Texas

Losing Republican candidate wants Texas House to void results of his race

Published

2 years ago

December 2, 2022

Losing Republican candidate wants Texas House to void results of his race

Join The Transient, our day by day e-newsletter that retains readers on top of things on probably the most important Texas information.

A shedding Republican candidate for the Texas Home of Representatives is difficult his defeat and asking the Legislature to void the outcomes of the election.

Republican Mike Could this week filed what’s often known as an election contest with the Texas secretary of state’s workplace, citing studies of scattered paper poll shortages at “quite a few” polling locations on Election Day. Could misplaced to incumbent Democrat Jon Rosenthal by greater than 6,000 votes in his bid to symbolize Home District 135 within the Houston space.

The secretary of state’s workplace on Tuesday delivered Could’s petition to Home Speaker Dade Phelan, who can refer the competition to a committee for investigation and appoint one other member of the Home as a “grasp” to supervise discovery and proof associated to the contested election. In the event that they aspect with Could and void the outcomes, one other election could be required to resolve the district’s consultant. The Home may also toss the competition by declaring it “frivolous.”

Election Day points as soon as once more pushed Harris County’s election officers again underneath scrutiny, together with from the state’s Republican management. Voting in Harris County was prolonged by court docket order for an additional hour after a few dozen polling locations have been delayed in opening. The county’s elections administrator Clifford Tatum has additionally acknowledged points with inadequate paper ballots at some polling locations, although he mentioned election workers was dispatched to ship further ballots.

The fumbles prompted a lawsuit by the Harris County GOP, which alleged voters have been disenfranchised by the paper shortages. The Harris County district lawyer has since launched an investigation into allegations of “irregularities.” The Texas Election Code contains prison penalties for numerous violations, together with unlawful voting, the unsolicited distribution of mail-in poll functions by native election officers and the failure to distribute election provides.

In his petition, Could argued the outcomes of the election weren’t the “true end result” as a result of election officers “prevented eligible voters from voting.” Could didn’t instantly return a request for remark.

On Friday, Rosenthal’s camp framed Could’s election contest as a part of a nationwide pattern to “deny the end result of an election once you lose.”

“This race demonstrated one of many largest proportion level variations in Harris County, it wasn’t even shut,” Rosenthal’s marketing campaign supervisor, Bailey Stober, mentioned in an announcement. “The opposition introduced himself and his positions and was rejected by voters overwhelmingly. That’s how democracy works.”

The assertion got here quickly after Harris County Legal professional Christian D. Menefee criticized the competition as an effort to “name into query the 2022 election in Harris County and lay the groundwork to pressure a redo.”

It’s unclear how Phelan will deal with the competition. His workplace declined to remark Friday. However Menefee mentioned he was hopeful that Phelan would throw out the problem.

“And I belief that he’ll guarantee a good course of earlier than neutral legislators, with out interference from the state leaders and different elected officers who’ve a historical past of creating baseless claims in opposition to Harris County elections,” Menefee mentioned.

The Home took on an analogous train in 2011 following a problem by Travis County Republican Dan Neil, who, after a recount, misplaced to state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, by 12 votes. The Home finally upheld Howard’s win. She stays within the Texas Legislature.

Up until then, the Legislature had seen 113 election contests since 1846, in response to the Texas Legislative Council, an in-house authorized and analysis arm of the Texas Legislature. The shedding get together, nonetheless, had not managed to show the end result of the election not less than within the final 30 years. Within the one case by which the Home ordered a brand new election in 1981, the winner of the preliminary contest was once more elected.

Harris County, the state’s largest, has in recent times been floor zero for partisan battles over election administration. Since shedding management of the county, Republicans have recurrently challenged new voting initiatives just like the creation of countywide voting that permits voters to solid ballots at any polling place on Election Day in addition to the county’s creation of an elections directors workplace.

The county additionally drew the ire of state Republicans who, in sweeping laws handed in 2021, banned initiatives it championed within the first main election throughout the pandemic — 24-hour voting and drive-thru voting. The county mentioned these voting strategies have been disproportionately utilized by voters of colour.

Harris County will already be the topic of a full post-election audit by the state. The secretary of state’s workplace beforehand chosen the county for evaluation as a part of a brand new audit course of put in place by the Republican laws.

Disclosure: Texas Secretary of State has been a monetary supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information group that’s funded partly by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Monetary supporters play no position within the Tribune’s journalism. Discover a full checklist of them right here.

Source link

Click to comment

Texas

Texas Longhorns in Contention for Two Top 2026 Recruits

Published

3 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

Texas Longhorns in Contention for Two Top 2026 Recruits

Although the 2024-2025 football season has yet to subside, head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns have already been scoping out the next generation of athletes for their dynasty in the making.

The Longhorns secured the No. 1 recruiting class for 2025, with 25 high school players committed as of Dec. 6 following the early signing period, including four five-stars.

But now the focus has begun to shift over to the class of 2026, and Texas looks to add even more depth and strength to eventually turn into NFL-level talent. With two 2026 commits already making their announcement, four-star quarterback Dia Bell and three-star wide receiver Chris Stewart, Sarkisian continues to make strides toward the future success of his program.

On3’s Chad Simmons revealed his predictions for where the top 2026 recruits would call home on Wednesday and discussed Texas as an option for some of the best in the nation.

Simmons feels the most confident that four-star offensive tackle John Turntine will commit to the Longhorns after visiting the Forty Acres multiple times and building relationships with the football staff. Turntine hails from North Crowley in Fort Worth, making Texas a candidate that’s close to home.

