Precinct 2023 Election Diary

Presiding Election Judge

As made obvious by readers of this website, I am a Republican activist and have had a great time in this campaign being partisan and fully supporting all of our great GOP candidates for office. But starting at noon today, I transition into non-partisan mode for approximately the next 36 hours or so. I am the Presiding Election Judge of a Dallas Voting Center and we're starting setup today.

I am proudly leading 15 hard-working poll workers composed of both Republicans and Democrats collegially working side-by-side to run a lawful, secure and safe election. Setup today and then a long day tomorrow until our ballots are safely passed into counting.

I will rejoin by GOP colleagues tomorrow night at the watch parties.

GET OUT AND VOTE!!!

Attention Turns To In-Person Election Day Voting

Yesterday, Friday, Oct 30th was the last day of Early Voting in Texas. I now have data as of end-of-day Friday.

Dallas Precinct 2023 cast 960 ballots (~74% participation), composed of 757 in-person ballots and 203 mail-in ballots.

In Dallas Precinct 2023, more ballots have been cast in 2020 Early Voting than ALL of the 2016 POTUS race in total including Election Day Voting.

But ... THIS AIN'T OVER!! My personal modeling indicates 66% of Solid GOP voters in Pct 2023 have voted early and only 42% of our GOP Swing Voters. SO FAR!!!

GOP voters historically vote on Election Day. So, lots of votes are left.

Again, my modeling indicates in Pct 2023 the GOP wiped out the traditional Dem Early Voting advantage and GOP leads by 3.2% coming out of Early Voting.

As the "get out the vote" activities of the GOP ground game shifts to Election Day turn-out, we could run up the score.

HOWEVER, we have to "run through the tape." DON'T think this is over; isn't by a longshot. GOP voters still need to come out and lots of decisions still remaining among late-breaking Swing voters between now and 7pm Tuesday. My data indicates they are breaking in favor of GOP so far BUT lots are still to be voted.

GOP - get out and vote!

We have the momentum but still have to make the potential into kinetic, resulting in actual votes cast on Election Day. Plenty of votes still out there. Time to press.

Go, go, go!!

The Other Side Is Still Stealing Signs - Still Happening

Unfortunately, I have to retread this story. Yard signs in my precinct are still being stolen or defaced. We had another wave of this criminal activity Saturday  (10/31) and Sunday (11/1), both in the overnight hours. And yes, just like before, I have replacement signs distributed within hours. And, just like before, my neighbors not only replaced their lost signs but added new ones, either different types AND(!) put out additional yard signs for other GOP candidates.

Original story posted October 18:

Well, despite their rhetoric, the other side does indeed "go low." Overnight, three of my neighbors' Trump yard signs were stolen in the immediate proximity of my home. Other candidates' signs were left in place, the thieves went only for the Trump signs in each yard.

But, to thwart the thieves, I had replacement signs and a note on each of my neighbors' porches within hours. This how being a Precinct Chair works. The operational concept of Precinct Chairs is we live in our precincts, know the neighborhood, know our neighbors, are in the middle of the action and can react very quickly. On her regular daily early morning walk in the neighborhood, my wife saw the signs were stolen. No magic involved, simply being minimally observant of the homes she passes every morning. Alerted, I wrote a quick note to each neighbor, stapled my push card to it and clipped it to the replacement sign. Nancy and I then knocked on the doors of our neighbors and reinstalled the sign if asked. If nobody was home, we left the replacement signs with the notes on their front porches. 

One homeowner that I spoke with said that she hadn't yet been outside this morning to see her sign was gone. The sign was replaced before she had a chance to notice. The two neighbors that we didn't get to speak with initially (but left replacements signs) called within the hour with thanks AND(!!) offers of additional services to the GOP. Two new neighbors met and friends made.

Nobody had to call. Signs got stolen ... signs got replaced. Totally frictionless.

The folks that do this on the other side are silly and sophomoric. Okay, bring it! I have 15 Trump signs made up and waiting in the trunk of my car ready to install. More can be assembled as needed. Not that these thieves would ever figure this out, these thefts don't demoralize us or cause anyone to switch to their candidate; they just make us work harder. I will find homes for all of these signs.

One of my neighbors who had a sign stolen lives on a big corner lot with a very nice fence with corner exposure on the boulevard and a cross street. He was pissed off enough to not only replace his yard sign but offered his fence to host a large Trump sign if I can find one. These have gotten almost impossible to find because they have been deployed for weeks. But, almost impossible, NOT impossible. I made some calls and delivered a 7' x 5' Trump/Pense sign this Thursday. I had to have it shipped in but got him one in a few days.

