Inside This Issue:
- Leaked Supreme Court Decision Details Likely Overturn of Roe v. Wade
- Don’t Forget to Vote on Election Day — Saturday, May 7
- School Election Alert for Clear Creek, Deer Park, Katy, Spring Branch Voters
- Crime Stoppers of Houston Under Fire for ‘Slanted Messaging’ that ‘Distorts Public Debate, Discourse’
- Join the Fight for Democracy: Become a Sustaining Member Today
- Early Voting for May 25 Primary Runoff Begins May 16
- Eleven-Year-Old Texan Fights for Transgender Rights
- The Devastating Impact of Racist Housing & Zoning Policies
- Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
- Precinct Chair Corner
- Help Support HCDP Through Our Membership Program
- Meet Luke Warford, Candidate for Texas Railroad Commission
Leaked Supreme Court Decision Details Likely Overturn of Roe v. Wade
Today, the Supreme Court stands on the cusp of overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion in the United States. A leaked draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito has stunned abortion rights supporters across the world.
Conservative court justices have chosen to dismantle a core constitutional right. This demonstrates a drastic shift toward government intrusion in the personal lives of people throughout our nation, and we don’t know where this will end: Contraception, LGBTQ+ rights, marriage equality and more could be next on the SCOTUS agenda.
Although a new poll shows a majority of Texas voters would oppose the state banning access to abortions, a “trigger law” passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Abbott, outlaws almost all abortions if Roe v. Wade is struck down. Doctors would face a penalty of life in prison or a $100K fine for performing an abortion.
Read the latest on Roe v. Wade.
Don’t Forget to Vote on Election Day — Saturday, May 7
ELECTION DAY IS TOMORROW!!! Make sure that you make a plan to get to the polls before 7 PM to cast your vote.
Elections like these have a historically low turnout which means that your vote counts that much more! Together, we can change so much.
Click here for May 7 Election Day information.
School Election Alert for Clear Creek, Deer Park, Katy, Spring Branch Voters
Voters in Katy, Deer Park, Clear Creek, and Spring Branch have two elections tomorrow (Constitutional and School Board/Bond) and should plan to vote in both!
Voters can review important information about the elections on the HCDP website.
Crime Stoppers of Houston Under Fire for ‘Slanted Messaging’ that ‘Distorts Public Debate, Discourse’
An investigation by The New York Times and The Marshall Project has raised concerns about the partisan nature of messaging from Crime Stoppers of Houston. Although the organization claims to be an independent service that helps solve crimes, analysis of Crime Stoppers’ statements to the press demonstrates a targeted attack on Democratic judges — occurring after Harris County adopted misdemeanor bond reform that resulted in a reduction of Crime Stoppers funding.
In a letter to the press sent April 27, HCDP Chair Odus Evbagharu condemned Crime Stoppers of Houston’s partisan turn and urged reporters to consider a broader range of sources to highlight all sides of crime-related issues.
From HCDP Chair Odus Evbagharu’s letter
“Crime Stoppers very clearly has not remained the non-partisan organization it claims to be and needs to be. As it has become increasingly dependent on Republican funding, the organization has devolved into a GOP messaging arm focused on destroying the reputations of Democratic elected officials for Republican political gain.”
From the Houston Chronicle’s op-ed
“…It’s precisely because of Crime Stoppers’ hard-earned reputation in the community that we should all be concerned if its credibility is being compromised by targeting individual judges before an election & intentionally obscuring its funding sources.”
Join the Fight for Democracy: Become a Sustaining Member Today
Did you know that if every Harris County Democrat votes in November, we can push races like Beto O’Rourke’s bid for Governor over the finish line?
The challenge is getting the word out, and with just over 6 months left until Nov. 8, HCDP is working hard to do just that. However, summer is a historically difficult time for Democratic fundraising, and we need everybody’s help if we are going to win big in November.
Please join us as a Sustaining Member today. Sustaining Members are in it for the long haul with small, monthly contributions that fit with individual budgets. These donations enable HCDP to reach voters county-wide and to utilize vital (but sometimes pricey) resources like text banks, mass mailers, and community events to get out the vote.
Becoming a sustaining member is one of the absolute best ways to support HCDP during this turbulent election cycle.
You can sign up as a sustaining member here.
Let’s win this together.
Early Voting for May 25 Primary Runoff Begins May 16
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Make a plan to early vote in the Democratic Primary Runoff! |
Eleven-Year-Old Texan Fights for Transgender Rights
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Fighting for equality has become a mission for Kai Shappley, an 11-year-old transgender activist from Texas. Along with her mother, she has traveled around the country sharing her story at LGBTQ rallies and has pushed for lawmakers to reject bills that target the transgender community. |
The Devastating Impact of Racist Housing & Zoning Policies
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“Black Americans are exposed to 38% more polluted air than other Americans, are 75% more likely to live in neighborhoods bordering industrial areas, and are 3x more likely to die as a result of exposure to pollution…. |
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
Summer is here and it's time for Dems to get moving! We need everyone's help to win big in November...
Join a Local GOTV Phonebank to help get out the vote in the upcoming election.
You can also find all other HCDP volunteer opportunities here.
Precinct Chair Corner
Do you need to have a Precinct Chair Badge to wear when you are “On the Job”? The cost is $13, and if you order by June 1, 2022, you can pick your badge up at the June CEC! Click on the following link to order a badge: bit.ly/HCDP-Badge
We are currently working to get VAN accounts for new precinct chairs so they can get started before the swearing-in ceremony at the June CEC.
If you have a VAN account, now is a good time to sign on and make sure everything is working! If you have issues with your account, please email VAN@HarrisDemocrats.com and a team member will get back to you.
Help Support HCDP Through Our Membership Program
Work by the Harris County Democratic Party is supported through our membership program.
- Friend of HCDP - $10 a month
- Ally of HCDP - $15 a month
- Activist of HCDP - $30 a month
- Advocate of HCDP - $60 a month
- Champion of HCDP - $125 a month
Sustaining members who donate a regular monthly or annual amount allow us to underwrite our day-to-day operations. This is how we pay our staff. This is how we support Democratic candidates. This is how we fund our voter outreach.
This is how we help elect more Democrats to office.
Meet Luke Warford, Candidate for Texas Railroad Commission
Thank you so much to everyone who joined us in person and via livestream for our time with Luke Warfard, who is the Democratic candidate for Texas Railroad Commission!
Luke spoke a little bit about what he can bring to the Railroad Commission and took a few questions from the audience. We are so excited about Luke’s campaign and hope everyone will turn out to support him in November!
Watch the Q&A with Luke here.
The Fight is Here!
Team HCDP