The 305-pound offensive lineman just helped his team win the Texas 6A Division 1 state championship title over none other than Austin Westlake, a former stomping ground for current Longhorn Michael Taaffe, and would certainly make for a promising addition. Other schools in contention for Turntine include SMU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oregon, but On3 rates Texas as having the best chance of recruitment.

“There is real confidence in Austin that Texas feels good about their position with in-state offensive tackle target John Turnstine III,” Simmons said. “He has visited Texas numerous times, and he and his family have really connected with the staff. From Steve Sarkisian to Kyle Flood to recruiting assistants, Turntine has built some strong relationships. The North Crowley star just won a state title and he is expected to take many more visits, but Texas continues to set the pace.”

Another four-star with Texas in his sights is cornerback Davon Benjamin, who listed the Longhorns within his top eight schools on Thursday. Benjamin stands as the No. 4 safety and No. 47 player overall in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. However, Simmons wasn’t positive that Texas would be the one to land Benjamin and predicted the dual-threat athlete to commit to Oregon out of over 30 offers. The Longhorns must compete against football powerhouses such as Georgia, Ohio State, and Miami in order to snag this star recruit.

There’s no doubt that it will be a tight race among all of the best college football programs to formulate a promising 2026 roster, and Texas has a decent head start with the commitment of Bell to help get the ball rolling.

Join the Community:

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE

ADVERTISING

You can follow us for future coverage by subscribing to our newsletter here. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @LonghornsCountryOnSI & follow us on Twitter at @LonghornsSI

Other Texas Longhorns News:

MORE: Urban Meyer Believes Texas Longhorns Beat Arizona State For One Reason

MORE: Texas Longhorns’ Colin Simmons Wins Freshman of The Year Award

MORE: Arizona State Head Coach on Quinn Ewers Recruitment: ‘I Had No Chance’

MORE: Texas Longhorns Had ‘Come to Jesus Meeting’ After SEC Championship

MORE: Texas Longhorns Transfer WR Johntay Cook Predicted to Stay in SEC

Source link

Texas

Dense fog expected overnight; sunshine to return to North Texas

Published

11 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

Dense fog expected overnight; sunshine to return to North Texas – CBS Texas

Watch CBS News

North Texas experienced another day of significant rain, accompanied by strong storms and gusty winds. Fog is expected overnight, but sunshine will return.

Source link

Texas

8-year-old girl missing, father dead after car crash in Texas flood

Published

19 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

8-year-old girl missing, father dead after car crash in Texas flood

OKLAHOMA CITY — The search for an 8-year-old Oklahoma girl entered its third day on Thursday after her family’s vehicle got caught in a drainage ditch in Texas and was swept away by floodwaters on Christmas Eve.

Emergency personnel responded to a crash scene around 9:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday near U.S. Route 75 in Sherman, a city about 17 miles south of the Texas-Oklahoma border, according to the Sherman Police Department. Police said an SUV veered off the highway, got trapped in a drainage ditch and traveled down a nearby creek.

Six people were inside the vehicle at the time of the crash, according to police. Four family members were later rescued as authorities continued recovery efforts.

One body was recovered several hours later, police said. CBS News identified the person as the missing girl’s father, Will Robinson, who was a coach for the Durant High School Lady Lions basketball team in southern Oklahoma.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott approved the dispatch of state search-and-rescue teams to assist with search efforts, according to police. Local and state personnel searched throughout most of the night on Tuesday to locate the missing girl, police said.

Search efforts resumed early Christmas Day as personnel expanded the search area outside of Sherman and into the “lower branches of Post Oak and Choctaw creeks,” according to police. By the afternoon, searchers had covered about seven miles of the creek in the area without success and police said they were shifting their “focus into the county, targeting some possible locations where we have not looked to as yet.”

Authorities resumed their search at 7 a.m. Thursday, but police noted that inclement weather may force them to pause the search.

“We will maintain observation posts at key areas throughout the inclement weather,” the Sherman Police Department said in a statement Thursday morning. “The active search will resume again the moment we are able to safely.”

Police also thanked the local community for their support but said no additional equipment, volunteers or other resources were needed in the search.

“We appreciate all the offers for assistance and are thankful for your concern and willingness to help,” the Sherman Police Department said. “There are dozens of search teams already deployed, who possess vast experience in these types of operations.”

Severe weather threatens parts of Texas

Tuesday’s accident comes amid a severe weather threat in parts of the state. The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for the Dallas-Fort Worth metro as thunderstorms move through the area.

“Thunderstorms continue pushing east and are now east of the US 75/I-45 corridor,” the weather service in Fort Worth warned Thursday afternoon. “Main threats with these storms continues to be small hail and heavy rain, but a tornado can’t be ruled out in the Tornado Watch area.”

The weather service also issued a tornado watch for the Houston metro area, which will until at least 7 p.m. Forecasters said in a Thursday morning forecast that the environment for tornadoes would be the most favorable around noon.

Abbott activated state emergency response resources on Thursday in anticipation of an increased severe weather threat across the eastern half of Texas. Citing the weather service, the governor’s office said in a statement that severe thunderstorms are expected to develop across portions of north, central, east, and southeast Texas beginning Thursday.

“Risks through the weekend include large hail, damaging winds, possible tornadoes, and heavy rainfall resulting in flash flooding,” the governor’s office said. “Minor river flooding is possible over the next several days, with the threat subsiding early next week.”

Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY

Source link