Crucial 2017 Texas Legislative Deadline Day Passes

We can't relax yet since the 85th Texas Legislative session is still running until May 29, but for those of us watching odious bills like SB 6 and HB 2899 I have some good news for you.

In addition to today being the 120th day of the 140 day biannual Texas legislative session, yesterday was the deadline for bills that originate in one chamber to be passed and be taken up for consideration in the other legislative chamber.

Translation into English:  If your House bill for example, hasn't been voted out of committee or been voted on by the Texas House to send it to the Texas Senate, it is dead for this session.

That means the odious SB 6 and HB 2899, which are both stuck in the House State Affairs Committee that yours truly and over 389 friends from across the state testified against a few weeks ago into the wee hours of the morning, are dead for this session.

That also means that if they didn't get a hearing, or out of committee, some of the good bills that would positively impact us also died for this session like SB 1341, which would have made the name change process in Texas an administrative procedure and taken it out of our partisan judicial court system.

I am keeping an eye on another one of those positive bills, HB 192 authored by Rep Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio), which would add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes in the area of preventing housing discrimination aimed at TBLGQ Texans.  I testified in favor of passage of it and it surprisingly made it out of the Business & Industry Committee on a 4-3 vote when Rep. Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) voted YES.  

We still have to be on the alert for attempts by legislative haters to attach these unjust anti-trans bills as amendments to other bills already on the House calendar to be attached to them in order to pass them that way.

Attempts have already been made by the GOP House legislative transphobes to do precisely that, but so far have failed.   I hope that pattern continues as the clock inexorably ticks down and the days rapidly dwindle to the last day of the 85th Texas Legislative session on May 29.  

As far as getting bills on the House Calendar and through that committee to the House floor, the deadline to make that happen was May 8  

So exhale a little, but not completely until 12:01 AM CDT on May 30.  

Election Registration Deadlines Today In TX And Several States

If after watching (or not watching) the second debate and you are sufficiently motivated enough to vote on November 8, then you better bust a move because today is the deadline day to get registered.

Texas is one of those states in which today is the deadline to get registered to vote along with georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Just a reminder, here's the rest of the voter registration deadlines for October.

In the District of Columbia today is also the deadline to register in advance of the election, but you can do same day registration there. I'd suggest you do it now DC if possible.

Florida's deadline was originally today, and Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) refused to extend the deadline despite the fact that county offices in much of the state were closed because of Hurricane Matthew.  
Thanks to a successful voting rights lawsuit filed by the Florida Democratic Party, the voter registration deadline was extended by US District court Judge Mark E. Walker (Obama appointee) by one day, with another hearing coming later today to determine whether to extend it beyond Wednesday.


Once again, presidential elections matter, and if you wish you exercise that right to vote on November 8 or during early voting if your part of the country offers it like Texas does (October 24-November 4), you must handle the first step of it and register to vote.

The clock's ticking.    You can check your registration status or register to vote via this link.

If you believe your voting rights are being messed with, call the ACLU Voter Protection Hotline at 877-523-2792

2016 Presidential Election October Registration Deadlines

Today is October 1, and we are just 37 days away from a critical Election Day on November 8.  

Just as a reminder of how much time you have left in your state or territory to register to vote and participate in this critical election, I posted those dates to the blog last month.

In September there were only two territories that had voter registration deadlines.  If you live in the Northern Marianas (September 9) or Puerto Rico (September 19), your registration deadlines have already passed

There are 36 states and three territories that have election registration deadlines in October, and as a TransGriot public service, I'm going to remind you readers of what those dates are.

And hallelujah, early voting starts in Texas on October 24 and runs until November 4.   But in order to participate, you must be registered to vote by October 11 and have that blue voter registration card in order to participate in this 2016 presidential election.  

As an additional  reminder for my Lone Star State readers, thanks to a federal court order, the Texas GOP Voter Suppression law is no longer in effect, and you don't need a photo ID to vote.

October Registration Deadlines 

October 8 in  Mississippi, South Carolina and the US Virgin Islands,

October 9 in Alaska, Rhode Island

October 10 in American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas and Hawaii

October 11 as I mentioned earlier in the post is deadline day for Texas and ten other states.  
For those of you live in the Lone Star State, you need to make that registration happen and have that blue voter registration card by this Tuesday date.  

The other states in which you need to handle your electoral registration business by this date are Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.  

Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Ohio and Pennsylvania are 2016 swing states, and so if you wish to determine who the next POTUS will be, get busy getting registered.

October 12 in Missouri

October 14 in New York, North Carolina and Oklahoma.   

So peeps in the Tarheel State, if you want to kick Pat My Crotch out of the governor's mansion along with the unjust GOP controlled NC legislature, have until this date to register for the election   You're in a swing state as well.

October 14 in Delaware

October 17 in Virginia.

October 18 in Kansas, Minnesota  Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and West Virginia   Nevada is another crucial swing state, so please handle your election registration business there. 

October 19 in Massachusetts

October 24 in Alabama, California and South Dakota

October 28 in Guam, Nebraska

October 31 in Washington   If you peeps living there don't want to have the horrifying prospect of a President Donald Trump, you must be registered in your state by Halloween.

2016 Presidential Election Voter Registration Deadlines

If you're planning on voting in our upcoming presidential election, better get busy and make sure you're registered to do so.

Some of the deadline dates are coming up fast.   Here's the list of voter registration deadlines for US states  and territories.  This is the last possible day you can register in these states and territories.

In North Dakota you aren't required to register. but you must be a US citizen, 18 years old by Election Day.  live at your address by October 9, not be in jail or prison for a felony conviction, not be considered mentally incompetent by a court and have acceptable forms of ID to do so in person or by mail.

September

The Northern Marianas is the first one on the list with a September 9 voter registration deadline day, and Puerto Rico follows 10 days later with a September 19 registration deadline day.

October 

October 8 in  Mississippi, South Carolina and the US Virgin Islands,

October 9 in Alaska, Rhode Island

October 10 in American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas and Hawaii

October 11 is deadline day for eleven states that includes Texas.   For those of you live in the Lone Star State, you need to make that registration happen and have that blue voter registration card by this date. 

The other ten states in which you need to handle your electoral registration business by this date are Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.    Florida,  Georgia, New Mexico, Ohio and Pennsylvania are 2016 swing states, and so if you wish to determine who the next POTUS will be, get busy getting registered.

October 12 in Missouri

October 14 in New York, North Carolina and Oklahoma.  

So peeps in the Tarheel State, if you want to kick Pat My Crotch out of the governor's mansion along with the unjust GOP controlled NC legislature, have until this date to register for the election.

October 14 in Delaware

October 17 in Virginia.

October 18 in Kansas, Minnesota  Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and West Virginia

October 19 in Massachusetts

October 24 in Alabama, California and South Dakota

October 28 in Guam, Nebraska

October 31 in Washington     So if you peeps living there don't want the horrifying prospect of a President Donald Tump, you must be registered in your state by this date.

November

November 1 is the deadline for Utah   The Beehive State is one of the surprise states in play in Election 2016.

November 2 in Vermont

November 3 in Maryland

November 8 is Election Day, and these states and territories have same day registration.  Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Wyoming