Tag Archives: Election Day

local news, political news

It’s all changed the way I vote

For decades I operated under a simple, but seemingly thorough, understanding of how to protect the sanctity of my vote.

I would wait until the last possible minute on Election Day before venturing to my polling place. The thought was to cast my vote late enough to prevent any last-second surprises from the candidates of my choice. I didn’t want to cast my ballot too early and then be shocked, surprised and disgusted by some end-of-the campaign surprise that disqualified the individual I had chosen for public office.

By an large, the notion served me well. Plus, I kind of enjoyed the pageantry associated with standing in line at the end of Election Day. I mean, casting a ballot in a democratic republic is a big … deal, you koow?

Then along came Donald John Trump and his phony voter fraud lie. It all came to a head on Jan. 6, 2021, with the armed assault on the nation’s Capitol. Trump called the election of Joe Biden as president a fraud. He said the presidency was “stolen” from him. The idiot hasn’t let that one go. He’s now all but vowing to cast aspersions on the 2026 midterm election if the result doesn’t go his way … and as I write this, it appears to be shaping up that Trump’s party is going to get a thorough pummeling.

But wait a minute. Now the Party of Trump is threatening to throw the whole process into chaos. They might challenge results in normally strong GOP areas that suddenly turn Democratic. Let me think … oh yeah, that means Collin County, Texas, where I have lived for the past eight years.

That is why I have changed my thinking, turned it on its head and decided that the better way to protect my vote is to cast my ballot early, get it logged into the system and then have it counted when they release the results on Election Day.

local news

Consequential day is at hand

Well, kids, here we are as Texans from Orange to El Paso, from Borger to Brownsville  begin casting their ballots in what is being called — as they always are — the “most important election in our lifetime.”

I know you’ve heard that said before. This time the projection actually might be true.

Americans across the great state have a chance to change the frightening trajectory on which Congress appears to be headed. W’ere voting early beginning at 7 a.m.  Central Daylight Time. We’ll be able to vote early until Oct. 30.

I’ll be one of them. Years of resisting calls to vote early have given way to a fear I have developed that Republican election manipulators will try to gum up the works. Our best defense is  to cast our ballots early, get ’em recorded and then hope that they’ll be counted when the time comes to finalize the result.

Approximately 15 million Texans are qualified to vote. I don’t know how many of them are registered to vote. Those who are registered, here is your chance to have your voice heard.

I’m done bitching about the clown show the Republican Party has brought us. I will heed the words of President Obama, who urges us to forgo “booing.”

“Don’t boo,” he says. “Vote!“

local news, media news, national news, political news

Paxton ‘debut’ awaits election result

No matter the outcome of the Nov. 3 midterm election for the U.S. Senate seat from Texas, we’re going to get a good look at the type of man Democratic candidate James Talarico calls “the most corrupt politician in Texas.”

I refer, of course, to Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

I want to stipulate two key points. One is that I want Paxton to lose the contest to Talarico. I want there to be no doubt who wins this race. My hope is that Talarico wins by a healthy enough margin to forgo any sort of mandatory recount. The second point is that even though Paxton has been AG for more than a decade, I cannot ever recall hearing him make a speech in public.

It has been a brutal campaign for the seat now occupied by John Cornyn, whom Paxton defeated in the Republican Party primary. Paxton has been troubled by ethical and legal difficulty almost since the day he took office in January 2015.

I am wondering what kind of man emerges when the dust settles on Election Day. If lightning strikes and Paxton actually wins, will he give his opponent his due as a worthy foe? Or will he aim his rhetorical guns at the “liberal media” and the “communists and socialists” who despise him? I suppose I can wonder the same thing if Paxton comes up short on Election Day.

For his part, Talarico — a state legislator from Austin — has campaigned on his record as a Democratic man of faith. He refers frequently to New Testament scripture that instructs us to love our neighbor and, yes, our adversaries. Paxton, though, has been poisoned by the hate spewed by Donald Trump and other MAGA morons.

It’s not clear to me what kind of speechmaker Paxton is or can be. He’s been in the public eye for a long time, yet he remains a bit of a mystery.

We well could learn a whole lot about him … quite soon.

State news

Going to wait until the end

Truth be told, I actually pondered casting my vote early for the Texas primary election set for May 3 … then I thought differently about it.

That said, I am going to return to my usual manner of voting on Election Day.

All the fire and volleys have been lobbed in the Republican Party primary. The race for Texas attorney general has me confused. The MAGA gang is pounding Congressman Chip Roy for backing Liz Cheney and for voting to impeach Donald Trump. If I were voting in that primary, I would consider that a plus for Roy.

Roy is answering by saying he’s actually a Trump loyalist. Whatever … he’s trying to eat the whole cake.

My eyes are set on the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. It’s down to two fine candidates. Texas state Rep. James Talirico and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Talirico hails from San Antonio; Crocket calls Dallas home.

