How To Caucus On Election Evening

The caucus process, as opposed to our organization the Caucus, is rather complicated. I will update this as I get a handle on it myself and find resources to give our readers.

The Houston Chronical has a guide to Texas' electoral two-step.

The caucus — officially dubbed a "precinct convention" — begins at 7:15 p.m. or when the polls close, whichever is later.

Caucus-goers arrive and put their names and presidential preference on the "sign-in sheet." Ideally, they should show proof of having voted in the Democratic primary, but it is not absolutely necessary, according to the Harris County Democratic Party.

The group first elects a chair and secretary. Those two then take a count, noting the total number of people and how many are for Obama or Clinton. Delegates then are distributed proportionally.

For example, say 100 people show up at a given precinct on Tuesday night. If 75 of them support Clinton, and 25 support Obama, then she gets 75 percent of the delegates and he gets 25 percent. If the precinct has 20 delegates to allot, Clinton gets 15, Obama 5.

[Posted by Amy]

The Caucus Endorses Obama

This is an historic time for the Caucus. Harris county and Texas are seeing unprecidented turn-out in early voting. In these frantic days before the March 4 election, both Senators Clinton and Obama have taken the time to seek our endorsement.

Due to the timing of our screening, the board members are the ones to make this decision. It was empowered by the membership at the February 6 meeting to do so. This was not an easy decision as both are wonderful candidates. We considered a "no endorsement", however we felt it necessary to endorse since they gave us the opportunity to screen them and as individuals either would have our backing. After thoughtful deliberations, we have chosen to endorse Senator Barack Obama for president.

The Caucus press release is available here.

Obama campaign's website on GLBT issues.

Coverage: The Burnt Orange Report
Coverage: Off the Kuff

A Note From Robert Schaffer

I want to thank the Houston GLBT Political Caucus PAC for your endorsement of my campaign for Judge of the 152nd Civil District Court. I fully appreciate the value of this endorsement and I intend to list this endorsement on any printed material I produce for the remainder of this election. I also appreciate the desire of all of the members of the caucus and the community to be treated fairly with courtesy, dignity and respect when you are in any of the many courtrooms in any of the Harris County Courthouses. If I am elected to the bench you have my assurance that this will be done whenever you come into the 152nd District Court. Thanks again and I look forward to working with you in the future.

Robert Schaffer
Candidate for Judge, 152nd District Court

- Posted by Amy

Houston GLBT Political Caucus PAC Endorsements

The Houston GLBT Political Caucus PAC is pleased to announce its endorsed candidates for the 2008 March 4 Primary:

U.S. President - Barack Obama
U.S. Senate - Rick Noriega
U.S. Representative - Dist. 10 Dan Grant
Railroad Commissioner - Dale Henry
Texas Supreme Court, Place 7 - Sam Houston
Texas Supreme Court, Place 8 - Susan Criss
State Representative, Dist. 46 - Brian Thompson
State Representative, Dist. 127 - Joe Montemayor
State Representative, Dist. 129 - Sherrie Matula
State Representative, Dist. 133 - Kristi Thibaut
State Representative, Dist. 138 - Ginny McDavid
State Representative, Dist. 140 - Armando Walle
State Representative, Dist. 145 - Carol Alvarado
State Representative, Dist. 146 - Borris Miles
State Representative, Dist. 147 - Garnet Coleman
State Representative, Dist. 148 - Jessica Farrar
First Court of Appeals, Place 5 - Leslie Taylor
Judge, Civil Dist. 61 - Alfred "Al" Bennet
Judge, Civil Dist. 80 - Tanner Garth
Judge, Civil Dist. 125 - Jim Wrotenbery
Judge, Civil Dist. 127 - R. K. Sandill
Judge, Civil Dist. 151 - Michael Engelhart
Judge, Civil Dist. 152 - Robert Schaffer
Judge, Civil Dist. 164 - Alexandra Smoots-Hogan
Judge, Civil Dist. 190 - Andres Pereira
Judge, Civil Dist. 215 - Steve Kirkland
Judge, Criminal Dist. 174 - Ruben Guerrero
Judge, Criminal Dist. 176 - Shawna Reagin
Judge, Criminal Dist. 179 - Randy Roll
Judge, Criminal Dist. 337 - Herb Ritchie
Judge, Criminal Dist. 339 - Maria T. Jackson
Judge, Criminal Dist. 351 - Silvia Pubchara
Judge, Family Dist. 312 - Robert Hinojosa
Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1, Place 1 - Dale Gorczynski
Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2, Place 1 - Raymond Stewart
Justice of the Peace, Pct. 6, Place 1 - Richard Vara
County Judge - David Mincberg
District Attorney - Brad Bradford
County Attorney - Vince Ryan
District Clerk - Loren Jackson
County Sheriff - Adrian Garcia
County Tax Collector/Assessor - Diane Trautman
County School Trustee, Pos. 5 - Debbie Kerner
Commissioner, Pct. 3 - Dexter Handy
Constable, Pct. 1 - Jack Abercia
Constable, Pct 7 - May Walker
Precinct Chair, #1 - C. Patrick McIlvain