This is a standing offer as long as my inventory lasts: anyone in Dallas Precinct 2023 who needs a yard sign, use the Contact-Us icon on the right side of this page to let me know. I will immediately drop a sign at your home. Further, anyone else reasonable nearby in Preston Hollow/North Dallas, contact me as well. I also have John Cornyn, Genieve Collins, Lusia Del Rosal and Chad Prda signs too.

I Voted Early!

I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. There was only one person ahead of me but voters were coming in at about the same rate as the Elections Clerks us moved through the system so the line never grew. Do you want to guess how I voted? Hint: every Republican candidate on the ticket, from the Whitehouse to the courthouse! After voting, I went out and spoke with Luisa Del Rosal (Republican candidate in HD-114) and her campaign folks. Then, to the Genevieve Collins (Republican candidate in TX-32) campaign folks. Yes, I left my partisan gear in the car so I would not violate the electioneering prohibition in the Voting Center, but I put my "I Voted In Dallas County" sticker on my headgear as soon as I got in the car. Voting, exercising my franchise, gives me a rush!

New Addition to the Sign Family

The John Cornyn signs finally came in! Running out of space; I've got to get a bigger yard!

Simple Recommendations About Voting

At my voter registration event this morning, a new friend said that he was preparing for a political panel for Millenial voters later this week and posed a really interesting question, "Other than the mechanics of voting, how does one prepare to vote; to become an informed voter?" My basic recommendations off the top of my head were:

1. Of course, it begins with registering to vote and then turning up to vote. Since we were together at a voter registration event, this part of assumed but it was worth stating as re-enforcement. Elections are determined by the people who show up. REGISTER and SHOW UP TO VOTE! Your Voter Registration Card is only potential energy until you make it kinetic by actually voting. It's your franchise, exercise it!
2. Next, find your specific sample ballot. You can only vote for the slate of candidates in your assigned voting areas so find out who is running. Don't "meet the candidates" in the voting booth for the first time. Find out all the races you can vote for, particularly in the down-ballot races. Sample ballots will allow you to focus specifically on the people that might not be household names down the ballot, Getting a sample ballot is easy. Go to the official website of the Dallas County Elections Department and lookup your Voter Registration and they will offer your Sample Ballot https://www.dallascountyvotes.org/voter-lookup/#VoterEligibilitySearch. Knowing your slate of candidates will feed the next of my three steps. My own ballot for those in Precinct 2023 is shown below.
3. Do your due diligence. Study your sample ballot and research the candidates running for office. Yes, this will take a little time but it is worth it. Become a "high-information voter!" Check the candidates' positions on the issues and look at their history. If they are an incumbent look at their voting record. Don't go by what they claim, look at what they do. Too many candidates say one thing in their districts but vote other ways in their offices. If at all possible, meet the candidates. Humans have very good "BS" detectors that work elecently in face-to-face meetings. Good candidates will be anxious to meet you. Go to an event, better still a meet-and-greet. My personal passion is not only the "top of the ticket;" look down the ballot to the more local races. These offices are just as important at the state or national races and also the issues will be more focused on where you live.

Lastly, I will add a fourth recommendation since I used #1 above by stating the obvious. Plus, I'm an unabashed partisan so will add my plug. Vote the entire ballot, top to bottom. Don't leave any race unvoted (an "undervote"). In the Texas GOP this year, we're saying, "From the Whitehouse to the courthouse," vote Republican. 

Results, So Far, From Early Voting

As Precinct Chairman of #2023, I keep a close eye on Early Voting activity in my precinct. This year, the Dallas County Elections Department (DCED) is releasing all of the data from Early Voting every morning. Of course(!!), this does NOT include how people voted, which won't be released until after the close of voting on November 3rd. I do see, however, who voted. The Early Voting data is released every morning for the previous day and the file is in the public domain so I can download it for analysis.

As of close-of-business last night, Wednesday, October 21, there have been 647 early votes cast in Precinct 2023; 478 in-person and 169 mail-in.

Based on the last voting roster I have (BEFORE the update at the close of Voter Registration for November 3rd) that means about 50% of my precinct has voted.

Early voting last 17 days this year and the close-of-business last night represented the eighth day, just less than half of the Early Voting period.

