As you read this, the Texas Democratic Convention is in full swing in Dallas.
The Texas Democratic Party will adopt a platform, elect officers and other officials and vote on a series of resolutions that outline what Texas Democrats stand for. We’ll also hear from our strong slate of statewide candidates, as well as other prominent Democratic speakers.
This three-day event will energize the Democratic base across the state, and here in Kendall – we have 12 delegates –will provide a solid foundation for our “get out the vote” efforts that will start in August and run through November.
I’ll have more details in my July 22 column with some of the best quotes from the convention, major platform planks and more. Overall, Texas Democrats stand for equal
Overall, Texas Democrats stand for equality, justice, compassion and diversity. We seek equal rights for everyone, regardless of their race, disability, religion, gender, age, country of origin or sexual orientation.
According to the TDP Platform adopted in June 2020, “Texas Democrats believe in the need for a well-functioning government that acts based on facts and evidence to preserve the life, health and well-being of every person. Together, we will overhaul the social contract and establish a new economic engine that allows all residents to thrive.”
County party conventions reviewed and voted on many resolutions during their meetings in March. Those resolutions will be reviewed first by the TDP Resolutions Committee, then voted on by the entire convention, as will the party platform. Here’s just a sampling of what we’ll be voting on – a good reflection of what we stand for as Texas Democrats.
• Voting rights and democracy. From the TDPP, “Government exists to achieve together what we cannot achieve as individuals and that government must serve all people.”
Texas Democrats want to make it easier, not harder, for people to vote. We support measures such as online registration (adopted by 38 states with few instances of fraud); no-excuse mail-in balloting (which eight states have, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures); drive-through voting; and repeal of the requirement to “deputize” voter registrars (a Jim Crow-system that exists only in Texas). Democracy works best when everyone can vote and when there are fewer hurdles to do so.
• Public education. The right to public education is enshrined
The right to public education is enshrined in Article 7 of the Texas Constitution. “A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the legislature of the state to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.”
We strongly support full funding of our public schools and oppose any schemes to increase availability of vouchers or more charter schools – both of which take money away from public schools.
• LGBTQ+ rights.
We believe in full civil rights for everyone, regardless of whom they love. From the TDPP, “We believe that religion and individual conscience can never serve to excuse hatred and discrimination. (We want to) ensure the right of all people to participate in all aspects of life in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity or expression, irrespective of the gender they were assigned at birth.”
• Fixing the grid.
As we all hovered on the edge of uncertainty this week as to whether our power grid could withstand the current heat wave, Democrats are committed to actually fixing the Texas power grid by finally investing in our critical infrastructure and redesigning our grid to serve Texas families – not massive corporations. We need more renewable energy, and we need to prepare our grid for the challenges of climate change as storms and extreme weather events get more frequent and more severe.
• Common-sense gun regulations. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, “the firearm death rate of Texas children has more than doubled since (the governor) took office in 2015.”
According to a recent poll from the Texas Politics Project, “Texans have continually expressed an openness to the kinds of gun and firearm restrictions that most Americans appear to embrace. As recently as June 2021, 71 percent of Texans, including 61 percent of Texas Republicans, expressed support for universal background checks on all gun purchases. Polling in October 2019 found 68 percent of Texas voters, including 53 percent percent of Texas Republicans, supported establishment of red flag laws.”
To find out more about the positions of the Texas Democratic Party or information on how to get involved, call our office at 830-331-1243 or visit www.kcdems.us
Laura Bray is Chair of the Kendall County Democratic Party.
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