José Angel Gutiérrez ● Is 2.2 more than 2.1 in Texas? ● Our Voices/Nuestras Voces

 

Is 2.2 more than 2.1 in Texas?

José Angel Gutiérrez

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The math is easy to figure out in the question above. But not, when it’s about political math! These figures stand for 2,203, 671 votes cast in the 2026 May 3^rd Primary Election in Texas for both Democrats and Republicans combined.  The Democratic Party winner was Gina Hinojosa with 1,289,576 votes cast for her getting her the nomination without a runoff. On the Republican side, Greg Abbott the incumbent governor also won a majority of votes avoiding a run off. He received 1,764,929 votes. Clearly, he received almost half a million votes more than Hinojosa. He might be the shoe-in winner over her come the November General Election. He will continue to be the longest serving governor of any state in the US. He might win a 5 term in office making it a 20-year incumbency. It all will depend on voter turnout come November 3, 2026. AND, how much more damage the R’s can do between now and then with voter suppression.  The Texas Secretary of State has cancelled so many voters. As of August 24, 2024, just 2 years ago, the governor  announced the removal of 1.1 million voters are being ineligible for a variety of reasons. (see https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announced-1-million-ineligible-voters-removed-from rolls).How many more have been removed that we do not know about at this writing?

We all know about drop offs in voting. For example, the least number of eligible voters turn out for bond elections. The highest turn out is for the General Election. In between ,there is also a drop off between the Primary and a run-off when necessary as in the recent 2026 case for US Senator and a few other down the ballot races.

It got really messy in the Republican Primary with incumbent  US Senator John Cornyn, being opposed by the incumbent Lt. Governor, Ken Paxton, under indictment for several crimes. Cornyn only got 910,352 votes to Paxton’s 878,564; neither with a majority so a run-off was necessary scheduled for May 26^th . Then, Trump TACO the Dumbo stepped in and endorsed Paxton, turning his back on Cornyn who had been supporting Trump an amazing 99% of the time with his votes in the Senate.   

Incredulously, Cornyn lost to Paxton in the run-off. Paxton got 885,962 votes this time. An increase of 7,398 votes from the March totals. Maybe, these were MEGA TRUMPERS who had not turned out in the March election. But Cornyn only got 501,729 votes in the runoff. He dropped down by 408,623 votes!  Two things are very clear: Texas Republicans follow Trump blindly and most loyally; they voted their full numbers in both elections  The other so-called moderate Republicans, 400,000 or so, did not. There was another Republican in the race, Wesley Hunt, a Black man, got 292,663 votes in the March Primary. His voters may also have not turned out in the run-off election This is the drop off phenomenon in full play among the Republicans; which is not among the die hard Trumpers. Let me repeat: 2.2 million voted in the March Primary election. Only 1.4 million voted in the May Runoff election. This is a 36% decline in voter turnout.

Over on the Democratic Party side, James Talarico won the Primary without need for a runoff with 2,252,511 votes to Jasmine Crockett’s 1,068, 387 votes. In this race there was a 3^rd candidate, Ahmad Hassan who got 31,000 votes. So, among the 2.3 million voters who went to the Democratic Primary and voted representing a total of only 12.4% of eligible voters in the state, there is a ugly specter in the background.  The D’s are overjoyed that Talarico’s vote count surpassed that of Paxton’s in the run-off. So what? 87.6% of all eligible voters did not go vote! What if the Crockett voters and those of Hassan do not turn out in November either? What if the politiqueras in South Texas only go out and ask their set number of voters to cast votes only for Gina Hinojosa? The Democratic Party traditionally has never invested real money in getting their voters out; they have relied on politiqueras who were always supported by individual politicians, to get votes for them specifically not the entire ballot list of Democrats. Gina’s father, Gilbert Hinojosa, the State Democratic Party Chair, for too long a time never put a stop to this vote harvesting  scheme and used the same tactic when he was a local candidate in the Rio Grande Valley area before becoming State Chair.

How can the Democrats Win in Texas? .