Update 10/24/2020 - As of the end of day on the eleventh day of Early Voting (with six more days of Early Voting remaining), there have been 772 early votes cast in Precinct 2023; 586 in-person and 186 mail-in. That's about 59.4% of the precinct have already voted.

Update 10/25/2020 - As of the end of day on the twelfth day of Early Voting (with five more days of Early Voting remaining), there have been 784 early votes cast in Precinct 2023; 597 in-person and 186 mail-in. That's about 60.4% of the precinct have already voted.

Update 10/27/2020 - As of end-of-day Tuesday, 10/27/2020 ~65% of Dallas Precinct 2023 has voted early with three days left in the Early Voting period. That's 841 total ballots with 650 in-person ballots and 191 mail-in ballots. YES, obviously, interest & participation in this election is very high. Precinct 2023 will very likely cast 100+ more ballots by the end of Friday. If so, it will be more ballots cast EARLY than the entire 2016 POTUS race. PLUS, after Early Voting closes at 7 p.m. on Friday, we have a full 12-hour day of in-person voting on Nov 3rd. Precinct 2023 always has a good participation rate but 2020 will likely be a high-water mark. How high will it go? I don't know. The only thing I can tell you is that I am also a Presiding Election Judge for Nov 3 in-person voting and this week I hired two more Election Clerks to my team AFTER adding 2 last week. I'm now at 15 poll workers in my Voting Center. I did the Primary in the Spring with six! In Dallas County, poll workers are paid a nice stipend for up to 15-hours of work on Election Day. This presents a significant expense for the County and they would NOT have alloted me 15 poll workers unless they thought we were doing to see the traffic. I'll have four e-Ballot Books, twelve Ballot Markup Devices and two Ballot Tabulars. Staffed with 15 dedicated and trained poll workers, we will be able to vote whatever crowd develops quickly, securely and safely.

Everyone assumes this last week of Early Voting will become very busy again. However, today on Monday and continuing through Wednesday, will be cold and rainy. The weather could depress voting some. However, the rain is forecasted to stop on Thursday and on Friday the sun will return and warm things up a bit. This may indicate that Early Voting will become very busy at the end of Early Voting. My recommendation is to brave the weather Tuesday and Wednesday to miss some of the crowd. In any event, vote early!!

Update 10/28/2020 - Cumulative Early Voting data through end-of-day 10/28/2020 for Dallas Precinct 2023. This is the 15th day of Early Voting with just today and tomorrow left. Early Voting in Texas closes at 7 p.m. on Friday evening. The rainy weather cleared up today and it was dry all day but cold and cloudy until about 4:00 p.m. when the sun came out full and bright. It will be summy all day tomorrow, perfect voting weather for a potential big finish to Early Voting.

List of All Early Voting Locations in Dallas County

Excel Workbook of all 61 Early Voting Locations (use right-mouse click to download)

Fielding Calls About Not Getting Mail-In Ballots

In a 24-hour period, starting Saturday afternoon, I fielded three separate unrelated calls from Precinct 2023 constituents who hadn't yet received their mail-in ballots despite having their mail-in ballot applications submitted well in advance and in the queue for getting a ballot. All were 65+ couples. In some cases, neither partner in the couple received a ballot; in some, one but not the other.

Some additional calls with the same issue surfaced Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

There are enough of these calls to be a bit disturbing. Ballots mailed from the Dallas County Elections Department are First Class Mail and this number of missed deliveries would be high.

All are long-term absentee voters in Dallas County with mobility or other health issues. All had stable addresses (no moves) and their applications were submitted well in advance. The Dallas County Elections Department (DCED) acknowledges that all are on their list to be sent a ballot and in the queue. All should have been in the first batches of ballots mailed out in mid-September, 45 days before the election (the statute date when mail-in absentee ballots can be mailed in Texas). BUT, for these callers, no ballots have been received yet.

In the cases where one partner in the couple received a ballot, it was weeks ago. The partner with the ballot voted by mail almost immediately. The other partners still waiting on the arrival of their ballots have been waiting patiently until now. But, they are now very worried about not getting their ballots and their ability to vote.

My recommendation is to report the undelivered ballot problem to the Dallas County Elections Department right away and ask for their advice.

