Jen Rice
@jenrice.bsky.social
Reporter @democracydocket.com // from the floodplain // bad at sleeping // Texan in DC // signal: jenrice.77 // rice@democracydocket.com
NEW: Republican officials were set to vote on a plan to cut almost half of Election Day voting locations in Tarrant County, a major Texas battleground county. But all that changed when outraged voters who packed the meeting room demanded their voting locations remain open.
GOP backs down from suppression scheme in Texas after voter outrage
The plan changed at the last moment, when Republican officials were faced with a massive backlash from outraged voters
democracydocket.com
BIG PLOT TWIST in TX: Tarrant County's GOP officials, faced with intense public outrage about huge cuts to the battleground county's polling locations in November, have decided to delay their final vote on the plan so more polling places can be added
Jen Rice@jenrice.bsky.social · 2d agoThey're probably hoping you won't hear about this. But tomorrow in TX, Tarrant County officials meet to vote on a GOP plan to cut almost HALF of Election Day voting locations, plus 8 early voting locations, some of them on campuses. Not hard to guess why. fortworthreport.org/2026/07/30/t...
In TX: Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare just CLEARED the meeting room, kicking out public speakers who are opposed to the GOP plan to cut half of the battleground county's Election Day voting locations for November:
WATCH: Texans are now speaking at the Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting, telling GOP county officials not to slash their polling locations www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc7W...
Tarrant County Commissioners Court: August 4th, 2026.
YouTube video by TarrantCountyTX
youtube.com
Jen Rice@jenrice.bsky.social · 2d agoThey're probably hoping you won't hear about this. But tomorrow in TX, Tarrant County officials meet to vote on a GOP plan to cut almost HALF of Election Day voting locations, plus 8 early voting locations, some of them on campuses. Not hard to guess why. fortworthreport.org/2026/07/30/t...
If you're mad about this, here's one thing you can do: sign up to be a local election worker and help your community vote
Jen Rice@jenrice.bsky.social · 2d agoThey're probably hoping you won't hear about this. But tomorrow in TX, Tarrant County officials meet to vote on a GOP plan to cut almost HALF of Election Day voting locations, plus 8 early voting locations, some of them on campuses. Not hard to guess why. fortworthreport.org/2026/07/30/t...
VA Gov. Abigail Spanberger just restored voting rights for 66,000 people (!!) with past felony convictions. In November, VA voters will decide whether to change this process so voting rights can be restored automatically, not up to the governor's discretion. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Virginia Gov. Spanberger has restored voting rights for 66,000 people with past felony convictions
The volume presents a dramatic reversal of prior Gov. Glenn Youngkin's tenure, when he restored less than 10,000 voter's rights during his entire four-year term.
democracydocket.com
They're probably hoping you won't hear about this. But tomorrow in TX, Tarrant County officials meet to vote on a GOP plan to cut almost HALF of Election Day voting locations, plus 8 early voting locations, some of them on campuses. Not hard to guess why. fortworthreport.org/2026/07/30/t...
Tarrant County considers cutting 140 Election Day polling sites for November
County commissioners vote Aug. 4 on proposed reductions to the number of early voting and day-of sites for the midterms.
fortworthreport.org
I don't know what possible reason Google can give for this other than a desire to actively escalate the uncontrolled spread of disinformation
Joseph Cox@josephcox.bsky.social · 5d agoNew from 404 Media: Google Earth has introduced an AI feature that lets anyone fabricate completely bullshit satellite images. In our own tests, we added a “bomb blast and crater” to an area of Los Angeles. This is a misinformation time bomb, will 100% be abused www.404media.co/google-earth...
Smart people: You should sign up to be a local election worker this year
Watch this. The guy lost his father to ICE. He deserves to be heard.
Jen Rice@jenrice.bsky.social · last wk.NEW: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's son Ronaldo just spoke at Houston City Council, telling Mayor John Whitmire & city council what they can do to help make sure someone else isn't killed by ICE: end the Houston Police Department's partnership with ICE
NEW: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's son Ronaldo just spoke at Houston City Council, telling Mayor John Whitmire & city council what they can do to help make sure someone else isn't killed by ICE: end the Houston Police Department's partnership with ICE
The GOP candidate running to represent the congressional district where the Houston ICE shooting happened has "full confidence" in an investigation led by the federal government which has already created false claims that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo had illegal drugs in his van
20 days after ICE officers killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, DHS still won't even tell the public their names Houston: you have until 3pm today to sign up to speak at tomorrow's city council meeting and tell Mayor John Whitmire what you want him to do about the shooting
I do find it amazing that even in this moment, the Dems can't come up with some sort of "Contract for America" like language that offers an alternative to Trump. Maybe they have it, but whatever governing vision they have is lost in the noise.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last wk.Jeffries: "They have nothing to run on. We're going to run on fighting for an affordable America."
