All eleven State Constitutional Amendments passed. [See stories, House Research Organization: Analysis on Nov 3rd TX Constitutional Propositions, Where to Vote in the Upcoming Texas Election, and Empower Texans: Recommendations on Nov 3rd TX Constitutional Propositions, below, for related articles and actual text of proposed State Constitutional Amendments.]
Election results for Houston-area
Annise Parker and Gene Locke will be in a runoff for City of Houston Mayor. Ronald C. Green and M. J. Khan will be a in a runoff for City of Houston Comptroller. Check for other City of Houston City Council positions.
Harris County elections results.
Brazoria County election results.
Chambers County election results.
Galveston County election results.
Montgomery County election results.
Waller County election results.
Election results for other areas of Texas
Dallas-area election results.
Small town, lots of fighters and a BIG victory…
Let’s not forget Bryan/College Station TX. Bella Liberta was working with the Brazos Valley Campaign for Liberty in the College Station area. Bella is a member of our companion Meetup.com group, the Houston Area Liberty Campaign. Well, Bella, College Station-area resident Jim Ash and their group got Proposition 1 on their local ballot to ban “red light cameras.” Proposition 1 passed!! No more red light cameras in College Station!! See, persistence DOES pay off! Keep focused, keep the fight local, get the word out about what you’re doing, and work, work, WORK!!
Sources:
http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/69029217.html
UPDATE (11/14/09): An interesting set of twists has developed in the red light camera situation in College Station.
Two red light camera supporters, Gary Ives and John Hemrick, with the PAC Keep College Station Safe, a pro-camera group, filed suit on Monday, November 9. They requested an injunction and temporary restraining order to keep the red light cameras turned on. Here is the docket sheet for the suit, the link (11/09/2009 ) for “Plaintiff’s Original Petition KLW,” and the link (11/09/2009) for “Temporary Restraining Order KLW/Recvd.”
Ives and Hemrick allege that the City of College Station should have never even placed the measure on the ballot in the first place. Ives and Hemrick also allege the only fair or logical thing to do is for the City Council of College Station to declare the election void and retain the red light camera system as it currently is. The issue was on the ballot because College Station resident Jim Ash petitioned and collected 1,200 signatures to have the issue put to a vote. Ives and Hemrick have an issue with Ash’s petition, in that their wording stated that the cameras in College Station had been put into use in October 2008, when it was in fact October 2007.
Due to Title 14 of the Election Code (disqualifies judges presiding over cases where the entire controversy at hand is in a local municipal measure, and not a state-wide election), Judge J. D. Langley could not hear the case.
Since Judge Langley couldn’t hear the case, Judge Langley signed an order requesting the Presiding Judge of the Second Administrative Judicial Region of Texas, Olen Underwood, to assign a special visiting judge to hear the case in accordance with Tex. Govt. Code §231.004. Here is the Order requesting Assignment to a visiting Judge by the Judge of the Second Administrative Judicial Region. Justice Underwood granted the Request and assigned Judge Suzanne Stovall, of Montgomery County, to preside over the case in the 85th’s court room.
The Defendants’ ORIGINAL ANSWER EW/FROM HARVEY CARGILL JR & CARLA A ROBISON was filed on November 20, 2009.
The TRO Hearing was on Wednesday, November 11. Judge Stovall asked city representatives if they thought the red light camera petition was a referendum or an initiative. College Station Attorney Harvey Cargill said, “We are on the record as questioning what this is,” and added they wanted the Court to decide the issue.
A referendum is the process of referring to the electorate for approval a proposed new state constitutional amendment or a law passed by the legislature (or in this case, City Council). An initiative is an electoral process where designated percentages of the electorate may initiative legislative or Constitutional changes by filing formal petitions to be acted upon by the legislature or the total electorate.
If Judge Stovall determines the red light camera petition was a referendum, the election results will be overturned. If Judge Stovall rules it was an initiative, the results will stand and the red light cameras will come down.
Judge Stovall has a hearing on the merits of the case set for Friday, November 20th at 1 p.m. IN that hearing,
Well, it seems since in the election the majority of voters (52%) decided to ban the cameras by voting “yes” on Proposition 1. The decision to ban was by a margin was 272 votes. The cameras had been set to be turned off on Wednesday, November 11, at 12:00 p.m.
College Station City Council members were canvassed as to the election results at 8:30 a.m. November 11. The City will file an answer to the lawsuit soon but won’t pay for outside legal help. The City Council then decided to try to void the election on their own.
Nonetheless, College Station City Manager, Glenn Brown stated, “However, should the judge rule that the election is invalid and that the red-light cameras should stay, I will recommend to the College Station City Council that we immediately inform American Traffic Solutions that we are giving them the required 60-day notice that we are canceling our contract and the cameras will be turned off.”
Stay tuned in for another exciting episode of “As the Light Turns Red…”
Sources (in no particular order):
http://www.kbtx.com/
http://www.theeagle.com/local/Opponents-square-off
http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/69728592.html
http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/69762812.html