1.      Seek out the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project, ACLU, League of Women Voters, and sympathetic labor unions to ask the local groups of these organizations if they will join you in coalition and or alliance to get new voters registered and old one re-registered. Many of those voters being purged or will be purged is because of an unreported name change  to county voter registrar or secretary of state (like women who marry and take the husband’s name; 18 year olds plus  who go off to college or just otherwise move out from home and did not report new address; those who joined the military and are now stationed elsewhere in the country or the world over; and those who registered elsewhere and now are back home) . Do not be surprised if they turn you down.

2.      Get a copy of my book, Letters, Education by Gutierrez. Read Letters 3, 4, 5,6, and 7. Start implementing what you learn from these 5 Letters.

3.      Read Texas Election Code 31.003 and 13.046 plus Texas Administrative Code Chapter 81 and the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) . Find out it is Texas State Law to register high school students about to be 18 by election date on Nov. 3^rd or already are 18. By law, the high school principal at every Texas high school MUST register students to vote twice during the year. The next opportune time is late August early Sept.  Do it before Oct. 1^st.

Best thing is to get time on next school board agenda on this point and make them vote on doing it at every high school within in the district.  It is a misdemeanor not to do this and becomes a felony if noticed to do this and they don’t for a second time. Only 26% of high schools in the country do this at the Texas rate is not much higher! The usual excuse will be that the principal is your friend, your neighbor, your relative etc. 

4.      Get an old voter list from a recent campaign and look carefully to see that not all persons on a given street are registered. Go register them and if not citizens, old enough, etc. make a list of these so you can go see them later when they become eligible even if you have to get them into naturalization classes. 

5.      Do not rely on phone banking lists. Or the old voter list above in #4. They usually are old and out of date or its is a land line no longer in use. You are wasting your time. Best thing is to start your own list of cell phones and email addresses on your own forms that you will enter into your laptop.

6.      Read Letters no. 21, 39, and 63.  Coalitions are those among groups that are almost just like your group. Alliance is among those who agree with you on an item, candidate, issue, policy, etc. and it is temporary; acting together to get this done like no. 3.

7.      Those in active military service can register and vote. It does not matter where they are from to vote anywhere in Texas. Since the main thing in 2026 is the US Senate and Congressional seats try finding a nearby rural county to register them in. There is no need for an address or precinct.  What you do is contact the active military person and ask if they will register to help you out with their vote and will they do that.  Next, you tell them how which is for them to ask their Commanding Officer (C O) to register them in X county, Texas for the upcoming General Election. Say, you pick Uvalde County or Hays County (San Marcos) or Guadalupe County (Seguin) where you want them to vote because you are organizing there or plan to. The voter registration director in that county will have to mail them timely the ballots for every election to be held there in 2026 and if you keep this up for 2027 and 2028 you will have to do this again. But every election means city, county, school board, college district and all federal elections in 2028.

You might want to ask the soldier to find 2-3 buddies to help out. They have nothing to lose because they are not voting anyway anywhere. Keep list and update it from time to time because soldiers are deployed regularly elsewhere. 

8.      Try to find a group in a nearby rural county because Texas now has 130 of them that are majority Hispanic population and most of these are eligible but do not vote. All governmental units in these counties have a city council, a school board, at least one or two County commissioners., a JP,. a Constable, maybe more that should be, a community college district college and they are part of State Representative, Senator, US Rep, and Senate positions. A coalition of these rural counties can produce needed voters for urban areas nearby. Gerrymandering usually takes in those rural counties.    

9.      Same as no. 7, the jails are full of people that do not vote because they are not registered or have  felony conviction. We used to be able to do these but not anymore thanks to Abbott once again. But, not all of those in jail are there and have a felony conviction. They are there usually because they cannot afford to make bail and or not pay restitution and court fees. They must do time.

10.  Make friends with the County or District to go after prosecution under no. 3. If the school district or high school principal refuses they face criminal charges. You can get the complainer but the Co. or Dist. Atty .must bring the case forward.