As their Precinct Chairman, they have contacted me with questions and I'm going what I can to look into the problems. Fortunately, there isn't much I can do about the missing ballots except report them to both the Dallas County Elections Department and the Delivery Supervisor of the 75230 station of the United States Postal Service. As a last resort, voters missing ballots can file a report with the Postal Inspectors (the postal police.) I don't know at this late date any of those actions will help much but they can be pursued.

In discussion with all of these voters, none of them want to take a chance that their ballot will arrive in time to vote by mail. All want to go vote in person, if possible.

Got'a love Precinct 2023 voters; nothing is going to stop them from voting, even "little things" like lack of mobility & a virus. Now, almost all are going to vote in-person in Early Voting (while the lines are shorter) with canes, walkers and wheelchairs. Likely, they should stay in but THEY WILL VOTE!!!

First of all, they WILL INDEED be able to vote in person. There is an established procedure for these cases. The Presiding Election Judge in the Voting Center should be able to deal with records showing the voters presenting themselves to vote were (in theory) mailed ballots. The voters NOT getting their ballots will make declarations of their ballots not being received. The Presiding Election Judge will see that e-Ballot Book will be marked accordingly and then voters will sign affidavits ... but they should be able to vote. The whole process only takes a few extra minutes with the Presiding Election Judge supervising in any of the Voting Centers serving as Early Voting locations.

I strongly recommend these voters with mobility issues go to an Early Voting Center during off-peak times. You can find an Early Voting Location and check the wait times at an interactive ArcGIS map through the DECD website set up for this purpose. The color of the icons on the map indicate wait time; "green" icons means less than 20-minute waits ("yellow" icons represent wait times of 21-45 minutes and "red" icons are for wait times over 45 minutes.) Be sure to mask-up, possibly use disposable gloves and keep a distance. Also, the Voting Center should be using their COVID protocols.

If any in-person voter is physically unable to enter the building of the Voting Center, they can ask for "curbside voting." With curbside voting, two clerks (1 from each party) will bring equipment out to your car (it is battery powered) in the parking lot and vote you from there without you leaving your car. You will put your ballot in a secrecy envelope and the two clerks will return it to the vote tabular inside the Voting Center.

I'm writing this as a feature for the precinct website because the callers who reached out to me think a lot of their neighbors in their retirement centers are in the same boat (there are several in Precinct 2023.) They have lots of frustration and uncertainty. But don't worry, you can still vote!

I am checking with both DCED and the USPS, but not sure these votes will surface. They are already several weeks overdue and my best guess is delivery is questionable.

Those deciding to go vote in person are the true heroes of the electoral process this year. In all likelihood, they should probably stay home but won't. Remember, they did everything they were supposed to do but didn't get their absentee ballot. Casting their vote is THAT important to them, even if it involves some modicum of risk. Even one dear lady who is immuno-compromised voted yesterday in person. As an aside, I checked the early-voting data from DCED (it is publically published this year), there she was, voted yesterday in person. Her husband voted the mail-in ballot that he received weeks ago and it how even shows it was received back as a voted ballot at DCED 11 days ago. But her ballot never arrived at her home. Her concern about disenfranchisement was real so she took the risk and voted in-person in the Early Voting process.

They all have my admiration. My prayers are with them all. God bless them and keep them healthy. If I can help in any way or if anyone needs a ride to the polls in Early Voting, please contact me and I will make arrangements (I have volunteers line up for this) or I will pick you up myself.

October 23rd update: of the first three people who contacted me, all have now voted early in person. All report a similarly easy and quick experience, fortunately. I'm glad they all have positive outcomes.

October 24th update: As of yesterday, all of my constituents facing this issue have successfully voted in person in Early Voting.

Trump Flag Give-Away

10/20/2020 at 7:58 p.m. - If you are a resident in Dallas Precinct 2023, I have two 5-foot x 3-foot Trump flags to give away. I will hand-deliver them, too. The first two homes to contact me through the Contact Form wins one of them. Ties will be decided by the server's timestamp on the submitted form (accurate to the millisecond!) You must live within Dallas Precinct 2023 to qualify. Hurry! These flags are getting to be rare due to the heavy demand not much inventory is left. However, I have a nice inventory of Trump yard signs if I run out of flags before you contact me.

8:20 p.m. Update - The first flag is claimed. One left, so hurry!

9:45 p.m. Update - The second flag was claimed while I was at dinner. Timestamped contact was waiting when I returned. I may get some more flags later this week. Contact me if you want one.

