Republicans unveil bracket voting to boost voter turnout in '26 election

It's a three-fold problem the GOP faces: 

• Recruiting more hands and eyes on the election process, making sure each and every vote is counted.
• Coming up with a sexy new voting method to rival the left's call for Ranked Choice Voting.
• Tapping into an ever-growing demographic of sports fans as a source of new voters, especially basketball fans.

This week the Travis GOP Committee on Voting Affairs rolled out a bold concept to help with all three dilemmas: 

A bracket-style tournament ballot for the 2026 primary election! 

Just in time for March Madness in two years, Republican voters will be able to participate in a series of bracket-style matchups between Republican candidates. Like with a tournament, each winner will advance to the next level until a winner is decided. And it would totally eliminate the need for an expensive runoff.

7 reasons why not to raid the other party's Primary this year

We get it. Sometimes there's a race in the other party that's appealing  -- when you want the more conservative Democrat (or Libertarian, or Green, or Constitutionalist, for that matter) to win.

This kind of party-hopping is extremely tempting in the Austin area for we Republicans. After all, Democrats maintain the same kind of numerical advantage over Republicans locally that Republicans enjoy statewide over them. In many cases, the winner of the Democratic Primary in the Austin area is presumed the winner of the general -- though this is certainly not always the case, and local Republicans have made an art of upset victories.

This year in Travis County it's especially tempting to jump ship during the primary, and for voters of both major parties.

For Democrats, they're bored by the presumptive re-nomination of Joe Biden, and many are perfectly willing to switch over to the R primary and vote against Donald Trump by casting their vote for another presidential candidate. This new "Operation Chaos"-like tactic could have the effect of distorting many Republican races down ballot.

But on the other hand, Travis County Republicans are wanting to do everything they can do to stop Soros-supported District Attorney Jose Garza, a radical Leftist Democrat, from winning another term and gutting the law enforcement system even further than he has. Although Republicans have their champion in the form of Daniel Betts, he is unopposed on the R ballot. But Garza is opposed by Democrat Jeremy Sylestine on the D ballot, leaving Garza opponents wondering if voting for decidedly pro-law-enforcement Sylestine would make for an effective first line of defense before it's Betts versus the Democratic nominee in November.

While it's true the Presidential race is effectively already decided and there aren't as many prize fights on this year's Republican primary ballot as usual, here are some reasons why you should consider keeping your vote in the Grand Ol' Party this Primary, courtesy of the Travis GOP's blog:

Austin stands to lose up to 2 miles of turf if 'ATXit' measures pass

 

While a non-binding secession referendum will not appear on GOP primary ballots this March, the May ballot will offer certain Austin communities a chance to "ATXit."

In a saga going back at least a decade, River Place residents will have the chance to reverse the city of Austin's long-awaited annexation of the remainder of its HOA territory. Lost Creek residents and at least four other Austin-controlled developments will get to vote on disannexation on the May 4 local ballot.

Thanks to HB 3053's passage, authored by West Travis County Rep. Ellen Troxclair, residents of cities with 500,000 residents or greater and areas that were annexed between March 3, 2015 and Dec. 1, 2017 are eligible to disannex themselves. Though not uncommon for cities to disannex territory when adjusting boundaries, putting it on the ballot is something new to Texans.

HOME latest example of Austin not listening to us

Late-night hubris.

Guest editorial by Rupal Chaudhari

Even though hundreds of people waited all day to speak Thursday on the elimination of single-family neighborhoods in Austin, it obviously didn't matter to the city.

As public testimony wrapped up late into the night, the city had its celebratory press release all queued up just before midnight, complete with generic clip art photos of obviously non-Austinites smiling at a marketer’s camera, crowing about passage of the one item on the agenda.

Thankfully two city council members voted against approving phase 1 of the risky HOME Initiative – perhaps to avoid drawing opponents with candidate filing ending on Monday. But add this to a growing list of examples of the city of Austin not considering our voices equal to theirs.

