Early Voting Starts Monday, March 31st

Early voting for the Democratic run-off election started today. The only race on the ballot pits Dale Henry against Mark Thompson for railroad commissioner.

Early voting runs 7:00a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from March 31 through April 4th. To see a list of early voting locations, click on the links below:

Collin County

Dallas County

Denton County

Tarrant County

If you were out voting in Denton County, hopefully you avoided the pingpong ball-sized hail that hit in the afternoon.

Texas Blog Roundup: March 31, 2008

It's Monday and that means it is time for another Texas Progressive Alliance Blog Round-Up. The weekly round up is compiled from submissions submitted by member bloggers.

Saturday, TXsharon of Bluedaze attended the Barnett Shale Expo and the lies told by John Tinterra, Texas Railroad Commission, in front of citizens who pay his salary and in front of his boss, Victor Carrillo, reminded TXS of a quote from Cold Mountain: "That man is so full of manure we could plant him and grow another one!".

McBlogger's never been a big fan of tax abatements to lure new companies to Austin. He's even less thrilled with them when they are being used to entice developers, especially developers who can't seem to make their finances work without the abatements.

Off the Kuff takes one last look at primary voting in Harris County, this time examining Democratic turnout by State Rep district.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson previews the GOP runoff in HD-52, The Same Only Different.

Over a thousand Harris County voters took "vote twice" too seriously, writes PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

Hal at Half Empty will vote in the Democratic primary runoff, to be sure, despite the fact that only one race will appear on his ballot. The tables are turned and the Republicans in CD 22 have a much more juicy decision to make. Oh, to be a Republican.

Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News turned it over to his brother Jim for a few odd links as he was getting ready to be tired out at the third step of the Texas Two-Step. Earlier in the week Gary got his dander riled at racist media conservatives.

nytexan at BlueBloggin tells us that keeping 378 delegates and 275 alternates under control is like herding cats in It’s Great To Be A Democrat In Texas at the Senatorial District 18, Bastrop County Convention.

Texas Blog Roundup: March 24, 2008

It's Monday, and that means it is time for the Texas Progressive Alliance weekly blog round-up. The round-up is compiled every week based upon voluntary submissions by TPA member bloggers.

Off the Kuff takes a look at the primary vote for Democratic candidates in Harris County by State Rep district.

Dwayne Bohac: A Study in Rovian Politics takes a look at an incumbent Republican Rove clone and his basic hypocracy. It uses his public utterances on "clean air" to host him on his own corporate petard.

The Texas Cloverleaf notes that TxDOT is handing out the awards, this time to Denton County Judge Mary Horn, for her "hard work" on building roads. But why do they note the projects that have never been completed?

CouldBeTrue notes that the Texas State Board of Education has 'better' things to do than represent Hispanic children.

Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News tells people Happy Easter! now suck it up. If that rant about economics goes more into hedonics than you ever wanted to know he also offers a link to explaining the credit crisis for kindergarteners.

Over at Doing My Part For The Left takes a look at the bigotry of homophobic Rep. Sally Kern of Oklahoma and wipes tears from his eyes as he reads a letter to Rep Sally Kern from a young man who knows what it is to lose a loved one.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson after reading through the headlines asks Should Texas Be Worried About The Economy?

Hal at Half Empty has a bone to pick with Bush's Presidential Library committee. As planned on the SMU campus, not only will it cause the distruction of student housing and a strip mall, but the obliteration of a La Madeleine cafe boutique. Hal has an alternative suggestion.

For the Democratic primary runoff election (scheduled for April 8, with early voting commencing March 31) PDiddie at Brains and Eggs reiterates his endorsement of Dale Henry for Texas Railroad Commission and Larry Weiman for 80th Ciivl District Court of Harris County.

Vince at Capitol Annex notes that the federal government has asked the state to postpone the roll-out of the state's new troubled food stamp eligibility screening computer program.

McBlogger at McBlogger take a look at the collapse of Bear Stearns and see that JP Morgan Chase may have created the deal of the century.