Early Voting Results After First Week

Today's report from the Dallas County Elections Department shows 442 people in Dallas Precinct 2023 have voted after the first full week of early voting. That is about 34% of the precinct so far. Of the 442 votes cast so far, 157 (35.5%) were mail-in ballots and 285 (64.5%) were in-person ballots. Precinct has several retirement centers so mail-ins should climb in the count but not necessarily in percentage.

The old voter rolls had 1,299 registered voters in Precinct 2023. The updated voter roll AFTER the close of voter registration for Nov 3rd voting hasn't been released yet. May change a little but not much.

Early voting is open for an extended period this year. You can vote early until Friday, October 30th at 7:00 p.m. Early voting locations are open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. To find an early voting location, click here for the Dallas County Elections Department Arcgis map finder. Dallas County voters can vote in any Voting Center in the county.

Update 10/24/2020: As of the end of day yesterday, Friday, 734 people in Dallas Precinct 2023 have voted after the first full week of early voting. That is about 56.5% of the precinct so far. Of the 734 votes cast so far, 177 (24.1%) were mail-in ballots and 557 (75.9%) were in-person ballots.

Debate October 12th

Heads up, Precinct 2023, from the Genevieve Collins for Congress campaign:

"We’re having our first debate on October 12th! Hosted by AJC and Temple Shalom, this Zoom debate will take place the day before Early Voting starts. I hope you’ll watch and cheer me on, or if you’re undecided, I hope I’ll earn your vote. Follow this link to register to watch: https://tinyurl.com/tx32debate"

Everybody from Precinct 2023 should register and watch on Zoom.

Election Judge Training Completed!

I completed my "top-up" training for being a Presiding Election Judge for the Nov 3rd general election. I had previously trained on DCE's new equipment for the primary but DCE has some new procedures and COVID protocols that required additional training. Also, it never hurts to train again on the equipment just as a refresher. My 10-person team of Election Clerks working with me in my Voting Center is also in various stages of finishing their training too. We should be ready to administer safe, secure, fair and speedy in-person voting in the coming week.

My Election Crew Is Complete!

Mission accomplished!! I have completed the recruitment of the crew for my Voting Center for in-person voting on November 3rd. All Election Clerks are confirmed and set up with Dallas County Elections Dept. It is always a milestone for any Election Judge. We're ready to vote! #GOP #teamprda #TeamLuisa #TX32 #TXSEN #KeepTexasRed #LeadRight

Recruiting Election Clerks

I'm an Election Judge in Dallas County and am currently finishing putting my crew together for in-person voting on November 3rd.

In the last year, the number of Vote Centers in Dallas County has more than doubled. This means we're in need of more Election Clerks. Being an Election Clerk is a significant civic duty. Plus, there is a small stipend paid to each Election Clerk by the Dallas County Elections Department. No, it isn't much but think of it as an additional "thank you" for your service by Dallas County. You will be fully trained and Election Clerks will work under the direct guidance of an Election Judge. We also have well-thought-out health procedures, safety shields and other PPE so everyone may vote safely.

Working on an election crew is a lot of fun and a very valuable civic duty.

I will be presiding over a Voting Center on Forrest Lane between Hillcrest and Preston, not far from our precinct. I need more Election Clerks! Join me! I would be glad to answer any questions you have and get you registered into the process for training. Simply file out the form linked at the button below. Or, use the phone or contact icons on the right side of the page to get in touch.

I have 8 of my allocated 9 Election Clerks confirmed and still recruiting one. If you are a registered voter in Dallas County, please reply right away.

Click here to fill out the application

Voter Registration Applications Turned In

As required by my duties as a Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR), I have to turn in all Voter Registration Applications directly to the Dallas County Elections Department on a timely basis. Today at 2:45 pm, I turn in all of the cards from yesterday's events and those from constituents that were collected this morning. Today is the last possible day to register and be able to vote on November 3rd. These turn-ins included the two voter registration events from Sunday during both services at the @upperroomm Dallas Campus. I was with http://christiansengaged.org (@PrayVoteEngage). I got a great response in both services. All were Millineum-age voters; about 20% were change-of-address updates and 80% were new voters or new-to-Texas voters. Also recruited two new Election Clerks for my Voting Center. Great church, great congregation! Thanks for hosting me!

It was refreshing to register new voters. All of my VDR work done in my precinct has dealt with updating addresses from people newly moving into the precinct. Yes, it was important and valuable work. But, there was a thrill helping a new voter register to vote.

