Season 2, Episode 4: Help, my ballot is very long and I don't know what I'm doing! With former candidate Joi Chevalier.
What does a railroad commissioner ACTUALLY do? Wait... a county judge is NOT a judge? How do I decide which *actual* judge to vote for?!? This week we get you up to speed on down-ballot races. Former candidate for comptroller and current genius Joi Chevalier joins us to talk about what it's like to run for a position no one understands.
THIS WEEK’S GUEST:
Joi Chevalier, former candidate for Texas Comptroller, founder of The Cook’s Nook, Annie’s List board member, member of the Austin City Council’s Sustainable Food Policy Board, and Google Refresh, a national policy board on Food and Technology.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009055790552
BLUE SQUAD MISSION OF THE WEEK:
Download the Blue Squad App & follow The Rabble podcast to find this week's mission. If you do the most missions, we'll shout you out on the podcast!: https://bluesquad.page.link/XSCR
FOLLOW ROUSER:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRabbleTX/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therabbletx
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRabbleTX
Subscribe to our Friday newsletter, T-GIF: https://www.rousertx.com/tgif/
OTHER LINKS WE MENTIONED:
Our "PLANcake" endorsement video for Elizabeth Warren - https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17940449890327834/
Plancakes for Warren block walk - details coming soon!
Becky's "poll dance" video - https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpkt1SIlmr-/
Senate candidate forum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3600&v=TKwOouM-VX0&feature=emb_logo
Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch: https://www.facebook.com/lincolngoldfinch
Kristen's other mural for Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch: https://www.facebook.com/lincolngoldfinch/photos/a.775086092618244/2557870551006447/?type=3
Check out our interview with Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch on Episode 6 of The Rabble where she claps back against anti-immigration talking points: https://www.rousertx.com/the-rabble-pod/2019/2/20/episode-6-john-cornyn-price-is-right-paxton-family-values-the-rainbow-connection-the-lovers-the-dreamers-and-bri
Opponent calls Amy Clark Meachum "selfish" for wanting to break barriers: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/02/14/texas-judge-jerry-zimmerer-amy-clark-meachum-supreme-court/
The Rabble episode on sex ed and the State Board of Education: https://www.rousertx.com/the-rabble-pod/2020/2/1/season-2-episode-1-live-from-the-state-of-the-uterus
About Texas county officials: https://www.county.org/About-Texas-Counties/About-Texas-County-Officials
HELP, WHAT DO ALL THESE PEOPLE DO?!?! OUR DOWN-BALLOT GUIDE:
President:
Don’t remember what they used to do, now involves mostly tweeting and golfing.
U.S. Senate:
Like our U.S. Reps, they decide laws for the whole country (like whether weed should be legal everywhere), but unlike the House the Senate alone can confirm presidential appointments -- cabinet members, federal judges, ambassadors -- and the Senate alone can convict a federal official that the House impeaches. We have 2 Senators who each serve 6-year terms.
U.S. House Reps:
Similar to the U.S. Senate but while we only have 2 Senators for our state, Texas has 36 Reps in Congress… so our U.S. reps pay closer attention to the concerns of their particular district since it’s a smaller area than the entire state. ALL U.S. Reps are up for election every 2 years.
Railroad Commissioner:
We have 3 railroad commissioners elected statewide, they are currently all Republicans. 1 of those seats is up this year. The railroad commission has had **nothing to do** with railroads since 2005. It regulates oil & gas, and if you care about the environment (fracking, flaring, oil pipeline & production explosions) you should care who our railroad commissioners are.
Supreme Court of Texas:
This is the highest CIVIL court in Texas, meaning they hear cases that individuals bring against other individuals or organizations. Here’s an example: After the U.S. Supreme Court declared gay marriage legal, the city of Houston said the same-sex spouses of city employees could receive benefits the same as straight spouses do. Texas Values, a conservative group opposed to same-sex marriage, got two Houston tax-payers to bring a lawsuit against the City of Houston, Houston won in a lower court, but the case was appealed to the Texas Supreme Court.
