October 21, 2021

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REDISTRICTING – NEXT STOP THE COURTS

With the adjournment of the third special session of the Texas Legislature and passage of the relevant bills, the Legislature’s part in this exercise is over. The bills are headed to the Governor’s desk, and may already have been signed by the time you read this.

One of the main takeaways from the new maps and one that has already prompted at least one lawsuit under the Voting Rights Act is that despite communities of color accounting for 95% of Texas's incredible population growth – with Latinos making up nearly half of that – Texas Republicans somehow were able to come up with maps that created additional white-majority districts. It’s unknown if any Collin County districts might be affected by lawsuits.

The other main takeaway is the blatant partisan gerrymandering. What they did to Collin County is one of the worst cases of partisan gerrymandering we have ever seen. Since the entire exercise was done at a breakneck pace, with some changes coming at the last minute, we haven’t had time to fully review what finally got passed. We’ll have more on that in the coming weeks. But amid all of the punditry about gerrymandering and “safe” districts, it’s important to understand a fundamental truth of politics – every election is winnable given the right resources. It’s just that some are harder to win than others. But even in the harder districts, we need to keep trying because our statewide candidates need those votes.

The Rally will have more about redistricting, and calls to action, in the coming weeks.

Finally, with the bills going to the Governor we are back on track for a March Primary Election, with the candidate and Precinct Chair filing periods proceeding pretty much on a traditional schedule - at least until the courts rule otherwise. Watch this space and CCDP social media for updates.

Mike Rawlins, County Chair

FINAL REDRAWN MAPS

Here are the final maps that were sent to the Governor's desk for signature:

• State House
• State Senate
• US Congress
• State Board of Education

Amanda Massengale Appointed as Fundraising Chair

Fresh from her wildly successful work as Co-Chair of the Ann Richards Dinner Committee and winning Kelly Van Auken Volunteer of the Year, Amanda Massengale exemplifies all that is right with the Democratic Party; she is hard-working, smart, fair, and ready to help those in need. She's the first person many go to for advice and is a standout leader.

Amanda's enthusiasm is contagious. She is thorough, organized, and is always willing to make time for committee members when questions or concerns arise. She has amazing leadership skills and is willing to take calculated risks to think of new better ways of conducting business.

Amanda makes CCDP a more effective organization and we are so proud to welcome her as Fundraising Chair!

DON'T GET MAD... BE A MONTHLY ACTIVE DONOR!

Sustaining donors provide the reliable revenue the CCDP needs to turn out our voters and elect more Democrats. To reward folks for making these contributions, we are announcing our Monthly Active Donor or MAD Membership program.

MAD Democrats can join at Friend, Ally, Activist, Advocate, or Champion level. Each level has unique benefits, including free merchandise, invitations to exclusive VIP events, and special recognition on collindemocrats.org and social media.

Our goal is to increase our monthly active donations by $1,500 a month by December 31, 2021. Help us reach our goals! 

If you would like to increase your already active monthly donation, email executivedirector@collindemocrats.org.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE

ANN RICHARDS DINNER A SUCCESS!

A BIG thank you to everyone who came out to the Ann Richards Dinner and Masquerade Ball on Saturday night! It was so fun to gather with friends that we haven’t seen in a long time and support the party.

This year wasn’t like anything we’ve done before, and it was a night to remember! Attendees were treated to stunning acrobatic performances, a scrumptious dinner, and live music for dancing the night away. This year’s dinner was a huge success and will provide much-needed funds to help turn Collin County blue. The money raised through tickets, and online and silent auctions will support voter registration, community engagement, and get out the vote efforts. Never let it be said that we can’t help get Democrats elected and have fun while doing it!

This fantastic evening could not have happened without the dedicated committee members who worked tirelessly for months to bring you a night you’d never forget. Our committee flawlessly blended knowledge and experience, with new volunteers and ideas. So we send a Texas size thank you to these hard-working committee members:

Karen Hearne and Barb Walters organized the logistics and volunteers needed for a successful night. Andrea Heston collaborated with the hotel to make sure that everything went off without a hitch. Vielka Harrison, Samantha McComas-Baker and Caroline Werner were the auction queens! A big thank you to Rachel DuPree for the beautiful decorations, creating the slide show presentation, and managing the whole program all night.

Now it’s time to get to work; 2022 is closer than you think. As for the Ann Richards Dinner? Stay engaged with the party and you’ll be the first to know what exciting things are in store. We can’t wait to see what happens next year.

