Lone Star Report Recent Blog Posts

Jun 26

Written by: Andy Hogue
6/26/2010 2:08 PM 

CORPUS CHRISTI -- Texas Democratic Party Convention delegates voted against an amendment to the infamous "Texas Two-Step" by a large margin.

The amendent, to make the percentage of popular votes and delegate strength for presidential candidates equal, failed with only two senatorial districts voting for the change -- 5,602 to 1,930 votes.

The floor fight began around 2:30 p.m. after Rose Salas, rules committee chair, moved to accept the report of the committee which leaves the "Texas Two-Step" intact -- along with putting in place other changes to the precinct caucus system inlcuding voter security procedures and a "best practices manual" for conducting the meetings.

This morning, Two-Step had been preserved in committee by a vote of 25-8. But a minority report attempted to tweak the Two-Step by assuring that the number of delegates for a particular presidential candidate is proportional to the percentage of primary election votes received for that candidate.

"This does not change any other portion of the caucus system," Salas said. "The caucus system remains."

Speaking against the minority report, Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas), said the Two-Step came after a commission by Chairman Bob Slagle in 1985-86, to find ways to attract more members of minority groups into the Texas Democratic Party and to increase convention participation. West was appointed to a committee in 2008 to review whether the Two-Step has outlived its usefulness after near-chaos at precinct caucuses duing the Obama-Clinton election.

"I find myself in the same place I found myself in in 2008," West said. "The chair of our party tasked me, [Rep.] Jessica Farrar, and a representative group of democrats from across Texas to study this particular issue -- the Texas Two-Step process. We had hearings across the state of Texas -- sometimes twice in the same city ... we received surveys online and at Democratic convention, and we wanted to make sure this was an open process."

West said the State Democratic Executive Committee, as well as his committee to review the Two-Step, recommended the current Two-Step method be kept.

"And it's worked," West said, "from the vantage point of getting more people involved in politics. Do we throw the baby out with the bathwater? No."

Slagle testified against the minority report, saying it worked to "get a new infusion of new blood" in the mechanism of the Texas Democratic Party.

Other arguments for keeping the Two-Step as-is noted its role in attracting participation in the party convention process by those who otherwise would not take the time to attend a precinct caucus meeting. A few testified that the urgency of the caucus meeting awakened them to the benefits of the political convention process.

Supporters of the minority report argued that the Two-Step discriminates against the disabled and those who work the night shift.

John Bell, of Senate District 20 and a member of the rules committee, said early voting, accessible poll sites, and other voting-rights advances have helped, but that the Two-Step is an "impediment" to that progress,

"If you have to work late, you cannot participate equally in the presidential election process," he said.

NOTE (3:28 p.m.): A previous version of this story contained incorrect information from a pre-written story draft. Corrections have been made.