session for election judges and clerks about...
House Elections Committee Chairman State Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless, dropped off the latest version of his Voter ID "compromise" bill on committee members desks this morning. Staffers are still reviewing its components.
In a quick interview, Smith said he didn't want to talk about what's in the bill because "this may not be the last draft."
"Once I make concessions to one side, I lose some people, and then once I make concessions to the other side, I lose the other people," Smith said.
Just got a copy of the bill, details of what's inside coming up in the next post.
I've revised my Travis County Early Voting Locations map to include the early voting locations for the Austin Mayoral election. Early voting begins today, April 27 and runs through Tuesday, May 5th. During early voting, registered voters may cast a ballot at any early voting location.
Zoom in on the map and click on the plot point for the specific name (i.e. Fiesta Mart) and address for each location. If you take it to a full screen you'll have all the locations on the left side of the screen.
If you notice any issues with the map (last time I had a plot point in San Marcos for some reason) please ...
Elise Hu is KVUE's Political Reporter and your dedicated blogger. There's too much politics in Texas to fit into a newscast, so the fun continues here. Email your ideas and feedback to ehu@kvue.com.
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