Mail Ballot Tracker
A Democratic Party canvasser came to my door yesterday. He asked me if I would be voting and what was the top concern of my neighborhood. My response was yes and public safety. The featured photo is the lit that he was distributing.
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On a kind of related note, see this from the Trib:
WASHINGTON — Second gentleman Doug Emhoff heads to Texas next week to headline a San Antonio rally Monday for Texas Democrats.
Emhoff will also speak at a fundraising reception in San Antonio on Monday and at a fundraiser in Austin on Tuesday.
The San Antonio rally will be for Texas Democrats’ coordinated campaign, dubbed “Texas Offense,” led by Senate candidate U.S. Rep. Colin Allred. Several prominent Texas Democrats will also speak at the rally, including U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. Comedian Cristela Alonzo and Gen-Z activist Olivia Julianna will also be present, as well as state House Democratic candidates Kristian Carranza and Laurel Jordan Swift.
The rally will focus on the “Freedom to Vote.” The city attracted national attention after state investigators under Attorney General Ken Paxton searched the homes of several Latino political organizers, including in Bexar County, as part of a probe into alleged voter fraud. Among the subjects of the searches were Cecilia Castellano, a Democratic candidate for state representative in a competitive district, and members of Texas LULAC, a non-partisan Hispanic civil rights organization.
LULAC and Texas Democrats have decried the searches as voter intimidation, calling on the U.S. Justice Department to investigate Paxton.
Emhoff’s appearance at the rally is also a sign of support from the presidential campaign for Texas Democrats, who have bemoaned being largely left off the map in the presidential race. Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign must target the swing states needed to reach a majority in the Electoral College and determined Texas did not make the cutoff.
Still, the presidential ticket has made appearances in the state, including July visits by Harris to Houston and Dallas, where she spoke at meetings of historically Black sororities. President Joe Biden also spoke in Austin at an event commemorating the Civil Rights Act in July after dropping out of the presidential race. Harris, Biden and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the vice presidential candidate, have all visited Texas to fundraise this cycle.
Texas Democrats launched their coordinated campaign in July to bundle resources from the Senate race down ballot. It’s the first coordinated campaign led by a Democratic Senate candidate since Republicans took control of the state.
It is interesting that the Harris-Walz 2024 campaign is sending the Second Gentleman to Texas. I am glad to see the Democratic Party campaign activity.
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This is interesting. If you read the entire piece, legislators are more inclined to leave this up to local ISDs. See this from the Trib:
Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath on Wednesday said next year lawmakers should ban the use of cellphones in public schools across the state.
Morath’s endorsement of a statewide ban came during his testimony at a Senate Education Committee hearing, where he called the use of cellular devices “extremely harmful” to student progress.
“If it were in my power, I would have already banned them in all schools in the state,” Morath said. “So I would encourage you to consider that as a matter of public policy going forward for our students and our teachers.”
Morath’s comments fall directly in line with a debate taking place in school systems across the country, a contentious subject that doesn’t divide neatly along party lines. The commissioner brought up the topic of cellphones while testifying about student outcomes on national and state exams. On the most recent state exam, only 41% of Texas students demonstrated an adequate understanding of math, a significant cause for concern among lawmakers Wednesday.
Here is the entire Trib read: Texas should ban cellphones in schools, education chief says | The Texas Tribune.
I am glad to see bi-partisan legislative pushback. Leave it up to the locals where there is a measure of accountability. If you leave it up to Morath, he is only accountable to the arsehole GOP Gov. Greg Abbott.
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At the beginning of each year, I fill out a vote by mail application online. I use the 65 and older excuse. If it is an even numbered year, I make sure to mark the Democratic Party Primary and runoff elections. I also check off the box requesting ballots for all elections for the year including runoffs. After filling it out, I print it out, sign it, stick it in an envelope, put a stamp on it, and take it to the post office.
After a few days, I go to Harrisvotes.com and find the mail ballot tracker box to check my mail ballot status by providing last name, DOB, and Texas ID number or last four digits of your SSN. It will tell you if your mail ballot application has been received. As an election approaches you can see online when your ballot is being prepared and when it is mailed to you.
When I get my mail ballot, I don’t let it sit around. I promptly put an X in blue or black ink by my preferred candidate or issue. I put it in the ballot envelope and seal, then shove the ballot envelope into the carrier envelope, provide the last four digits of my SSN number or Texas ID number. I provide both, just in case. I seal the envelope, sign the back of the envelope, stick a stamp on it, and take it to the post office.
After a few days I will go online to the mail ballot tracker and see if my mail ballot has been received. As Election Day approaches you can check if it has been processed and approved. After Election Day, you can check if it was counted.
I went online yesterday and found out that my mail ballot for the upcoming election is being prepared.
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We lost last night and sit at 82-70. 10 games remain on the regular season schedule. As of this morning, the Angels, A’s, Marlins, Nationals, Pirates, Reds, Rockies and White Sox have been eliminated from the playoffs. The Brewers and the Yankees are the only teams to clinch playoff spots.
On KPRC TV Channel 2 News this morning, they mentioned the magic number for the Astros. The magic number is the combination of Astros wins and Mariners losses needed for us to win the AL West. Our magic number is 6. Let me put it this way. The Mariners also have 10 games left to play. They currently sit at 77-75. If they win all 10 games, they will finish at 87-75. We would just need to win 6 of our 10 games to finish with 88 wins. Voila, hence the magic number of 6.
We went 4-2 on the roadie. The next 7 are at The Yard including 4 versus the Angels that start this evening.