Thank you to our 2021 Ann Richards Dinner Sponsors!

Champagne Sponsor

Little Woods Capital Advisors LLC

Red Carpet Sponsor

democracytoolbox

THANK YOU TO OUR FRIENDS OF ANN RICHARDS SPONSORS

THANK YOU TO OUR FRIENDS OF CCDP SPONSORS

CCDP PHONE BANKING TO RESUME - SIGN UP AND JOIN US!

Collin Democrats - we are already working on winning seats in 2022. We've got a lot of work to do now that the new district lines have been drawn. And we don't know about you - but every time the Republicans pass new legislation - it really makes us mad/sad/disappointed. We need A LOT of new representation. Don't despair - take action!

Phone Bank with us! We are launching a phone bank campaign starting Tuesday, October 26 from 10 a.m. - Noon. We will be smiling and dialing together on Zoom. Training provided - so new dialers WELCOME! We will be dialing volunteers to fill out our volunteer slots, then talking to our recently registered voters. Calls will be made from home with training, coaching, games & encouragement provided on the Zoom call. 

Tuesdays, Starting October 26, 10 a.m. - Noon

Sundays, Starting November 7, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Would you like to be a phone bank co-captain?

TEXAS CONSTITUTIONAL ELECTION:

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS

The State of Texas holds a Constitutional Election in November of odd years. These are necessary because there is no process for citizen-initiated amendments; the only way to change the state Constitution is through statewide voting on proposed amendments added by the state legislature. This year's Constitutional Election will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. Early Voting startedon October 18.

Key Election Dates:

• Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (Received): Friday, October 22, 2021
• Early Voting: Monday, October 18, 2021 - Friday, October 29, 2021
• Election Day: Tuesday, November 2, 2021

If you are unregistered, it is too late to register to vote in this election. Please be sure to register as soon as possible so that you can take part in future elections. 

Following are the proposed amendments and the CCDP's recommended voting. Please be aware that these are recommendations from the CCDP Voting Rights Committee and do not necessarily represent the "official" position of the Texas Democratic Party. All votes are Yes or No. For detailed amendment information, please see our Constitutional Election 2021 page on our website.

Proposition No. 1 (HJR 143)

What it says: The constitutional amendment authorizing the professional sports team charitable foundations of organizations sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association or the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association to conduct charitable raffles at rodeo venues.”

Recommendation: Yes

Proposition No. 2 (HJR 99)

What it says: “The constitutional amendment authorizing a county to finance the development or redevelopment of transportation or infrastructure in unproductive, underdeveloped, or blighted areas in the county.”

Recommendation: Yes

Proposition No. 3 (SJR 27)

What it says: “The constitutional amendment to prohibit this state or a political subdivision of this state from prohibiting or limiting religious services of religious organizations.”

Recommendation: No

Proposition No. 4 (SJR 47)

What it says: “The constitutional amendment changing the eligibility requirements for a justice of the supreme court, a judge of the court of criminal appeals, a justice of a court of appeals, and a district judge.”

Recommendation: No

Proposition No. 5 (HJR 165)

What it says: “The constitutional amendment providing additional powers to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct with respect to candidates for judicial office.”

Recommendation: Yes

Proposition No. 6 (SJR 19)

What it says: “The constitutional amendment establishing a right for residents of certain facilities to designate an essential caregiver for in-person visitation.”

Recommendation: Yes 

Proposition No. 7 (HJR 125)

What it says: “The constitutional amendment to allow the surviving spouse of a person who is disabled to receive a limitation on the school district ad valorem taxes on the spouse’s residence homestead if the spouse is 55 years of age or older at the time of the person’s death.”

Recommendation: Yes

Proposition No. 8 (SJR 35)

What it says: “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a member of the armed services of the United States who is killed or fatally injured in the line of duty.”

Recommendation: Yes

For more information, visit our Constitutional Election 2021 page.

Covid Update: Collin County has 127,569 confirmed Covid cases. That’s 1,287 more cases than I reported last week and 1,081 of our Collin residents have died (an increase of 20 people who died since last week).

Unless you’ve been ignoring the news, you’ve heard that the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake got into trouble when their executive director of curriculum and instruction suggested they present an opposing view to the Holocaust. This received the justifiable outrage it deserved, leading to massive international and national condemnation. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez summed it up well: “There’s a reason white supremacy attacks history. Opposition to teaching bigotry’s history and where it leads- from the slave trade to the Holocaust – is about erasing society’s tools to recognize prejudice & prevent atrocity.”

