Texas Democratic Party: Moving Texas Forward

Richie: It’s a Shame TDP Has to Take Legal Action to Protect the Right to Vote  

Late last Friday, the Texas Democratic Party and the Harris County Voter Registrar reached a settlement that would resolve a federal lawsuit brought by the Party regarding voter registration practices that led to the county’s denial of as many as 68,000 – or about one of four – of all 2008 voter registration applications. By contrast, Dallas Co. denied only 1,800 registration applications in 2008. The settlement will go into effect pending approval by the Harris County Commissioner’s Court tomorrow.
 

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie issued the following statement:  

“The Texas Democratic Party entered this settlement agreement because it specifically requires Harris County to end the practices we believe were largely responsible for almost 70,000 Texans being denied the opportunity to register to vote in Harris County in 2008.  Looking forward, the Party hopes this agreement clearly establishes a legally binding understanding that will make it much less likely that any Texan could be denied the right to vote by an improper government policy or practice. 

“From my first days as Chairman, the Texas Democratic Party has worked vigilantly in both the legal and legislative process to protect Texans’ right to participate fully in our democracy.  The Texas Democratic Party will monitor the current Harris County Voter Registrar’s practices with that same vigilance to make sure the terms of this agreement are carried out properly.

 
“In this case, the voter registration practices used in Harris County in 2008 were questioned by non-partisan groups, Democratic legislators and the Party well before the election and before we took legal action. The Secretary of State’s office was aware of these concerns but did not intervene. Granted, the Voter Registrar and the Secretary of State were both Republicans, but preventing voter suppression should not be a partisan issue, and no government official should condone or practice it. 

“It’s a shame that the Texas Democratic Party has been forced to go to court time and again to do what our state and local officials should be doing – protect the right to vote.  As a great Texas Democrat, President Lyndon B. Johnson said in 1965: ‘It is wrong–deadly wrong–to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country.’”

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