Texas is in the midst of a local debt epidemic, one that’s primarily driven by bonds issued by government schools. In fact, K-12 debt is the largest single debt sector in Texas, which continues to increase at a rate greater than enrollment growth, after adjusting for...
Gerrymandering and other demographic factors make the majority of general elections between opposing parties effectively noncompetitive.
It’s no secret that many journalists in the Texas media are sympathetic to certain politicians in Austin, especially those whose conservative campaign rhetoric doesn’t match their irresponsible spending record. But both the Texas Monthly and the Quorum Report have,...
Perhaps one of the biggest upsets in May’s runoff’s elections was Rep. Ralph Hall’s loss to his Republican primary challenger, and former U.S. Attorney, John Ratcliffe. Most news headlines note that Hall is the oldest sitting U.S. House member and the oldest House...
The Dallas Morning News’ recent article cited the “overwhelming” voter approval of historically large bond packages, including those in Arlington, Frisco and Cypress-Fairbanks schools districts. Those three amounted to $2.6 billion in new debt, excluding interest...
Historically, turnout in Texas’ political primaries has languished in the single-digits. The 2014 cycle was no different, even with hotly contested Republican primary races. Less than eight percent of registered voters weighed in across our state’s largest counties....
Texas now has the second-highest local debt per person in the nation.
We’ve cited the efforts by Battleground Texas to “turn Texas blue” by contesting every election possible, from your local city council to the White House. And although many liberal candidates are not explicitly receiving BGTX support, Democrats across the Metroplex...
The Dallas Morning News released a soft-ball piece on Irving’s Mayoral race between the incumbent, Beth Van Duyne, and her opponent, former Mayor and City Councilman, Herb Gears. It focused on the lack of bitterness between campaigns this cycle, in stark contrast to...
Over the last decade, the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) has attracted a barrage of scrutiny from open government advocates, including its newest trustee, Mary Kelleher. After refusing to fully respond to inquiries, the board is now pushing to silence their...