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat opens today's forum on the Houston ICE shooting: "We invited ICE & they refused. We invited DHS & they refused. We invited the FBI & they refused. Our federal authorities have refused to come forward so we are here to hold them accountable."
Alexandra Bravo, the Ecuadorian prosecutor assigned to investigate U.S. strikes on 3 Ecuadorian boats and the 36 survivors’ accounts of torture & kidnapping by US, was shot dead by a hitman. The police detail that had been assigned to protect her was not present. www.dropsitenews.com/p/prosecutor...
Prosecutor Investigating U.S. Boat Strikes and Claims of Torture Was Murdered in Ecuador
New evidence has emerged of U.S. Coast Guard activity in the aftermath of two strikes, further corroborating survivor testimony.
dropsitenews.com
Houstonians are outraged about the (still unidentified) ICE officers who shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. They’re facing a very uphill battle to get answers and hold ICE accountable. But people aren't talking about something that will likely make this fight even harder 🧵
Hey @kissphoria.bsky.social @jenrice.bsky.social @embaleez.bsky.social @saracress.bsky.social @neilaquino.bsky.social I wrote about speaking to City Council and how depressing it is and how hostile Council seems to treat speakers. open.substack.com/pub/johnroya...
So I Spoke Before Houston City Council (And I Have Some Thoughts)
Please Excuse All of the Footnotes
open.substack.com
Houston: TODAY at 11am the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is holding a congressional forum in Houston on ICE's use of force in the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Livestream here: www.youtube.com/live/HMa5Q7i...
Seeking Justice: Oversight of ICE's use of force in the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo
YouTube video by Congressional Hispanic Caucus
youtube.com
Texas is on our 4th UNCONFIRMED Secretary of State. It doesn't have to be this way. Read our report and learn how Greg Abbott’s revolving door for the Secretary of State’s office hurts voters (and how we can fix it!) Read here or in the link in our bio: commoncause.org/texas/sos-final-report/
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🚨 PSA Kansas: Your Secretary of State is doing everything in his power to disenfranchise mail voters. Postmarked by Election Day but arrived late? Scott Schwab doesn't care. Here’s why:
Kansas elections chief launches legal full-court press against mail ballot grace periods
The top election official in Kansas is doing everything he can legally do to disenfranchise mail voters this election cycle.
democracydocket.com
Houston: Mass march and rally to demand the end of ICE and justice for ICE victims Saturday, July 25th, from 10 am to 12 pm starting at 1121 Franklin St, Houston, TX 77002
NEW: After ICE officers fatally shot Houston resident Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D) demanded an independent investigation. Garcia represents the city's Latino East End. But Texas’ new map, which moved much of the community into a red district, may make it harder to get answers.
ICE killed a man in Houston and residents want answers. But Trump’s gerrymander may take away their voice in Congress
After the November elections, the neighborhood will likely have a GOP congresswoman who has said almost nothing about Salgado Araujo’s killing.
democracydocket.com
New: ICE killed a man in Houston and residents want answers. But Trump’s redistricting effort last year could make that even more difficult. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
ICE killed a man in Houston and residents want answers. But Trump’s gerrymander may take away their voice in Congress
After the November elections, the neighborhood will likely have a GOP congresswoman who has said almost nothing about Salgado Araujo’s killing.
democracydocket.com
Community groups are asking Houstonians to take action in response to the fatal ICE shooting: join a protest at Hidalgo Park in the East End (Friday 6pm) & close businesses, stay home and not shop or spend money Friday to stop "business as usual" www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/hou...
Houston businesses urged to close Friday for 'No Business As Usual’ ICE protest
A similar protest in Minneapolis drew thousands of protestors and contributed to the end of a large ICE operation in that city earlier this year.
houstonchronicle.com