I’m leaning toward supporting Talirico. I like his deep religious faith that he doesn’t shove aside. He proclaims he’s a fighter, but distances himself from the Christian nationalists who comprise much of the MAGA base.

I long have resisted voting early over a fear of casting my vote and then being disappointed if my candidate messes up before Election Day. I am going to follow that path again this election cycle … and then hope for the best from the individuals I hope to support.

local news

City finds way to beat low voter turnout

How do Texas cities do battle with an age-old problem of voter apathy and an inability or reluctance to actually vote for their political leadership?

The city I have called home for the past five years, Princeton, might have the answer. It schedules its municipal elections on the day we choose who should be our next president of the United States.

It’s genius, man!

Princeton will call for an election on Nov. 5 to choose who will serve as mayor. Incumbent Brianna Chacon already has declared her intention to seek another term as mayor. I am not yet aware of who would challenge her. Councilmen Marlo Obera and David Kleiber also are on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Now, normally these elections would come and go and virtually no one in this — or any — Texas city would notice. That’s because municipal and school board elections generally fall onto the laps of 10 to 15% of the voting public.

Princeton won’t have that matter facing it this election day.

The city is home to around 28,000 residents, which means roughly half of them are able to vote. If that’s the case, about 14,000 residents will be able to cast their ballots for mayor, city council and, oh yeah … for president of the United States.

That doesn’t mean that every eligible voter will actually do his or her part as a U.S. citizen on election day. Imagine, though, that a 60% turnout decides who will become mayor of Princeton. That means 8,400 residents will make a decision that, truth be told, will have more direct impact on their lives than the president.

I long have said that democracy functions better when more people vote than fewer of them do. I dislike the notion of handing all that power to someone else.

local news, political news

End of ads looms … hooray!

I can state with a fair amount of confidence that the No. 1 reason I look forward to Primary Election Day 2024 is the cessation of the endless stream of political ads on TV.

Oh, brother. Spare me. Please!

They have been non-stop, repetitive, boring and only semi-truthful as far as I can determine.

The Republican Party primary is getting most of the attention, given the effort put forth by Texas Attorney General  Ken Paxton to defeat state legislators who favored his impeachment this past year.

And the next time I hear the words “true conservative” when describing these GOP candidates, I am likely to, well … aww hell, I don’t know. I might just curse out loud.

Liberals are called conservative and vice versa. This is just on the GOP side. Who do I believe? I don’t know. Nor do I care. That’s ignorance and apathy all rolled up into one Texas voter.

I am casting my ballot tomorrow morning. First thing. Going to the polling place in Princeton, where I am likely to run into a horde of campaign workers standing outside the designated wall of separation from the polling station.

I’ll just breeze on past ’em and cast my ballot.

Then I’ll get to wait for the next go-round in TV ads. For now, I am getting a breather. Not a day — or a moment — too soon.

local news

Partisanship takes hold

If you thought the elections for city council and school board trustees were strictly non-partisan exercises, well … you’d better rethink that silly notion.

I went to vote this morning for Princeton City Council, Princeton ISD school board trustees, Collin County bond issue, Princeton bond municipal bond issue and those 14 Texas constitutional amendments.

I was greeted by a Princeton ISD trustee who handed me a card that had a list of candidates endorsed by the Collin County Republican Party. Her name, naturally, was among the endorsees.

The card had a message imploring voters to “Keep Princeton Red,” meaning, of course, that voters should ensure the candidates endorsed by the local GOP should be elected. The others? Who needs ’em? according to the flier.

This is the kind of partisan crap that doesn’t belong in these local races. We do not elect council members or board trustees on the basis of their party affiliation. We elect them based on how they feel about police protection, water services, street repair, school curriculum, teachers’ benefits and campus security.

Is there a significant difference between the two parties’ approach to these matters? I suggest there isn’t.

Thus, the political parties need to keep their mitts off these campaigns for local office.

national news

Setting aside an evening of election returns

I am all but lead-pipe-cinch certain I know what I am going to be doing on one November evening.

I will be watching midterm election returns from my North Texas home. Election Day is Nov. 8. Some Texas school districts are taking that day off, telling students and teachers there won’t be class that day. Why? They want those who are eligible to vote to be sure to do so, which strikes me as being about as close to declaring Election Day an official holiday as anything I have seen so far.

Regular readers of this blog know of my partisan leaning. To anyone who is unaware, I will disclose that I want Democrats to fend off the Republican “red wave” that everyone was predicting would swamp Congress.

Spoiler alert: Republicans aren’t quite so smug these days. There has been some actual out-loud discussion that suggests Democrats could be in position to maintain — and possibly increase — their control of the Senate.

And get a load of this: At least one bellwether U.S. House race ended Tuesday with the Democrat edging a Republican opponent for a New York congressional seat that everyone this side of House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy thought was going to be swept up by the Republican.

