by David Smith April 13, 2020 After well over a year of legal work, the Texas Ethics Commission held then Plano Council Member Tom Harrison accountable for his apparent 2018 campaign ethics violations, and this past Friday, publicly released their findings and action. The Commission found that Harrison violated the law in accepting and not reporting anonymous donations through a …
This Pandemic is a Political Problem
by Mike Rawlins, Collin County Democratic Party Chair April 9, 2020 There’s no doubt that some people will read this title and be upset about this situation being politicized. But this is the same as complaining that it’s too soon to talk about common sense gun control after a mass shooting. If we don’t address this now we are just …
All Modern GOP Positions are Based on Lies – Smart Government
April 2, 2020 Editors Note: This editorial is the third in a series. To read the first editorial on the GOP Healthcare lies, click here. To read the second editorial on GOP Fiscal Responsibility lies, click here. As I write this, we are under a state-wide order to limit social gatherings to 10 people. Most businesses have employees working from home as much as possible. …
Who Can Run?
March 26, 2020 by Maury Marcus Who can run for the office of President of the United States? Four years ago, one of the candidates for the other party’s nomination, who was serving as governor of Wisconsin, was a college dropout. Another candidate, an uncouth and vulgar slob, had no experience in the art of governing, less than no experience …
Statement on Collin County Democratic Party Convention 3/21/2020
By Mike Rawlins, Collin County Democratic Party Chair March 16, 2020 There have been many concerns about having the county convention in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. State party rules and Texas Election Code do not permit us to cancel the convention. Therefore, the convention will proceed as announced but on a much smaller scale as a “pro forma” …
Thanks for Voting!
By Mike Rawlins, Newly Re-elected Collin County Democratic Chair March 12, 2020 We’ve completed yet another record turnout for the Democratic Primary. After all of the votes have been counted, we doubled the 2016 turnout and even eclipsed the record 2008 turnout. Our sincere thanks to all who voted, and particularly those who waited in line on Election Day …
Notice of Canvass of Primary Election
DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF COLLIN COUNTY NOTICE OF CANVASS OF THE PRIMARY ELECTION Notice is hereby given of the canvass of the primary election held on March 3, 2020 in Collin County, Texas. The canvass will take place at 12:30 pm on March 12, 2020, at the party headquarters, 1915 N. Central Expressway, Suite 150, Plano, Texas. /s/Michael C. Rawlins County …
LINES AT POLLING PLACES TUESDAY
March 7, 2020 By Mike Rawlins, CCDP Chair The Democratic Party is firmly committed to making sure that every citizen entitled to vote is able to vote and able to vote as easily as possible. Too many people had to wait in long lines to vote in Tuesday’s Democratic Primary. To the extent we could have prevented this we apologize …
Stories of a Re-Sister, Per-Sister
By Brenda Willis March 5, 2020 (Canada late 1980s) A girl is nervous as she’s escorted to a new first-grade class. “No need to fear, take my hand, we’ll go together.” the teacher says, “Where are you from?” “Texas!”, the girl says proudly. “Oh, so it’s not even a city. It’s just “Texas”? she smiles. The girl nods her head. …
Announcing the 2020 Ann Richards Dinner Keynote Speaker
February 11, 2020 We’re depending on you this year. Our country depends on you. No matter who you are, you can help defeat Trump, repair our country, and build something better. No matter where you are, 2020 is waiting for you to be part of the change we desperately need. That’s why we’re proud to announce that our 2020 Ann …
Jeff Leach Doesn’t Want to Represent You
February 11, 2020 By Manu Lail, Assistant Vice Chair I had the honor of attending the NAACP Freedom Fund Scholarship Luncheon this past weekend. As I walked to the candidate table, I saw the usual Democratic candidates like Rocio Hernandez (HD67 candidate), Lorenzo Sanchez (HD67 Candidate), and Sean McCaffity (CD3 Candidate) among many others. However, I also noticed Jeff Leach, …
It’s up to us now
by Mike Rawlins, County Chair February 5, 2020 You followed the hearings in the House of Representatives. You watched the House impeach the President. You heard at least some of the arguments of the Impeachment Managers in the Senate trial. And now, as expected, you have seen the Senate refuse to remove the President from office. We are now facing …
Collin County Indigent Criminal Defense Plan and Ken Paxton Prosecution
By Kyle Therrian, Attorney By now, most are familiar with the never-ending, justice-delayed prosecution of Texas’ Attorney General Ken Paxton. Little known to the public, the Collin County Indigent Criminal Defense Plan could hold the key to it all. Here is a quick recap of where we are. Spring of 2015 – A criminal case is filed, and our District …
The Presidential Race
There are 17 names on the ballot for President of the United States. This surprises many of us who assumed names were taken off the ballot as they dropped out. But names remain on the ballot if they didn’t withdraw by a December 9th deadline. Our challenge here in Collin County is that 17 names will not fit on a …
What’s On My Primary Ballot?
