As of the press deadline, it appears that the primary election originally scheduled for March 6 will be held April 3. However, due to ongoing redistricting legal proceedings, there may be changes to the date and number of primaries. To ensure that you are able to vote in any primary this year, TAA recommends that you register to vote with the Secretary of State’s office at least 30 days prior to the election.   

For more information on how to register, or to download an application, please visit www.votexas.org/register_to_vote.html.  

HD 14 special election update

Congratulations to Representative-elect John Raney on his successful bid to win the special election runoff for House District 14 (Bryan-College Station). Raney, a small business and rental property owner, received 58 percent of the votes cast in the runoff, defeating Bob Yancy.

2012 elections

The 2012 election cycle is shaping up to be both tumultuous, in terms of the amount of turnover of elected officials, and complicated, with respect to the logistics of when and how elections will be conducted.

Races to decide who will serve in the House and Senate in the next legislative session change weekly, if not daily. The combination of an unusually high number of retirements and continued uncertainty over redistricting has led to an extremely active election cycle. As of December, TAA is tracking more than 80 contested House races and 11 Senate races. TAA is also monitoring more than 25 congressional and statewide elections. 

The largest intangible that will considerably affect next year’s elections is the status of redistricting. Every 10 years, the legislature is charged with redrawing legislative and congressional district boundaries to account for pop ulation changes. The maps that were passed by the legislature in 2011, however, were legally disputed and found to be unconstitutional.  

The three-judge panel in San Antonio that handed down the ruling also drew up interim maps in an attempt to more accurately account for communities of interest. Attorney General Greg Abbott appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which granted a stay of the judges’ interim maps. On January 9, 2012, the court will hear arguments from both sides of the issue.

The case is significant since the outcome will greatly influence the make-up of both the state’s legislature as well as Texas’ congressional delegation in Washington. TAA will continue to monitor and report any developments.