What gives? Speculation is that the Supreme Court decision to overturn the landmark abortion ruling has energized pro-choice voters to, um, actually vote.

What’s driving this apparent change? Democrats have scored some legislative successes and are finally able to nationalize local races the way Republicans have been so successful at doing.

Plus, Republicans have fielded some certifiable dunderheads for public office, particularly in the Senate. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania (or is it New Jersey?), Herschel Walker in Georgia, J.D. Vance in Ohio and Lord knows who else is out there making an ass of himself or herself in front of voters.

What about the House lineup? Democrats hold a slim majority there, but the chatter is beginning to build that they well might be able to fend off that red wave … even in the House!

I cannot yet buy into the Democrats’ optimism about the House. The Senate does seem to look more promising for those of us who fear what could happen if the GOP takes command of both congressional chambers.

Vengeance appears to be at the top of Republican minds. Which tells me that governance would grind to a halt.

If Democrats can persuade enough voters over the course of the next few weeks what would ensue if the GOP grabs control of Capitol Hill, well … we might have a fun night of TV watching ahead of us.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

national news

We are headed for catastrophe … seriously!

Excuse my tendency to push the proverbial panic button with regard to the midterm election, but I have to declare my fear that we could be headed for governmental catastrophe if Congress flips from Democratic to Republican control.

Indeed, I am concerned about Mitch McConnell become majority leader if the Senate flips. Today, though, it’s House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy who has earned the bulk of my wrath. McCarthy truly gives me the heebie-jeebies.

McCarthy wants to become speaker. If the House flips to his party, then he stands a good chance — I fear! — of being chosen speaker. What does that mean for those of us who favor good government? It means the House well could launch a torrent of probes designed to embarrass Democrats.

It well could become payback time in the People’s House.

Why do I worry about McCarthy? Because we now have a possibly presumptive speaker who has been recorded on audio saying something he actually well could deny he said, which was that he intended to encourage Donald J. Trump to resign from the presidency in the wake of the 1/6 insurrection.

He said as much to Rep. Liz Cheney. Then he denied saying it — until an audio recording surfaced.

This guy is a coward. So is Mitch McConnell, to be candid. Both of these individuals blamed Donald Trump for “provoking” the Capitol Hill riot on 1/6. Then McCarthy voted against impeaching Trump and McConnell voted to acquit him in the Senate trial that commenced after the second impeachment.

Will any of this occur? The tides are moving toward a GOP blowout on Election Day. That the president’s party would suffer a congressional election setback is not unusual. It is usually the case. Both legislative chambers have razor-thin Democratic majorities, so it won’t take much for the GOP to take control of the legislative branch of government.

I just worry for the sake of good government, though, that the next speaker of the House could be a cowardly liar who backed away from his condemnation of what the world saw occur on 1/6 and then sucked up to the Insurrectionist in Chief.

I don’t want the catastrophe to occur. Nor should anyone who values this democratic process of ours.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news, media news

Time of My Life, Part 57: Back to the future?

By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Election Day always was a big event for those of us who covered politics, policy and sought to keep government accountable for their actions on behalf of the public.

At newspapers where I worked in Oregon and in the Golden Triangle and the Texas Panhandle, they would roll out pizzas for reporters and editors working diligently to collect election returns and prepare them for delivery to our readers.

Well, I get to rejoin the fun again this weekend … albeit in quite a different capacity.

I am no longer employed by newspapers. I work as a freelancer for a weekly newspaper in Collin County, Texas. The folks for whom I work asked me to cover three contests in Farmersville, which is where I work mostly; it’s about seven miles east of where I live in Princeton.

The Farmersville City Council has one contested race on the ballot; the Farmersville Independent School District features three contested races this year. Most of the interest in the community, though, likely rests with the Farmersville ISD’s decision to ask residents to pay for a $65 million bond issue to upgrade all of the campuses in the district. The election will occur on Saturday.

The bond issue would do a number of things for FISD. It would double the high school capacity from 600 to 1,200 students; it would add classrooms to the junior high and intermediate school and would provide upgrades to Tatum Elementary School. FISD officials have noted that they do not think they got greedy with their request, but merely are seeking to keep pace with the enormous growth that’s occurring in the district.

Yeah, it’s a big deal. I’ll let you in on a secret: I want the bond issue to pass, although I pledge to cover the story straight down the middle when I report it for the Farmersville Times. My blog entitles me to speak my mind. So I just did.

This is fun stuff, man. I do enjoy covering local elections at any level. I have gotten to know the community where I work on a part-time basis. I have become acquainted with business owners, residents and elected officials at City Hall and at the school district. I have sought to build their trust in me to be fair and accurate.

I won’t be eating any pizza on Election Night. That’s all right. Just getting back into the election-coverage game is good enough for me.