Thursday, May 23, 2013

Counties That Held No Runoffs Violated Election Code

by Ryan Murphy and Aman Batheja
August 2, 2012
10 Comments

Update, 4 p.m.: When runoffs were not held in two rural Texas counties that had held primaries in May, the state's election code was violated, according to the secretary of state's office.

The Republican and Democratic parties in Sterling County did not hold primary runoffs on Tuesday even though both hosted primaries in May. In Oldham County, the Republican Party had a primary but no runoff.

By initially holding the primary, the parties were required to follow through and host runoffs, said Rich Parsons, a spokesman for the Secretary of State.

The Secretary of State's office ...

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Comments (10)

August 2, 2012 @ 12:21 p.m.

Alex Clark via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Didn't make a difference but that is still bizarre.
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August 2, 2012 @ 12:32 p.m.

Scott Chase via Texas Tribune on Facebook

What if you hadn't heard of that decision. Aren't you disenfranchised? Where's Greg Abbott on that?
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August 2, 2012 @ 12:44 p.m.

Tom Erickson via Texas Tribune on Facebook

We care more about fast-food chicken than the right to vote.
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August 2, 2012 @ 2:24 p.m.

Ryan Granata via Texas Tribune on Facebook

So much for "every vote counts"... if there is an election and someone is turned away, that is voter disenfranchisement. What a pathetic excuse, who cares if no one is interested, it is not their right to decide whether to hold the election.
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August 2, 2012 @ 4:18 p.m.

David Huang via Texas Tribune on Facebook

RUT-ROH, SHAGGY.

All kidding aside, does this change anything at all about the runoffs? The counties didn't have enough votes to change anything, I'm guessing. It sucks that voters didn't have a chance to vote in the runoff, of course, but what's going to happen? A slap on the wrist fine?
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August 2, 2012 @ 4:28 p.m.

Robert Adams via Texas Tribune on Facebook

The results are flawed, do it over till you get it right.
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August 2, 2012 @ 5:10 p.m.

Neil Moyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook

elections should be run by Tx counties, not political parties; Tx worse than 3rd world country...
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August 2, 2012 @ 6:08 p.m.

Ramey Ko via Texas Tribune on Facebook

So were people not allowed to run for precinct chairs?
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August 3, 2012 @ 7:58 a.m.

Tom Sweazea via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Doesn't matter... Felon Tom DeLay rigged the whole thing in 2000 to achieve his "permanent majority" ...thus dooming Texas to send idiots like Perry and now Tim Crewz to Washington.
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August 3, 2012 @ 9:33 a.m.

gypsy314 ne

peopel have time to complain but will not step up and help out go figure