Sunday's massive Palestinian protest organized by Socialists

Thousands demonstrated outside the Texas Capitol and downtown Austin Sunday afternoon in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and opposing U.S. and Texas foreign aid to Israel.

That last part sounds like more of a Libertarian goal, but the protest did not appear at all like something from the Ron Paul camp. Nor did it look like other anti-Israel rallies held in the past in Central Texas, aside from the usual black-and-white fishnet keffiyeh head scarves and red and green Palestinian separatist flags. 

Smoke bombs, bused-in protesters, and misuse of the term "genocide" were the handiwork that all pointed to collaboration with the opposite side of the political spectrum.

If you guessed Antifa you were correct. Also spotted were Democratic Socialists of America protesters. Despite the fact that a Palestinian state would all but ban the "justice" and sexual expression the radical Left champions, the Palestinian cause fits the bill of the "anti-colonial" push popular with the liberals of late. However, a large number of Democratic public officials strongly support Israeli statehood and its territorial claims as an ally of the U.S.

Round Rock ISD and the astounding, invisible tax hike

Is it a simple calcuation, or the ol' ball and cup trick?

The Round Rock ISD is banking on the fact that statewide tax relief and recent changes to how "Robin Hood" is handled will mask a local tax hike on the ballot Tuesday:

This is according to Don Zimmerman, longtime tax reform advocate, former Austin Council member, and executive director of the Travis County Taxpayers Union (TCTU). The ballot language, he said, is so problematic the organization is preparing to file a lawsuit -- only to find that state courts no longer hear ballot language complaints prior to an election!

Banning Single Family zoning in Austin? Just say no!

The following call to action by education policy activist Brian Talley was sent by the Travis County Republican Party. Over 300 people are reportedly signed up to speak to the Austin City Council today on this critical issue to the city's future.

Banning singe-family zoning has been a Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) talking point, and a Biden administration agenda item, for quite some time. They call it exclusionary zoning because it limits the number of units and families per lot. Here is [Congressman and former Austin City Council member] Greg Casar promoting his work to "dismantling exclusionary zoning laws" back in September of 2019.

Get to know the 14 amendments appearing on your November 2023 ballot

Local recommendations coming soon! For now join the discussion here.

With 14 state propositions on the ballot this fall, voters may not have all the time to study and analyze each of the proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. Even further complicating matters, the media focus is on the 2024 primaries and the upcoming presidential election.

Fortunately, we have you covered! Below is our analysis on each of the propositions, preceded by our suggestion on how to vote (or not vote in two cases). Our analysis may shift as further information and inpput is gathered (we might could be convinced on the tax breaks), but in the meantime, you can do your own homework via the Texas Legislative Council's thorough analysis. If you need help voting or are looking for polling locations and what's on your local ballot click here.

Scroll all the way down for our Quickshot Guide for fast reference or to memorize.

Austin 9/11 remembrances, plus this week's conservative events

Makeshift memorial wall shortly after 9/11/01 at the Flight 93 crash site.

Hijackers inside the cockpit are heard yelling "No!" over the sound of breaking glass. The final spoken words on the recorder were a calm voice in English instructing, "Pull it up." The plane then crashed into an empty field in Stonycreek, Pennsylvania, about 20 minutes' flying time from Washington, D.C.

It's Patriot Day, but you're not in D.C., New York, or rural Pennsylvania today where Flight 93 crash-landed. But there are still numerous opportunities right here in Austin to pay tribute to those who lost their lives or gave their lives that fateful day 22 years ago.

Below is Travis GOP's venerable semi-weekly email blast Week at-a-Glance, including some other compelling events below for the next week-and-a-half:

Homelessness Inc.'s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week in Austin

Austin's homelessness czar resigned last week and the timing couldn't be any worse for advocates of the city's Housing First approach.

The next day, news broke of eye-popping accounts of multiple overdose deaths, prostitution, drug manufacturing, violence, and under-cooked meals at one of the city's two "bridge shelters," Northbridge, designed as a channel between the homeless camps and more permanent housing arrangements and treatment opportunities. The whistleblower was previously and allegedly fired after bringing attention to these matters.

