Beto was the headliner for a voting rights rally on the steps of the State Capitol on Sunday June 20. A sizeable contingent from North Texas and Collin County were among the 3,000+ who showed up to support the cause.

As we prepared this week's The Rally, news broke that a Collin County grand jury declined to indict any of the former Collin County Detention Center employees involved in the killing of Marvin Scott III on March 14 while in CCDC custody. Like the Scott family, we are greatly disappointed in this decision. We'll continue to watch what happens in a federal grand jury and civil actions, as well as hold the DA accountable for following through on the grand jury's unusual public recommendation for a group to study how deaths like Scotts can be prevented in the future.

Read More (Dallas Morning News)

"Texas Republicans proved too busy burnishing their far-right bona fides to attend to minor matters like lethal winter storms and mass incarceration. Republicans spent most of their time passing through extreme legislation that all but bans abortions, permits most anyone to carry a handgun without a license, restricts how race and history can be taught in Texas classrooms, punishes budget cuts in urban police departments, and on and on." – Texas Observer

Abbott signed a bill that provides for "substantial" reform of the power grid and the oversight bodies that manage the grid, but according to experts, goes "nowhere near far enough to actually prevent another winter catastrophe." The Lege removed provisions that would have helped nursing home residents, required carbon monoxide detectors in homes, and provided financial relief to Texans hit with massive electric bills due to the February storm. The Lege did, however, provide a bond-funded bail-out to natural gas and electric utilities, which will be paid for by surcharges to our utility bills.

What else did Texans get?

What didn't Texans Get?

We also didn't get a voter suppression law, but only because our Democratic caucus broke quorum and ran out the clock. But Abbott will address that again in a special session, which he just called for July 8.

Red Meat, Broken Promises, and More of the Same Old Sh*t (Texas Observer)

Abbott vetoes criminal justice bills, legislation to protect dogs, teach kids about domestic violence (Texas Tribune)

On June 17, 1873, the trial of United States v. Susan B. Anthony began. Anthony is tried for voting illegally. She is convicted, fined $100 (equivalent to $2,200 in 2020), but she refuses to ever pay.

The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) convention of 1871 adopted a strategy of urging women to attempt to vote. If they were denied, then they would file suit in federal courts. The legal basis for this was the 14th Amendment, part of which reads “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States”. On election day in 1872 in Rochester, NY, Anthony and fourteen other women convinced election inspectors to allow them to cast ballots. They were all arrested by a U.S. Deputy Marshal and charged with illegally voting. The other women were released pending the outcome of Anthony’s trial. The trial was in the following June. It was closely followed by the national press helping make women’s suffrage a national issue. The judge directed a guilty verdict creating controversy and sentenced Anthony to the $100 fine. Anthony never paid it, but the judge never ordered her to jail for nonpayment. The latter would have allowed Anthony to take the case to the Supreme Court. A couple of years later in 1875, the Supreme Court put an end to the strategy of trying to achieve women’s suffrage through the court system with the Minor v. Happersett decision. Thereafter, the NWSA decided to pursue the far more difficult strategy of campaigning for a constitutional amendment (which didn’t come around until 1920 with the ratification of the 19th amendment).

The REGISTER COLLIN campaign will be canvassing North Dallas and southern Plano on Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27. Sign up below for the time and location that best suits you! You can also sign up to phone bank to recruit more canvassing volunteers; our "any time" phone bank means you can call whenever it fits your schedule, any day.

Also: we need your donation to keep walking! Please donate to Register Collin via the DONATE button below; donations via this link go directly to the Register Collin campaign.

Learn about the REGISTER COLLIN campaign.

#Blue2022 #RegisterCollin

Commissioners Court:The Commissioners didn’t hold a meeting last week. They didn’t explain why. Despite the absence of a meeting, a lot happened.

