Rick Perry Considers No Special Election for CD-22

Take a look at the Texas Secretary of State web page on Special Elections. Special elections are being called in the five congressional districts that were affected by the U.S. Supreme Court-ordered redrawing of district boundaries. That’s because they have to. The primary races that were run last March are all moot now, as the candidates who won are now facing new sets of voters.

I guess that’s what makes it special.

The illegally drawn district boundaries caused minorities to lose their voice in the US House. So they need to run an election to regain their voice. Right?

Well, then, what the heck is the difference between the plight of the people in those 5 congressional districts and the people in Congressional District 22? By my count, voters in CD-22 have not had anyone representing them in Congress since June 9th. That’s 78 days, folks. Now we are near the beginning of the really interesting part of hurricane season, the country is in the middle of a protracted war that doesn’t seem to have an end in sight, and there is no one in Washington speaking for us and looking out for our interests.

Isn’t that kind of special also?

Doesn’t that warrant a special election? Heck, we’re already having 5 special congressional elections because of Tom DeLay, why not 6? The same guy caused the problems in those districts, but here in CD-22 there were different issues involved. Like the issue where Tom quit and ran off to Virginia.

Well, it seems that Governor Rick Perry is considering the notion that it’s OK for CD-22 voters to go a couple months longer without a congressman. According to an article in “The Daily News”, out of Galveston County, Perry is considering just that.

“Despite previously declaring he would call a special election, Gov. Rick Perry has yet to do so. His office is now leaving open the possibility he may decide against calling one. The deadline for calling a special election is Tuesday, said Scott Haywood, a spokesman for the secretary of state’s office, which oversees elections in Texas. In April, Perry said he would call a special election to fill the final two months of DeLay’s term. But spokeswoman Kathy Walt indicated Friday that Perry was weighing his options. “The matter is being reviewed, and no decision has been made at this time,” Walt said in an e-mail response to The Daily News.”

This previous declaration is to be found in Perry’s April “White Paper” in which he calmly informed Tom that he would have to do one better than just quitting the race - he would have to move out of state. Recall the passage out of FortBendNow back then:

“According to the white paper, Perry has only two options if DeLay formally resigns after April 7:
→ “Call a special election for the Nov. 7 general election date.
→ “Call an emergency special election date prior to the November general election. The emergency special election could be set for any Tuesday or Saturday occurring between 36 and 50 days after the emergency special election is ordered.”

Apparently there is a third option. Don’t call a special election.

Realize that this will be only second to an all-time record breaking event. By not calling an election, Perry will leave TX-22 voters hanging out to dry without representation for over half a year (204 days). This will come very close to the 224 day vacancy created on April 24, 1905, when Congressman John M. Pinckney, was shot and killed at a meeting of the Waller County Prohibition league. Since that time, however, no vacancy went unfilled for longer than 130 days.

Apparently, the thinking goes that if a special election is called, CD-22 voters, who are already as confused as a baby in a topless bar, will have to cast their votes for the same office, twice. And considering that one of the potential candidates is a write-in candidate that could spell additional trouble (pun intended). And consider this: if Perry calls the election, anyone, of any party affiliation, can file for the office, and the winner requires a majority vote. If no majority vote is won, a run-off election occurs.

And finally, consider this: Nick Lampson is the only candidate in the general election who has said that he would be a candidate in the special election. Smither won’t file, and Shelley Sekula-Gibbs won’t say.

The right thing to do for the voters of CD-22 is to call a special election for them as well as the other 5 congressional districts. We deserve representation in Congress. But if you are a political hack like Rick Perry most certainly is, what would you do (or in this case, not do)?

I don't think it matters to anyone of any political persuasion. What Perry is considering doing is clearly against the interests of all people living within CD-22 boundaries.

But the man just doesn't care.