(Read More)

Commissioner’s Court: For the last several weeks, the commissioners have changed the structure of their weekly meetings. Instead of having public comments at the beginning of the meetings, they’ve put them at the end. As such, people who show up at 1:30 on Monday to speak can no longer just talk and go. Now they have to sit through the entire meeting, including executive sessions that sometimes last hours, before having a chance to engage with their representatives. Clearly, the commissioners haven’t enjoyed being told they’re terrible on a regular basis, so this is their way of preventing people from speaking. Like many Republicans, democracy is only important to them when they’re the ones in power.

Propositions: Speaking of voting, we have an election coming up on November 2nd. Early voting starts on October 18th. The ballot will have 8 proposed changes to the Texas Constitution. Proposition elections are notoriously low turnout and 92% of proposed amendments – no matter how stupid – are usually voted in. Given who is creating these amendments, this should worry you. However, if Democrats all vote, we could have a major impact. If you go to the League of Women Voters website, they have brief videos giving the content of each proposition and the pros and cons of each. If you’re interested, I’m voting Yes only on 2, 7, and 8. The rest are No. Happy voting!

McKinney City Council: The last meeting was quite exciting as the request to rezone the property near Fairview Soccer Park for Light Industrial to allow for a cement recycling plant was on the agenda. The property owner’s presentation included an environmental consultant who spoke on the environmental impacts these plants can have and the multiple safeguards in place. The federal government sets guidelines and the TECQ can come in at any point to inspect the air, water, and soil quality. Frisco has the exact same type of recycling plant and hasn’t had any complaints or infractions during routine inspections.

(Read More)

Frisco ISD School Board: The Unified Parents of FISD filed a federal lawsuit against Frisco ISD last month based on the right to life ensconced in the Due Process clause of the 14th Amendment. They’ve been joined by parents from 8 other school districts: Allen, McKinney, Prosper, Grapevine-Colleyville, Lago Vista, Hurst Euless Bedford, Lake Travis, and Tomball. The lawsuit just added the Texas Education Agency to their list of defendants due to all their shenanigans with Covid. The group anticipates getting a ruling this week on their request for a Temporary Restraining Order against mask bans and lax Covid mitigation efforts. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that the courts actually work for us this time.

(Read More)

Plano ISD Board of Trustees: Plano police just finished a 7 months-long investigation into the bullying and abuse leveled against SeMarion Humphrey by white students at Haggard Middle School. Their conclusion? There will be no charges against the kids who shot the 13-year-old with a BB gun, abused him physically, and called him racial slurs (much of this while in school). Two teens will face Class C Misdemeanor Assault charges for forcing him to drink urine at a sleepover. Such charges receive no jail time and up to a $500 fine. Wow! So harsh. I’m sure the boys’ parents paying such a small fine will absolutely deter future abusers. This type of next to no consequences for awful behavior seems typical when the victims are women and people of color. Way to go, Plano Police Department! You continue to sow doubt about how invested you are in justice for all.

(Read More)

PLANO AREA DEMOCRATS OCTOBER VIRTUAL HAPPY HOUR

This month we host an expert panel to discuss what everyone's talking about - CRT (what it is, and is not), what we should teach our kids about racism, US history, and how to be anti-racist. Do not miss this one!

Featuring our expert panel: Mia Mbroh, Community Connection 

Facilitator; Dayna Oscherwitz, Professor and Assistant Provost, Southern Methodist University; Antwuan Malone, Executive Director/YA Pastor, ELEVATE Young Adults; and Jamie Jackson, Vice-Chair, The Black Mom Collective.

When: Friday, October 22, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Where: Virtual, via Zoom. RSVP for Zoom details.

FRISCO DEMS GENERAL MEETING

Sick and tired of indicted Ken Paxton? Us too! We’ll be joined by Democratic candidate for Attorney General Joe Jaworski! Join in, hear what he has to say, and ask him about that time he ran into Ann Richards in the produce section!

WHEN: Sunday, October 24, 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Virtual via Zoom; RSVP for details

The CCDP physical office is closed until further notice for safety. Our office staff are, however, working for you from home and available by telephone at 972-578-1483 or contact us on the web at collindemocrats.org.

Check our Online Events!

Collin County Democratic Party (CCDP) | 972-578-1483 | www.collindemocrats.org © 2021

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