Texas Representative Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) has introduced HB 1444. It deals with the straight-ticket device. It says that in counties with a population of over 1,000,000, the straight-ticket device would not encompass partisan candidates for judicial office and county executive office.

This bill seems to be a compromise between the idea of eliminating the straight-ticket device, and keeping it. Another bill, HB 1288, would simply eliminate the device. Texas elects its judges in partisan races, and although many Republicans in the legislature seem to want to keep the device, they are bothered by the fact that the device makes it difficult for Republican judges to be elected or re-elected in Dallas County, because Dallas County has become a stronghold for the Democratic Party (in November 2012, Dallas County cast 405,571 votes for President Obama and 295,813 votes for Mitt Romney).

It seems that if the bill were enacted, it might be found to violate Bush v Gore, since it would apply to some counties and not others. Thanks to Jim Riley for this news.