In a Wednesday press conference, the Travis County Democratic Party and Travis County elected officials called out “election denialism” within the Travis County Republican Party that they say is keeping the two party organizations from agreeing on rules for primary elections. The Austin Monitor previously reported on concerns that the two local party groups had […]
Travis County Republican Party
Posted inElections
Republican push for hand counting leads to uncertainty about Travis County’s 2024 primaries
A divide between Travis County’s local political parties on hand counting and paper ballots is leading to uncertainty about how the county will administer the 2024 primaries. In a Tuesday letter to Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado, Travis County Democratic Party Chair Katie Naranjo expressed the party’s concern about the Travis County Republican Party’s “questions and […]
Posted inElections
Parties seek election judges, workers for March
Even though March 2022 seems far away, Democrats and Republicans are gearing up for the March 1 primary elections. Part of that is appointing election judges and other polling place workers. Travis County Democratic Party Chair Katie Naranjo has been emailing Democrats to see if they want to sign up now. The Travis County Republican […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
No on B aims to fight with Republicans
A new political action committee called Homes Not Handcuffs has announced its presence in Austin with an email declaring that “every part of Travis County’s big tent Democratic Party” is joining together to oppose Proposition B in the No on B campaign. Proposition B would prohibit camping in most areas of the city and allow […]
Posted inTravis County
Lovins ready for uphill fight in county judge race
Although he did not make a decision to run for Travis County Judge until Sunday, the day before the filing deadline, Republican candidate Michael Lovins says he is ready to fight. Lovins acknowledges that he will have an uphill battle against Andy Brown, the newly minted Democratic nominee for the seat. Because Travis County is […]
Posted inAustin
Petition would recriminalize homeless camping
Travis County Republican Party Chair Matt Mackowiak began the week taking a shot at local Democrats on the Austin City Council, announcing a petition that seeks to recriminalize camping in public places by the homeless. According to local Republican Party spokesman Andy Hogue, however, Mackowiak’s organization, Save Austin Now, is a “nonpartisan, freestanding nonprofit.” Democrat […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison receives reprimand for campaign finance violations
Six months after midyear campaign finance reports revealed that Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison violated fundraising laws, the Ethics Review Commission voted to send the Council member a letter of admonition. Harper-Madison collected $3,695 in campaign funds between January and March of this year. As Council members are prohibited from raising money outside a one-year window […]
Posted inElections
Uber and Lyft proposition doesn’t fall neatly along party lines
Recently, local political action committee Ridesharing Works for Austin hired two Republican campaign veterans – Reed Galen and Travis Considine. Between them, they’ve worked on campaigns for John McCain, George W. Bush and Rick Perry. And in what feels like the same breath, the Travis County Democratic Party formally took a stance in opposition of […]