We’re electing 3 judges and the Chief Justice this year. Currently all 9 judges are Republican.
Amy Clark Meacham is running in the Democratic primary and would be the first ever female Chief Justice in Texas. Her primary opponent, Jerry Zimmerer, said she is “selfish” for wanting to break that barrier: “I just don’t think that’s what voters are looking for. … I just think that’s a goal she wants to achieve for herself.” She also happens to be more qualified, so…
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
This is the highest criminal court in Texas. So, individuals who are charged with a crime can appeal all the way up to this court as their last resort. All cases involving the death penalty go directly to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. We are electing 3 judges this time.
State Board of Education
This board has 15 positions and 8 positions are up this time -- you’ll vote according to which district you’re in. This group is really important because they decide what gets taught in our schools -- like this year they are revising sex ed curriculum standards for the first time in 20 years. (Listen to ep 1 for more info!) We have 10 Rs and 5 Ds right now.
Texas Senate
We have 31 state senators, 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats - each serves a 4 year term. For a bill to become state law, it has to pass both the Texas Senate and the Texas House. Our state legislature is super important -- for example, if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade, it will be left to the our state legislature to decide whether abortion stays legal in Texas.
Texas House
The other part of the law-making body in TX. We have 150 House members elected every 2 years. We are 9 seats from Democrats taking control of the Texas House, and if we can do that in this election we’ll get to have a say in how districts are re-drawn in 2021, and all the things!
District Attorney
The DA looks at evidence in criminal cases and decides whether the case can be taken to trial. For example, in 2017 our DA in Travis County only prosecuted 1 rape case out of 1,000. DAs also decide how victims and the accused are treated, which is huge. In Travis County, 70% of people in our jail have not been convicted of a crime -- they just can’t afford bail. The DA has the power to change that.
All your civil & criminal judges & court of appeals judges
The U.S. is one of only 2 countries that elect judges, and this is always one that stumps people.
Criminal judges are deciding things like whether rapists should get jail time or just be fined $400, like in the case of the former Baylor fraternity president and rapist Jacob Anderson.
Civil courts handle disputes between individuals and businesses, including family law cases like divorces or adoptions, business and contract disputes, personal injury cases, and property disputes. A lot of people skip judges races, but it’s SO important.
County Attorney
The County Attorney prosecutes misdemeanor criminal cases (like they can decide whether to pursue low-level drug possession charges or not). They are in charge of protective orders for victims of domestic violence, and they also give legal advice to county officials.
County Chair of the Democratic Party
They are like the CEO of your county party. They set the tone for everything your local Democratic Party does -- whether your party meetings are consumed with pointless bickering or whether they are focused on training folks to go out into the community and turn out Democratic voters. Do they embrace diversity and new voices? Or are they perpetuating old power structures?
County Commissioner
They control your county’s tax rate and budget -- so how your county gets its money and how it spends it. They’re in charge of deciding what we spend on roads and bridges, parks, emergency services, public safety. In Travis County, our commissioners recently decided to fund and hire our first-ever public defender for folks who can’t afford their own attorney.
County Judge
The county judge is not actually a judge, but the county manager. They’re the highest ranking person on the commissioners court (which is not actually a court). They are also the director of emergency management -- super important if you’re in an area prone to, say, hurricanes and floods.
County Constable
Performs various law enforcement functions, including issuing traffic citations
Serves warrants and civil papers such as subpoenas and temporary restraining orders
Sherriff
They enforce the criminal laws of the state (or not - like deciding not to jail undocumented immigrants before SB4 made “sanctuary cities” illegal in TX), they manage the county jail, and regulate bail bondsmen. They set the tone for how their deputies handle cases, whether victims are taken seriously, and how mental health is addressed both in jails and among deputies.
Tax Assessor-Collector
They set property tax rates & collect taxes. You’ve been to the tax office to register a car, and maybe to register to vote. They decide how aggressively your county works to make sure everyone is registered to vote.