Texas Representative Mike Lang (R-Eastland) has introduced HB 377. It would add a question about an applicant’s party registration on the Texas voter registration application. It would also provide that only party members could vote in primaries.
It would also make it illegal for registered party members to sign a petition for an independent candidate or a new party. A similar Arizona law was held unconstitutional in Campbell v Hull, 73 F Supp 2d 1081, in 1999. The only other state that ever had a law like that was Louisiana, but Louisiana repealed it in 1948.
The Texas bill is also faulty because it doesn’t acknowledge that a party has the right to invite independents to vote in its primaries. Instead it forces closed primaries, or closed conventions, on all parties.
ONLY primary party hacks picking party hack extremists.
NO primaries.
PR and AppV
Note, that should be Mike Lang (R-Hood). In Texas, legislators are referred to by their home county. For the most part this is only used when distinguishing between the two Bell’s, two Gonzalez’s, three Johnson’s, or three King’s. King of Hemphill is from Hemphill County, not the city of Hemphill which is 500 miles away. Lang does have one of his district offices in Eastland which is coincidentally in Eastland County.
Under current law, a voter must be affiliated with a party to take part in its nominating activities (primaries,conventions, etc.). A voter becomes affiliated when they vote or participate in a party convention, run for office, sign a party petition, etc. The affiliation lasts through the remainder of the general election year, though it has no practical effect for ordinary voters.
As of January 1, 2019 nobody has a party affiliation. Next December, voters will be sent new registration cards attesting to their redemption.
The bill establishes permanent registration. Moreover, a change in party affiliation would not take effect for one year after a change in registration. As a special dispensation, voters who affiliate by December 31, 2019, will be able to vote in the 2020 primary election. In October 2019, there would be a mass mailout to all voters informing them of the impending change. Included would be a pre-paid postcard to permit affiliation before the deadline.
18 YO voters would be permitted to affiliate at the when they register and participate at the next primary. This apparently would not apply to other voters such as felons who have completed their sentence, have moved into the state, are naturalized, or simply have not previously been registered. Someone who turns 18 in December of 2020, too late to vote in the general election, would not be able to affiliate unless he registers by March 2022.
The petition limits are based on the current law. A voter who has participted in a primary that nominated a candidate for an office, may not sign an independent’s petition. The principle is that you can’t help nominate two candidates. It is explained in this video:
https://youtu.be/Mf46RMQQ_Vc
Representative Lang is from a very Republican district. Trump carried it 84% to 13%. In 2018, primary turnout was 93% to 6.5%. If we assume the same voters, then half of the Clinton voters voted in the Republican primary.
In 2018, there were 71 county and precinct offices in the district. Republicans had candidates for all 71. There were 131 candidates and 29 contested races, 11 going to runoffs. There was one Democrat, tellingly seeking to oppose Lang’s wife who is Hood County clerk. If you want to run for county office, you have to be a Republican. If you want to vote for a county officer, you have to vote in the Republican Party.
In 2017 as a freshman, Lang filed the same bill. It did got get a hearing.
What percent of the population of every State is illegal invaders ???
Highest percents —
CA, AZ, NM, TX, FL ??? More inland — CO, NV, IL, NY, GA ???
Do RED communist Donkeys LOVE having more illegal invaders — later to become more RED communist Donkeys ???
USA = the New 1861/1914 Balkans ??? — esp in black vs hispanic areas ???
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PR and AppV