BTW, in case you're curious, I try to always purposely blur out faces when appropriate and/or important number details in photos that I use on websites and social media.

First of Two Voter Registration Events for Oct. 4th

As a VDR (Volunteer Deputy Registrar(, I did the first of two voter registration events today at the Upper Room (@upperroomm) Dallas Campus this morning. I was with Christians Engaged (http://christiansengaged.org or @PrayVoteEngage) I will be back for the evening service later.

Doing a Push To Recruit Election Clerks

I am in the middle of a big push to recruit more Election Clerks for my voting crew and also my wife's crew. Nancy is also an Election Judge and we will be doing different Voting Centers on November 3rd. I have the last of my Voter Registration events scheduled for this weekend and hope to recruit a couple of more folks at the events. I have made a standup sign to display during the remaining events.

Click here to see you can get involved

Now That's the Dedication To Win!

So, I get home from a Dallas County Republican Party Executive Committee meeting late in the evening, walking past my yard-full of GOP political signs, IN THE RAIN and there is a Louisa For Texas (@LuisaforTexas) door hanger on my front door. A volunteer block-walked in the rain after 6:30 pm seeking support. KUDOS, Luisa, to BEST and most dedicated volunteer canvassers EVER! You're gonna WIN!

Core Precinct Work

It was a busy day in the neighborhood! One of the key roles of a Precinct Chair is to get the precinct's voters, my neighbors, registered to vote! It is foundational work. Today, as an official Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR), I met with neighbors to complete Voter Registration Applications including those who needed to make address corrections after having recently moved into the precinct. One of the reasons to become an authorized VDR is that I am then allowed to legally hand-deliver the completed applications and updates to the Dallas County Elections Department to expedite the process. This isn't "mass communicat'n" here; it is slow "one at a time'n" work to build up our base in the precinct. I have been doing this work for about a month and will be continuing until October 5th, the last day in Texas one can register to vote for the November 3rd election.

I'm Back!!!

Grrrrr! Made a dumb-ass rookie mistake. My bad. Friday night, ending my evening at my desk, I spilled half of a glass of wine on my notebook's keyboard. It was powered "on" and running at the time and wine makes a good conductor. Fried the motherboard.

Back up today on the new Dell Precision mobile workstation. Fortunately, all 4-TB of data on the drowned notebook was saved.

It is going to take Dell about 4 weeks to build a new Precision 7750 replacement with the processor and display card that I need but I was able to score a Precision 3541 locally on Saturday with a peppy i7 processor and an NVIDIA Quadro graphics card. As of Sunday afternoon, the new workstation has been set up, updated & is back to working status. It's a nice PC and will carry me until the 7750 arrives. Still installing all of my software and the 2nd 4-TB SSD but able to work now.

It became my "lost weekend." Between work and political work, I'm much too busy to lose 2 full days futzing with my tech. BUT, I had no choice. No data lost, just time. Yes, I'm VERY thankful it wasn't worse. Shows the importance of being faithful to your backup; never know when something stupid will happen.

Broke a Riedel wine glass and lost half a glass of a very nice old-vines Zin. We had take-out BBQ ribs for dinner with the wine (they paired very well, by the way.) I was shutting down for the night and had set the glass down on my desk while I finished a few last e-mails. I had reached up to turn off my desk lamp and while pulling my arm back, accidentally brushed the top of the tall wine glass and pulled it directly into the notebook's keyboard while it was still powered up. The motherboard fried but both SSDs survived. Had a bit of a fright when I removed the C: drive, put it onto a USB adapter and tried connecting via my wife's computer. But, horror on horror, I couldn't get it to read; error message suggested a reformat. Oh no, you don't! I worried that the electrical short on the motherboard might have also taken the drive too. I got some of my disk repair apps onto the case and quickly got the SSD back in shape. Fortunately, I had just purchased a new 5-TB Seagate HDD external drive with a USB 3.1 interface. Once the C: drive was healthy again, I immediately copied the whole drive to the Seagate drive as a safety. It took many hours to copy but was belt-and-suspenders safe. When finished, I used a low-level compare application utility to (1) make sure I had copies of everything on the SSD drive; and (2) the copies on the HDD were faithful to the original SSD. The copy and the compare took about 24 hours to complete. This is the only downside of such large disks, it takes a while to move so much data to an HHD through a USB 3.1 interface.