And on top of that, a plan to raise Austin's current-11% hotel occupancy tax to compensate for a years-long closing/renovation of its convention center and partially fund homeless services was shelved.

The city also postponed a contract extension for rehabbing an old hotel -- the embattled Candlewood Suites, which the city hopes will become the crown jewel of its Permanent Supportive Housing offerings.

Meet the women too hot for Austin's Pride parade (and why 'TERFs' are being de-platformed)

Although there have been some signs lately of better dialogue when it comes to differences over sexuality issues in Austin, a group of women's activists again find themselves persona non grata.

Even as Austin ISD is inviting employees, parents, and students to attend the city's Austin Pride march, and as the city has begun drumming up calls for citizens to report "hate crimes" this week, not all taxpayer voices will be included in this subsidized event.

According to speakers for the Let Women Speak rally, for their views on gender rights to be celebrated, they will have to host their own event concurrently with the officially sanctioned Austin Pride parade this Saturday at 7 p.m. The location has not yet been announced, organizers say, due to safety precautions.

Finally! Some conservative representation during 'Pride Month'

Although Austin's "Pride Month" is typically recognized in August, the city's CBS affiliate was out in full force this month with its "All in Y'all" televised special. 

Airing on KEYE-TV, Chanel 42, on Tuesday (June 27) following the 6 o'clock news, the special was about as favorable to the liberal-progressive side as one would generally expect in terms of its presentation. But despite the framing of the issues with left-of-center terminology and imagery (e.g. calling bills designed to protect women and minors "anti-LGBTQIA+" and so forth), CBS Austin, in partnership with the Texas Tribune, did a relatively bold thing: 

They provided viewers a balanced room of panelists and audience members during a town hall-style program following the special! No, seriously, they did. No moderate Republicans with social-left sympathies, either -- actual socially conservative Republicans. The town hall aired immediately after a news package on sexuality bills that passed or failed during the recently concluded 88th regular legislative session. 

Here was the lineup:

Austin-area Conservative Voter Guide: May 2023 Local Elections

Early voting polls opened this morning at 7 a.m. in the May 2023 local elections. From police accountability, to school bonds, to local board and council candidates, to the creation of new taxing districts, this will be a critical election in some places within Travis County, but in other places there may be nothing on the ballot.

To find out what's on your ballot, see if you're registered to vote, check out a map of voting locations with wait times, and more visit www.VoteTravis.com.

Below are our recommendations (updated as of 4/24/23). Special thanks to the members of the Travis County Republicans Facebook Group for their insight. If you have any suggestions of your own please feel free to use the comments or weigh-in at the link above. Please note: multiple endorsements may be included in each race.

Cutting through the hype in Austin's Prop A versus Prop B election

When cornered and left without much in the way of reasonable argument on any given ballot issue, radical Progressives in Austin will almost always resort to blaming conservatives.

Such has been the case with Proposition A versus Proposition B, appearing on the May local election ballot starting Monday, April 24, 2023.

The unsubstantiated rumor going around is that those dastardly Republicans, independent conservatives, assorted Libertarians, and any number of right-leaning rabble-rousers are behind Proposition B as a sinister means to derail Proposition A and any attempt to provide oversight of law enforcement and achieve racial justice within the capital city. And how dare they!

City of Austin cancels April Fool's Day

Austin no longer pities the fool

In an unexpected announcement, the City of Austin said it will no longer recognize April Fool's Day as an official city holiday and urges all residents to refrain from celebrating the occasion, mocking the city, or visiting comedy clubs that have a history of exposing the ignorance of local leadership.

Former Austin Mayor Steve Adler, in one of his final directives before leaving office in December, created the Federation for Austin's Reputation and Trustworthiness in order to study and empirically measure how seriously people are taking radical new changes in local policy.

Legislators 'aim to disrupt' bloated Austin subway, rail plan

After estimates that a new rail system approved by voters is already 40% over budget, and news continues to surface of how it would destroy businesses and snarl traffic, Texas legislators may soon be stepping in.