“Very difficult decisions had to be made, and I am very proud of the work everyone has done to make this one of our largest endorsement rosters. We look forward to our success in the March Primary,” said Jenifer Pool, President of the Caucus, which held its PAC meeting on Wednesday evening, February 6.

The Caucus meets the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. The monthly meeting is held at the Havens Center, 1827 W. Alabama. Visitors are encouraged to attend the monthly meeting to learn more about the Caucus. For more information about the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, Caucus events, or volunteer opportunities call 713-521-1000, email info@thecaucus.org, or visit our web site at www.theCaucus.org. The Houston GLBT Political Caucus PAC, Rose Wall, Treasurer.

Brian Thompson: Running Proud

Texas has an openly gay man running for the Texas House: Brian Thompson. Pretty cool... and he's running against Dawna Dukes, one of the infamous Craddick Ds. By supporting Craddick, Dukes, a Democrat from Austin, has enabled policies that have severely hurt the GLBT community -- most notably the anti-marriage amendment, prop 2.

It's really great to see a young, competent, gay man running to defeat Dukes. The Caucus has many battles ahead of us right here in Harris county, but we should show our support and interest in Brian Thompson's cause.

Here's how Brian recently introduced himself:

My name is Brian Thompson and I’m running for Texas State Representative in House District 46. With your help, on March 4, I will become the only openly gay member of the Texas Legislature.

I am writing because in order for me to win, I need your help.

Donate

My opponent’s largest donor is a man named Bob Perry. He is the largest Republican donor in Texas, funded the infamous “Swift Boat” ads that derailed the John Kerry campaign, and he contributed $150,000 to a right-wing, anti-gay group called “Texans for Marriage.” This group was one of the vehicles used to support (and pass) Proposition 2 in November of 2005, the unnecessary and hateful Constitutional Amendment that banned gay marriage in Texas. Even though my opponent is a Democrat, she is funded by Republicans, and she continues to support, endorse and enable Republican Speaker Tom Craddick.

Since announcing my candidacy just before Christmas, we have already raised more than $10,000 from 90 community activists, grassroot Democrats, and members of the GLBT community online. Like me, these donors want real representation and change for East Austin. You can view our incredible results on ActBlue.

300!

I was just informed that our Caucus army has reached a historic milestone. The Houston GLBT Political Caucus may now proudly claim 300 active, contributing members. This the largest number of members our organization has ever had. Our database of progressive contacts, who share our drive for equality, also continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, as we modernize our cataloging and voter identification methods. Furthermore, during our most recent get-out-the-vote campaign, the Caucus organized a remarkable number of new volunteers. No one could remember a time when we had so many volunteers.

I imagine that most people don't know the rich history of the Caucus. We've been working elections since 1975. Back then, our efforts were covert. Candidates met us secretly, and we promoted our goals in whisper campaigns. Today, we're heralded in the Houston Chronicle and across the progressive blogosphere. We're the oldest GLBT political activist group in the South, and, though we've had a mixed history of success, last night at our January general meeting, Ray Hill, Houston's legendary activists, spoke passionately about the confidence he has in the current leadership and vision of our organization. We're growing and winning, but, as Rick Noriega, last night's guest speaker and Democratic candidate for the U.S. senate, said, "The best is yet to come."

We have great momentum. Equality is in sight, and, with your help, 2008 will be our most successful year yet.

Join the Caucus.