I relaxed a bit then. I did have my backup from earlier in the week but it had been a busy week and I don't like losing anything. Plus, all of my systems and servers are cloud-based in professional data centers so those were never at risk; this was purely a local tragedy. In addition to saving a couple of gigabytes of unbacked up new data from this week (out of the 3.6-TB that was backed up in my last session), the saved SSD and HDD can now become my roadmap for getting all of my application software re-installed on the new machine and configured as before.

I'm here and online now but will have to catch up on my weekend commitments starting tomorrow. I was supported to be developing a bunch of new content this weekend. Plans changed!

I'm still installing the rest of my application software, particularly my media stuff and utilities, but the Office 365 suite and Adobe Creative Cloud are installed. Video and audio editors come next. Temporarily, I'm using my big drives via USB 3.1 for my files until Wednesday when the internal mounting bracket for the 4-TB SSD and its cable arrives. Then, I can put the big SSD into the spare SATA port inside the 3541 as its D: drive. The main C: drive is on the M.2 NVMe port and is blazingly fast.

Once the SSD is installed into the 3541, I'm going to wipe and formate the SSD (just in case) and copy all of my data files back to it afresh. I'm going to use the opportunity to also re-organize my folder structure and retire some old files that are no longer used to the SAN archive. WIth 4-TB of storage on a notebook PC, I've gotten lazy, keeping stuff around that I don't need to have at my fingertips.

Like a Phoenix, I will have arisen from the ashes of my own stupidity and clumsiness. Huzzah!

And Then There Were Five

The new Donald Trump house flag arrived today. Checking daily for the new shipment of John Cornyn signs and it will go up as soon as they arrive.

Lit Reloaded!

RELOADED!! I ran out of my precinct literature: letterhead, envelopes, online cards & door hangers. Was down to only business cards left. The final part of my rush order for reprinting was just delivered. Can now restart precinct print comms!

And Then There Were Four

My collection of yard signs keeps growing. I am missing my John Cornyn sign but headquarters is out of stock but a re-stocking order in inbound, They should arrive any day.

Grassroots Grow Here!

And now, I've gotten my own yard sign and I love the Dallas County Republican Party tag line for Precinct Chairs, "Grassroots grow here!" Amen.

Click here to see you can get involved

Got Signs?

The inventory of signs has been restocked! You can get them at Dallas County Republican Party Headquarters, 11617 N Central Expy #240, Dallas, TX 75243. If you can't get over there, simply contact me using my contact form and I will pick up whatever you need and drop it off at your home in the precinct. A $10 donation is requested for each Trump sign to fund our November victory efforts. Trump signs are going quickly to get yours ASAP. I picked up my Trump signs this morning and a few extra for precinct constituents.

We Know How To Do Yard Signs in #2023

We know how to do yard signs in Dallas Precinct #2023!! Or, the alternative title could be, "Never let an old photographer art direct." We're on a busy boulevard with lots of evening- and night-time traffic. Why waste half the day getting our message out when two inexpensive solar-powered LED yard lights can make us visible 24x7? Oh, yea.

We Remember

On 9/11, we remember. We remember all the other days too but on this day we perhaps look inward a bit more, reflect and search for deeper meaning and purpose.

To commemorate the 19th anniversary of 9/11, we feature the special home page for the website. The page was made live at 8:46:40 am EDT, the exact moment American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north face of the North Tower (1 WTC) of the World Trade Center, between floors 93 and 99. The tribute page stayed active for 24 hours and is now archived at the link shown below.

“The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead, we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom.” — Rudy Giuliani

Click here to see our 9/11 memorial page

Our Cyber Attack

Something remarkably interesting happened Sunday afternoon, September 6th. Someone tried to deliberately hack the precinct website https://precinct2023.gop. The attack was persistent over a short period of time and several attack vectors were attempted sequentially including a SQL Injection Attack and an XSS Cross-Site Scripting Attack. This wasn't someone just poking around but a for-real attempt to do bad things.

No, the attacks were not successful.

Our website and its technical infrastructure are pretty-well hardened and easily defeated the attack. It did, however, really piqued our curiosity.

Click here to read the full story

Saturday Letter Party!

It's a Saturday letter party!! We're having a big push this weekend to get all of my letters finished and mailed out to the voters in Dallas Precinct 2023. Nancy just took the next batch to the USPS for their 3 pm Saturday pickup. I'm NOT doing bulk mail; this is personal. Each letter is personalized, many with hand-written notes, hand-signed and hand-stamped with a first-class USPS Flag stamp. This is part two of my efforts to introduce myself to the precinct and register voters and/or update voter information for new move-ins. Part one is block-walking/door hangers. It is going to take a while for me to walk the whole precinct but I will get it done. Part three will be phone calls.