As the bill-filing deadline approaches, multiple bills have been submitted related to Project Connect, which would provide for five new rail lines (one of which would be a controversial subway crossing the lake and cutting into pedestrian business corridors), priority signaling for mass transportation, new routes to and from expanded park-and-ride sites, improved payment options, and $300,000 in "anti-displacement" funding.

Not just residents with proverbial back yards but historic businesses have cried foul at how the plan would radically change life in Austin and destroy many amenities. Now reporters are tweeting that several bills filed recently would "disrupt Project Connect" (and this after former Mayor Steve Adler said during one of his final interviews as mayor that his homelessness policies were designed to cause a "disruption" -- keep an ear out for this word).

Second anniversary of Candlewood pushback met with several surprises, announcements

Security fence around the former Candlewood Suites.

Wednesday marked the second year since Pecan Park Boulevard neighbors and business owners first read news of the city of Austin's planned $9-15M conversion of a Candlewood Suites hotel into permanent homeless housing and started banding together to stop it from happening.

MOVE Candlewood, the organization leading the fight now entering their third year, issued a press release and a year-in-review. We include that below. But this week featured quite a bit of other announcements from the homelessness solutions front -- with plenty of that activity on and surrounding the anniversary. Here's the summary:

BREAKING: Elections law violation allegations may trail exiting Austin Mayor

The new year may have originally portended a tan and rested Steve Adler, who did not seek re-election to a third term as Austin mayor. But if elections law violation allegations stick, he might find himself immediately back to work fending off charges.

Local attorney and former Travis County Judge Bill Aleshire took to Twitter early this evening to announce: 

"On behalf of Mackenzie Kelly & Linda Guerrero, I filed a criminal complaint against Steve Adler today because of this press conference using city ATXN staff, equipment & website endorsing [Zo] Qadri & [José] Velásquez https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/190448 Can’t use public funds for political advertising."

Kelly is Council member for Austin's District 6, elected in 2020. Guerrero was recently a runoff candidate for District 9, with Qadri as the victor. Velásquez won the runoff election to District 3 on the Council. The new Council and Mayor are set to be sworn-in Friday.

The Tracker obtained copies of the complaint filings to the Texas Ethics Commission and a copy of Aleshire's correspondence with Democratic Travis County Attorney Delia Garza. View them here. Aleshire also corresponded with the city regarding the complaints.

Adler: I wrecked Austin to make homelessness 'visible' (UPDATE)

In a final ask-the-mayor interview with KTBC-TV Fox 7, outgoing Austin Mayor Steve Adler finally laid down his cards regarding the strategy behind his widely criticized homelessness policies.

Observers have for the last three years scratched their heads over Adler's apparent recklessness -- the sudden removal of a public camping policy in 2019 (which he admitted did not work), a behind-the-scenes order to require Council members to identify a hotel or other building in each Council district to convert into a small shelters for millions of dollars each, and numerous other controversial decisions regarding homelessness and pubic safety in Texas's capital city. This was during a period of economic struggle, an increase in crime, and law enforcement/public safety funding cuts, leading numerous organizations to rally to "save Austin," plus action from the Texas Legislature and Governor.

Now we know why: Adler's agenda was designed to make a political point.

"... The disruption associated with our community seeing the people who were experiencing homelessness was something that had to happen." (Watch at 3:20)

TAYLOR: How to rise above manipulation of words

By Dan Taylor
Guest Contributor

I want to think out loud about how our use of words has become so twisted in the modern world.

The very definition and meaning of words are often twisted, oftentimes to fit political, cultural, or personal agendas.

We can see this on national debate stages, but more intimately, in localized manipulators that we all see in our day-to-day lives.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹

The socialist political organizer Saul Alinsky has a chapter in his book “Rules for Radicals” in which he talks about the modern manipulation of words to gain political favor, but this has existed for the past 100 years (at least, but I don’t want to dive beyond that).