Chron Credits Caucus

From the Houston Chronicle:

Montrose, on the map an awkward appendage to a district that covers the
south side of the city, provided almost all of the margin of victory for
candidate Wanda Adams in Saturday's runoff election contest against
Lawrence Allen Jr.

Adams, who lives in the Hiram Clarke neighborhood several miles to the
south, had worked in the Montrose area and was backed by the Houston
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Political Caucus.

Allen never sought the endorsement of the caucus, which ran an
aggressive voter turnout program in support of Adams.

The group exploited its database with contact information for more than
30,000 friendly voters throughout Harris County.

In some Montrose precincts, Adams garnered more than 85 percent of the
vote. Allen's showing was not as strong in any single precinct in the
district.

Adams won with 57.2 percent of the 8,183 votes cast.

"I thank the citizens and voters of Montrose," Adams said. "They really
wanted their voice to be heard."

Congratulations to everyone - volunteers, screening committee members, block walkers, phone bankers - that participated in this fall's victory strategy.

Victory!

The process of vetting and endorsing candidates is arduous and sometimes contentious, but when the GLBT community commits itself, works together, and, most importantly, when we speak out about our needs and our vision for the future of Houston, we win!

The Caucus was victorious in 16 of the 17 races in which we endorsed in the November general election and December runoff election, including the city council race for District D which encompasses the Montrose Area. Unofficial canvass reports from Harris County had Adams winning Montrose by about 800 total votes, receiving 88% of the vote in those precincts. The Caucus orchestrated an unprecedented get out the vote campaign that paid off big time. The GLBT Caucus also endorsed Jolanda Jones, At-Large 5 and James Rodriguez, District I for Houston City Council. With the election of this new generation of progressive, equality focused city leaders, the Caucus looks forward to helping Houston City Council move forward in granting equal rights to GLBT citizens.

Now that all the votes have been counted and things have turned out so well, I think we should acknowledge how important this election was for our organization. We grew this fall. Our screening committee invested a lot of time investigating the HISD bond. We took a big risk, being the first the civic organization to endorse the proposal, but our activism made the difference. Just like in Wanda Adam's race, Montrose and the GLBT block vote provided, in large part, the margin of victory.

I think Caucus President Jennifer Rene Pool said it best: “We are not a special interest group; we are a general interest group. That is why we endorsed in the HISD, county, and state bond elections as well. Our focus is on cleaner air, better public schools, increasing public safety, and electing quality progressive candidates. We want a better Houston for our families, and that starts by electing the best candidates.”


Join the Caucus. Support our efforts.

A Letter from Wanda Adams

I am writing to humbly ask for your vote in the Runoff Election for Houston City Council District D this Saturday, December 8^th. I received the most votes in District D for the General Election, including an overwhelming majority in the Montrose, Midtown, and Museum District areas. My work is not done though. I am asking that you turn out one more time to vote this Saturday, December 8^th. With the low turn out expected in this Runoff Election, EVERY VOTE WILL COUNT!

My endorsements include the Houston Chronicle, current District D Council Member Ada Edwards, Council Member Sue Lovell, the Houston Fire Fighters, the Houston Police Officers, and the Houston GLBT Political Caucus.

Helping to create good, healthy, quality lives for Houstonians has always been my passion. Over the years, whether as a student at TSU or as an employee of this great city, I have served the citizens of Houston by working directly with the Super Neighborhoods and the civic clubs of District D to address issues of infrastructure, affordable housing, and to increase constituent services. My commitment to the environment has led me to conduct community education workshops, which educate citizens about recycling and solid waste procedures of the City of Houston. As a result of these efforts, the Mayor asked me to coordinate Houston’s “Go Green Initiative.” I believe “Experience is the Difference” in this race and I hope that you cast your vote for me, Wanda Adams, this Saturday, December 8^th.

In District D:

• I have faith in our ability to create significant economic development opportunities;
• I have faith in our ability to improve the environmental quality of our neighborhoods;
• I have faith in our ability to increase public safety for all citizens;
• I have faith in our ability to provide affordable housing options for those who dream of home ownership;
• I have faith in our ability to improve the quality of the roads and sidewalks that lead them home.

These issues impact District D every day, and are the issues I will spend my time on council addressing.

For your voting locations please go to www.harrisvotes.org or for more information on me please go to www.wandaadamsforhouston.com.

Sincerely,

Wanda Adams