Saturday Letter Party!

It's a Saturday letter party!! We're having a big push this weekend to get all of my letters finished and mailed out to the voters in Dallas Precinct 2023. Nancy just took the next batch to the USPS for their 3 pm Saturday pickup. I'm NOT doing bulk mail; this is personal. Each letter is personalized, many with hand-written notes, hand-signed and hand-stamped with a first-class USPS Flag stamp. This is part two of my efforts to introduce myself to the precinct and register voters and/or update voter information for new move-ins. Part one is block-walking/door hangers. It is going to take a while for me to walk the whole precinct but I will get it done. Part three will be phone calls.

More Mail Going Out This Afternoon To Dallas Precinct 2023

Into the mail stream they go!! The next group of personalized first-class letters to the residents of my Dallas Precinct 2023 went out this afternoon.

Going Old-School

We were rained out! With last night's rain (1.6") we couldn't block-walk so we went old-school instead: sending personalized first-class letters with our website/social-media postcards tucked inside. Getting GOP voters registered and new move-ins updated. I'm splitting time and effort between the campaigns and maximizing voter registration in the precinct.

End of Day, Saturday

It is the end of a long but very productive day. The picture below is from our evening block-walking in the precinct in fading light. Calling it an evening for tonight but will be back at it after church tomorrow.

Supply Run

Replenishing the supplies in my block-walking bag before I head out again: door hangers, business cards and the VERY important Voter Registration Applications (I'm a Dallas County VDR.) Lots of neighbors have just moved into the precinct so we'll be updating addresses today.

Cooling Down, Filling Up the Tank

My deal has always been that if you volunteer with me, I'll feed you well. So, my wife (my volunteer today) took me up on it! We're taking a block-walking break to fill up the tank and cool off at the neighborhood EatZi's. My GOP hat attracted a new neighbor at the next table to us. I'm delivering a yard sign later. Voters are where you find them!

Walking for LuisaForTexas Today

On Saturday morning, August 29th, Nancy and I are out walking the precinct for Luisa Del Rosal, candidate for State Representative for Texas House District 114. Hope to meet you! Please get to know Luisa. See https://www.luisafortexas.com/ and make contact with her campaign.

Republican National Convention - Live Streaming and Replay

We carried all four nights of the Republican National Convention live directly from the RNC with interruptions by commentary or commercials. We also carried the replays

See streaming media replays for the other nights

Appointed Volunteer Deputy Registrar

On Wednesday, August 26th, I completed my appointment as a Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR) in Dallas County. I completed the training, took and passed the required test and received my Certificate of Appointment and ID Card. Why is this important? Because within the scope of the VDR program I am now able to legally assist you with your voter registration and change of addresses in person at your home. I can come to you! I am authorized to provide the Voter Registration Application, assist you with its completion, collect it from you, provide you with a receipt and then hand-deliver your application to the Dallas County Elections Department so nothing gets side-tracked in the mail. I can do this from your front porch in minutes for you and everyone in your household. Also, your 30-day waiting period for your Voter Registration begins the moment you hand me your completed application, no waiting for it to arrive at the County. A few weeks later, your new Voter Registration Card will arrive in the mail. The whole idea of the VDR program is to facilitate the registration process and speed things up and, hopefully, get more people registered to vote.

Walking Dallas Precinct 2023

Every Precinct Chairman walks their district. WE Meet our neighbors; shoe leather and retail politics. Surprisingly, the late afternoons have been pleasant, for late August in Texas. I have some shorts and a cool shirt. I also have my kit:

1. Mask
2. Hat
3. Map
4. Door hangers

I doing several blocks every afternoon and will do so most afternoons until I have visited every home in the precinct.

Yard Signs

It is that time of the year when the yard signs start to bloom in their natural habitats. Get your signs out today!

Door Hangers in Dallas Precinct 2023

If you found one of my door hangers on your front door, you have come to the right place. I am walking the precinct to introduce myself and to get to know my neighbors. I live in the precinct, not far from all of you. Please call or drop me a conversation message using either of the two roll-out icons on the right side of all pages on the website. I look forward to meeting you getting to know all my neighbors in the precinct.