Experts in the News

Lina Hidalgo’s forceful if controversial handling of the pandemic in Houston – Texas' largest metro area – has provided Democrats with an example of what the youthful progressive wing of their party can do when it has the power to make decisions on the ground in a life-and-death situation. While it is unlikely that voters would again elect a Republican county judge, said political science fellow Mark Jones, Hidalgo’s success has shown Democrats that victory is possible, and she may face strong primary challengers in 2022.

Harris County will have an extra week of early voting and more than 100 additional places for voters to cast ballots under an expansive plan approved by Commissioners Court. The plan, which includes drive-through options and early morning/late night balloting hours, aims to ensure that "voting in person is safer than going to the grocery store,” said political science fellow Mark Jones. “To the extent to which other county clerks follow [Harris County's] lead, it’s more and more difficult to make the case that voting in person represents a risk to someone’s health.”

As we headed into the last few months before the 2020 presidential election, political science fellow Mark Jones discussed the primary takeaways from the Republican National Convention.

Coordinated electoral fraud involves individuals or organizations harvesting ballots in support of specific candidates, and in Texas, that’s limited to a relatively small number of operatives who harvest a few dozen ballots, said fellow Mark Jones.

“I think the decision the party has made is that Joe Biden's election as president ... and the party’s ability to flip the Senate do not hinge on Texas," said political science fellow Mark Jones.