Good morning, 

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Thursday, September 19, 2019
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• Let’s start the day with some good news. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the poverty rate has declined to the lowest point since 2007, before the Obama Recession began. One more example of President Trump and his team delivering on their promise to Make America Great Again!
        
• With Texas’ five largest counties now approved to use countywide voting, a majority of Texans who vote on Election Day this November will do so at countywide vote centers. Erin Anderson reports that this means voters can cast ballots at any polling location within the county where they are registered to vote.
      
• But a hearing last week revealed concerns about the technology being used and whether election officials are prepared for this transition. At the same time, a new Texas study shows countywide voting has no impact on voter turnout.
      
• “For presidential elections the impact of vote centers on turnout is basically zero, the opposite of what was expected. For midterm and constitutional elections turnout is higher in those counties that implemented vote centers the last comparable election cycle … but the impact for each election type is not statistically significant from counties that did not implement vote centers.”  – Jeronimo Cortina & Brandon Rottinghaus, “Vote Centers and Turnout by Election Type in Texas”
      
• Texans for Fiscal Responsibility has issued recommendations for the upcoming Nov. 5 constitutional amendment election. You can find those on our website.
     
• A new report notes that while 53 Americans were killed in “mass shootings” in August, there were 40,000 who died from obesity-related illnesses. So far we haven’t yet heard Beto O’Rourke declare, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your candy bars!” Yet.
      
• Compared to just 11 years ago, the Austin City Council is taking 100 percent more cash from the median homeowner. If there is an affordability crisis in Austin, it’s because of the liberal city council. Jacob Asmussen has the details.
   
• What is Austin spending the money on? They are looking at spending nearly $1 million for just 10 drinking fountains. Of course, that pales in comparison to the $140 million spent on a flawed tunnel, and nearly $1 billion over the past several years on an ill-advised biomass power plant that produced energy for only six months before being shut down. 

• Each year at the Conservative Leaders Gala, we recognize the men and women who truly shine in the conservative movement as grassroots leaders. These are individuals who don’t hold legislative office or seek the spotlight; instead, they diligently work to make Texas a stronger, better place to live. Make a nomination today!
     

• Speaking of which... have you reserved your seat yet for the Conservative Leaders Gala? It’s December 7, 2019, at the Irving Convention Center. Join us there!