Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks was recently sanctioned by the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC). The TEC stated in their Order and Agreed Resolution that they found “credible evidence of a violation of Section 255.003, Election Code.” They went on to state that Commissioner Brooks used “public funds for political advertising.”
Technology has become an important part of helping us execute our choices, be it where to eat, work out, travel, and increasingly in one of the most important decisions we have in life as Americans: voting. In Texas, as elsewhere in the nation, there’s a push to move voting away from paper ballots to digital, even to the point of removing paper trails as a backup to check the integrity of the vote. Often it is argued that this will make for a smoother voting process, but at this year’s Republican Party of Texas Convention a few of the Senate District caucuses decided to give pure digital voting a try and chaos and confusion ensued.
*WARNING – MATURE LANGUAGE BELOW
People often ask what the difference between republicans and democrats is…while the elected official’s votes are often hard to differentiate, those in the party have very different cultural behaviors. Nowhere is that more evident than the contrast between the two party’s state conventions. Last week the Republican Party of Texas held their state convention in San Antonio, followed this week by the Texas Democrats holding their convention in Fort Worth.
Last week 7961 delegates and 1964 alternates* from around the state attended the 2018 Republican Party of Texas (RPT) State Convention in San Antonio. Was it worth the time and treasure spent by those 9925 individuals? Priorities were set for the legislature, but there is no guarantee they will listen. No actual bills were passed. Was this just an exercise in futility, or was it a chance to establish a new brand, a new marketing campaign for the RPT?
For some the convention is a chance to network, socialize, connect with elected officials from around the state, and enjoy the party part of the Party. Others come to try their hand at legislating and navigating Roberts Rules of Order. Many come to just watch and learn.
The Republican Party of Texas State Convention is upon us. This is the party’s opportunity to decide where they stand on issues across the board, including election integrity.
In the past few election cycles, our elections have been revealed to be far less secure than we would hope. From vote harvesting, to attempted voter fraud, to foreign nations admitting they’ve tried to interfere in our elections, threats are at an all-time high. Read More