You can see the Sample Ballots specific for you on the Collin County Elections website. https://www.collincountytx.gov/elections/election_information/Pages/sampleballots.aspx To select your ballot, you will need to know your precinct number. This number is on your voter registration card, in the box to the right of your birth year in the upper left quadrant of the card. If your registration card is not …
thanks to our Treasurer
By Mike Rawlins, Collin County Democratic Party Chair January 14, 2020 By the time you read this our faithful, conscientious, and hard working Treasurer, Diane Bolak, will have filed another round of campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission and the Federal Elections Commission. Few people understand that she is personally liable for the timeliness and accuracy of these …
The Union Needs You
By Manu Lail, Assistant Vice Chair, Collin County Democratic Party December 13, 2020 Our country is facing some major problems. Our leaders continue to spend trillions of dollars on unnecessary wars. Our healthcare system is the most expensive in the world. And, carbon emissions continue to destroy the world’s climate. When Washington prepared his farewell address, he cautioned the electorate …
Wagging the Dog?
by Mike Rawlins, CCDP Chair January 9, 2019, Plano, TX To “wag to dog” is to purposely divert attention from what would otherwise be of greater importance, to something else of lesser significance. In presidential politics it has come to mean starting a war to divert attention away from other problems. I agree with the old advice that it’s generally …
Better Angels: Reuniting America
Real democracy grows stronger with discussions that enhance mutual understanding. Unless we learn how to productively engage in difficult dialogue, we will continue struggling as a community and as a nation. Join Better Angels and Friends of the Allen Public Library to see how to effectively discuss divisive issues and build a stronger republic. “Better Angels: Reuniting America“ is a …
Is Census 2020 Important to Democrats?
by Tarek Lucien Radjef December 17, 2019 Next year the census is going to try to count everyone in the United States. A count as accurate as possible is extremely important. This not only is the basis for state congressional representation but also helps determine how to distribute each year more than $675 billion in federal funds to states and …
Flipping the Texas House
December 4, 2019 by Paula S. Hall – CCDP Messaging Team Save our state, vote our Democratic slate! What could be more important than beating Donald J. Trump in his Presidential run for a second term? One could argue that flipping the Texas House to Democrats could be the most important – a win not had by Democrats in more …
What Does the County Tax Assessor-Collector Do?
November 20, 2019 by Mike Rawlins, CCDP Chair Unlike many of our county elected officials, nearly all of us have had some interaction with the County Tax Assessor-Collector. Whether we have renewed motor vehicle registrations or paid property taxes, we have had the duty of writing a check to this person. So, most of us have at least a general idea …
Why This Immigrant is a Democrat
October 17, 2019 In the ’40s, our mother had insisted we put on our plate only what we thought we could eat, adding that we shouldn’t waste food when so many children go hungry in the world. Our Dad (google Radjef) had dedicated his life to end the colonial oppression of his people. Classmates would chase the darker-skinned kid on …
Why Your Out-of-County College Kids Should Vote This Fall
THIS fall?? Huh? Yes, the constitutional amendments proposed by the Texas Legislature earlier this year are up for your approval this November. Q: Why should my kids who are away at college vote on these amendments? A: As a practice run for voting absentee in 2020! And because informed voting in EVERY election is an important practice for citizens. Encourage them to start good …