Joshua Murray, a citizen who speaks at every meeting, was charged with contempt on May 24th for “disrupting” the proceedings. Anyone watching the meeting will clearly see that Chris Hill set him up because Hill doesn’t like being called out as an idiot every week (he should be used to it by now). As a result of the trumped-up charge, Mr. Murray spent an entire night in jail. This is absolutely unacceptable. Not only was the contempt charge created by Hill to punish Mr. Murray for speaking up, but it also will have a chilling effect on others who want to utilize their constitutional right of addressing their elected officials. Y’all, this is some truly scary stuff. But it doesn’t stop there.(read more)

Plano City Council: Most of the meeting was spent making appointments to city council committees and naming council members as liaisons to boards and commissions (2 each). The city treasurer reported that Plano has significantly diversified its investments over time and is #1 in the state for interest earned per capita. During public comments, one citizen voiced concerns over plans for the new administrative office building at the North Texas Municipal Water District sewage treatment plant at Rowlett Creek that was recently approved by the Plano Planning and Zoning Commission. A number of residents are concerned about the plant, its operations, and its impact on surrounding neighborhoods.

Join Plano Area Democrats at our first in-person meeting since February 2020!

We'll be at the Art Centre of Plano for an evening meeting THIS Friday. We'll start out with a Happy Hour on the patio, then go inside to hear from our special guests, newly-elected Plano Mayor John Muns and newly-elected Council Member Julie Holmer. Afterward, for any who want to, we'll walk over to Downtown and have a bite to eat and enjoy a beverage or two.

Please RSVP for both events (in the Mobilize page), so we have a good count of who will be joining us.

When: Friday, June 25, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Where: ArtCentre of Plano, 902 East 16th Street, Plano (NW corner of Haggard Park).

General Meeting of the Frisco Democratic Club. We are switching to IN PERSON STARTING IN JUNE!!!

4:30-5pm - (optional) Socializing Time. Get to know your Dem neighbors

5pm-5:15 - Welcome & Recognize visiting Elected Officials

5:15-6:00pm - Scheduled Program & Guest Speakers

6:00-6:30 - Committee Reports & Club Business

When: Sunday, June 27, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Where: Rudy's Country Store and BBQ, 9828 Dallas Pkwy

Frisco

McKinney, the hometown of Texas Attorney General (and felony-indicted) Ken Paxton, is ready to show him the door. Please join us to meet Joe Jaworski, Democratic candidate for Attorney General, and help rid Texas of Ken Paxton. Details: The Sanctuary in McKinney, 6-8 p.m. on Sunday, July 18. Suggested donation $50 for individuals, $75 per couple. Wine and appetizers will be served.

Event is sponsored by McKinney Area Democrats Club and the Host Committee: Angie Bado, Mark Phariss, Cissy Oldner, Debbie O'Reilly, Carol Scarborough, and Manu and Jagreet Lail.

When: Sunday, July 18, 6 - 8 p.m.

Where: The Sanctuary, 6633 Virginia Pkwy #102, McKinney

Suggested Donation: $50 individual, $75 couple

The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at Texas Woman's University will be hosting campaign workshops on July 14 and July 31. They are free, virtual, and nonpartisan, with an emphasis on helping women run for office.

This free, virtual workshop series will help attendees with the basics on how to prepare and run for office in Texas. The two-afternoon series will feature workshops and speakers covering topics like getting started, selecting a treasurer, profiling a district, working with political parties, getting out the vote, precinct walking, messaging, fundraising, and more. We'll have workshops with consultants, Q&As with noted officeholders, and panels with women officeholders and candidates sharing their experiences running for office.

Sign up for one afternoon or sign up both! The events are virtual via Zoom. They are open to anyone in Texas. Our schedule of events includes:

Saturday, July 17, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Session 1: First Steps

Keynote + Q&A: Delilah Agho-Otoghile, Executive Director, Harris County Democratic Party

Session 2: Party Support and the Basics of Precinct Analysis

Panel Discussion: Voter outreach and meeting your voters

Saturday, July 31, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Keynote + Q&A: Justice Eva Guzman, Texas Supreme Court

Session 3: Messaging

Panel Discussion: Media, Social Media, and Messaging

Session 4: Fundraising

To register, please visit our Eventbrite.

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!