BossKitty at BlueBloggin reminds us that our war hungry vice president Dick Cheney is on the war path again; Cheney Stalks Middle East One More Time but the Saudi King is playing a different drum.

WhosPlayin talks about what it was like to work at the polls on Primary Election day.

2008 Denton County Democratic Convention

Dear Fellow Democrats:

CONVENTION TIME IS HERE!! SPREAD THE WORD!!!

After an astonishing primary (54,000 Democratic Voters!!!) it is now time to have our Denton County Democratic Party County Convention. Our party has grown by over 1000 percent since the last primary. Yes, I said 1000 percent! The result is that we have outgrown all facilities in Denton County.

Our County Convention will be held in the Quakertown/Civic Center Park located in Denton, Texas, March 29, 2008 beginning with registration at 8:30 and the convention lasting until 4:00 p.m. Because we are a party of unity and inclusion, we must now all pitch in to host the largest political convention ever held in history of Denton County and we need your help. Many of you have already stepped forward and the Party we is grateful for your efforts.

We need volunteers for greeters, information distribution, contacting of delegates, facility operation, packet construction, computers and many other positions. If you can help with any positions you should immediately contact Barbara Edward at barbed2000@yahoo.com or call the County Headquarters at (940) 566-1165. (Don't ask for Jace, he's had a rough week.) We will be glad to direct you to the area of your interest.

We also need donations to defray the costs of the convention. We estimate the convention will cost approximately $12,000.00 and we are well on our way to this goal for having a first rate convention thanks to the donations of money and equipment by members of the party. We also want our convention to be environmentally friendly by carpooling, (not to mention the savings on parking space). Donations should be made payable to the Denton County Democratic Party.

So, bring your most comfortable lawn chair (no tree swings, please), a blanket to relax for the afternoon and enjoy the music, and your energized Democratic Spirit for a time to showcase our Party as we make our way to the State Convention in June and Victory in November.

Your County Chair,
Neil L. Durrance

Note from North Texas Liberal: The cost of the convention works out to a little more than $100 per precinct. We need every good Democrat to step up and do his or her part. To see a breakdown of the costs, go to Castle Hills Democrats. To contribute online, go here. To send a check, download this form. To contribute via PayPal, click here. Come to Quakertown Park this Saturday, meet your fellow Democrats and be a part of history.

Where is Myra?

After winning the primary, Democrat John McClelland is ready to take on Rep. Myra Crownover, the Republican who represents much of Denton County (House District 64) in the state legislature. Check out his first campaign ad, "Where is Myra?," below.

Hillary takes Texas

"We're going to do it for everyone across America who's been counted out -- but refused to be knocked out. For everyone who's stumbled -- but stood right back up. And for everyone who works hard -- but never gives up."
-Hillary Clinton

In an exciting night for Democrats, Sen. Hillary Clinton won primaries in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island. Sen. Barack Obama won Vermont. The race will go on.

Let's not forget the great news for Texas Democrats. With 88% of precincts reporting, almost 3 million Democrats voted in the state of Texas. This is fantastic news for Democrats all over the state: it will help party organizers identify Democrats and get organized for November.

John McCain may have clinched the Republican nomination tonight, but let's hear it for the Democrats!

Vote Twice: It's the Texas Two-Step

This is it, folks.

Election day has finally come to Texas.

If you haven't voted yet, go vote now! Heavy turnout is expected today, so reserve some time on your busy schedules and head down to your polling place and do your civic duty.

Whether you've decided on Hillary or Barack, this is one of the most important presidential elections in history, and Texas gets a say. So don't let it go to waste!

Also, don't forget to do the Texas Two-Step!

After voting ends at 7 tonight, precinct chairs across the state will call to order precinct conventions, where you need to show up again to show support for your candidate! A third of Texas' delegates will be awarded during this integral second step of the process! Be back at your polling location no later than 7:15 p.m. to participate. You must have voted in the primary (early or election day) in order to attend the convention.

Now, go vote!